60 years emuco
What memories do you have of the founding of emuco and the first years of the company?
KLAUS HAUPRICHT: Of course, I only know the story told by my brother and long-time business partner Günter.
long-time business partner Günter. Ernst Müller founded the company in 1964.
5 years, Günter quickly joined the company and the two worked together successfully for a long time.
My own connection to the company began around 1986.
at the Cologne University of Applied Sciences, the company founder Ernst Müller fell seriously ill.
In consultation with Günter, we decided together that I would drop out of my studies and join the company immediately.
join the company immediately. First as an employee, later as a partner. I have never regretted this decision
What were the biggest challenges at the beginning and how did you overcome them?
KLAUS HAUPRICHT:The initial challenges were that I had little knowledge of the products and the industry.
knowledge of the products and the industry. It required a rapid acquisition of specialist knowledge.
I was thrown in at the deep end and started actively visiting customers. This was different back then
different to today, as customer visits were often made without fixed appointments. My specialization
was the company Coroplast, which produced adhesive tapes, plastic-insulated cables and, at the time, profiles and hoses.
as well as profiles and hoses at the time.
What does it mean to you personally to celebrate emuco’s 60th anniversary?
KLAUS HAUPRICHT: I am extremely proud of the success, especially because I have been closely
with the company for 38 years now. It fills me with pride to see how we have managed to make the transformation
from a pure commercial agency to a trading company with its own production and warehouse.
and our own warehouse.
Over the years, I have seen many companies come and go, and I am particularly pleased
that we are still well positioned and successful after 60 years.
What milestones has emuco reached on the way to its 60th anniversary and how has the company changed over the years, particularly in terms of products, services and market presence?
GÜNTER HAUPRICHT: As already mentioned, emuco started out purely as a commercial agency. Over the
Klaus and I have transformed the company over the decades: away from pure commercial agency and towards
to intermediate trade (drop shipments), our own warehouse and finally our own production.
The focus was always on the European cable and wire rope industry.
What factors would you consider to be key to emuco’s success and were there any particular strategies or decisions that were particularly important to the company’s growth?
KLAUS HAUPRICHT: A decisive step in setting the course for the growth and reorganization of our
company was Günter’s connection to our former business partner and later consultant and friend, Himel
and later consultant and friend, Himel Gupta, a cable engineer and designer. Through
his suggestions, we were motivated to become actively involved in the Asian market, especially in India, China
and partly Thailand and other regions.
What challenges did you experience during your time as owner and what important lessons did you learn from them? Are there any decisions that you would make differently in hindsight?
GÜNTER HAUPRICHT: The findings showed that investments often require staying power and that it is
It is important to give the company the time it needs to develop positively. This
This applies in particular to new investments, especially in the area of machinery, where a certain period of time is
required to achieve amortization and move into the profit phase.
A fundamental lesson that we have learned over the decades and that has stood the test of time is
the principle in dealing with customers, suppliers and partners: “Leave the church in the village.” It is
It is crucial not only to focus on short-term success, but to always act according to the motto
“You always see each other twice in life” in order to strive for long-term cooperation based on partnership.
and partnership.
How important is innovation for long-term competitiveness and are there any specific innovations or technologies that the company is particularly proud of?
KLAUS HAUPRICHT: From a historical perspective, Ernst Müller must be mentioned first and foremost. He was
buyer at a cable factory called Felten & Guilleaume in Cologne before setting up his own business relatively late in
in his mid-forties before becoming self-employed.
At that time, natural fibers, especially jute, were often used in the reinforcement and filling of cables.
jute, was often used. However, jute had disadvantages such as irregularities and thickening. Ernst Müller’s
idea was to replace this natural fiber with a synthetic yarn, specifically a polypropylene yarn.
The advantages were obvious: uniformity, guaranteed freedom from knots and the ability to run machines faster.
run faster. Together with the Lankhorst company, he put this idea into practice. Even today
I still remember today that emuco, after ten years of introductory work, first at
Siemens and then at Felten & Guilleaume in Cologne, emuco received its first major orders.
Today, there is no cable factory in the world that does not use polypropylene yarns in some way.
in some way. Ernst Müller and emuco have made a significant contribution in this area.
made a significant contribution.
How have the markets in which your company operates changed over the years, how has the industry as a whole developed and how has your company reacted to this?
GÜNTER HAUPRICHT: We have continuously tried to adapt our range and introduce new products, always
always with a focus on the European cable and wire rope industry as well as some specific niches.
niches.
At the same time, emuco has evolved from a regional supplier, which was partly active throughout Germany, to a global player
a global player that today serves customers throughout Europe and in some cases even worldwide,
both on the sales and purchasing side.
Our expansion in this area has been impressive. The cable industry has changed considerably in recent decades.
changed considerably. We have benefited greatly from the increase in cable production, particularly in
Eastern Europe. We were already present in this market in the early days and now have many customers in this region.
customers in this region. At the same time, a market shakeout has taken place in all sectors, whereby
some companies have grown enormously through innovations or takeovers
How has the relationship with customers and business partners developed over the years and what significance long-term customer relationships have for your company?
GÜNTER HAUPRICHT:The importance of long-term customer relationships for our company is enormous.
We continue to benefit from the fact that we have customers who have worked with emuco from the very beginning, i.e. for
emuco from the very beginning, i.e. for 60 years now. Over the years, these relationships have steadily
continued to develop.
This has not only resulted in business relationships, but also friendships, business acquaintances
and partnerships that are characterized by a high degree of mutual respect and trust.
mutual respect and trust.
What role does the emuco team play in your success and are there any particular employees that are particularly noteworthy? How would you describe the corporate culture describe emuco’s corporate culture?
KLAUS HAUPRICHT: Over the years, we have grown from a pure family business with 3 employees
to a company with around 20 employees, which of course no longer consists exclusively of family members.
members of the family.
I would like to emphasize two points in particular. Firstly, about 13 years ago, Thomas Schönung,
our current operations manager, played an important role. His appointment marked the starting point
for the move towards in-house production and a large warehouse in Haßloch. Thomas has
Thomas has undoubtedly made a significant contribution to our long-term success and the impressive increase in sales, and I am particularly pleased that my daughter Nadja has joined emuco.
for emuco. This ensures the necessary rejuvenation of the company with new ideas and perspectives for the coming decades.
for the coming decades.
To summarize, the corporate culture is based on trusting and understanding cooperation.
with one another. Clear proof of the correctness of our strategy is the fact that we now have many
employees who have been with emuco for many years.
How do you see the future of the company over the next few years?
and are there any specific goals or projects you are aiming for in the future? how do you see the future of the company in the next few years?
and are there specific goals or projects that you are aiming for in the future?
NADJA HAUPRICHT: emuco should grow continuously, but with caution. It is important to me that we do this
in small, appropriate steps to ensure that the company remains healthy.
remains healthy. In this context, we are planning to increase production in Haßloch and to invest in new
machines and expand production and storage capacities.
My vision:
1. cooperation instead of competition. I believe this is crucial at all levels. We are a small company and I am convinced that we “little ones” should support each other.
2. openness, honesty and understanding. That makes things easier and saves a lot of time.
My father and my uncle have done a lot of things right over the last few decades. The success of emuco after 60 years proves them right. The world keeps turning and so processes and processes and people are constantly changing. I hope that we move with progress and learn to accept these changes. learn to accept these changes. Not everything can always work at the first attempt and not everything “old” things necessarily need to be improved. Incidentally, that was my first learning at emuco! I would like to dedicate the final word to our employees. You are doing a fantastic job! Thank you for spending a large part of your lives at emuco. A company can never exist without a well-functioning team. Our employees should always work in a company that puts “people” first. They should feel comfortable, heard and valued. I hope that we will continue to work together for many years to come and successfully together successfully for the future.
My vision:
1. cooperation instead of competition. I believe this is crucial at all levels. We are a small company and I am convinced that we “little ones” should support each other.
2. openness, honesty and understanding. That makes things easier and saves a lot of time.
My father and my uncle have done a lot of things right over the last few decades. The success of emuco after 60 years proves them right. The world keeps turning and so processes and processes and people are constantly changing. I hope that we move with progress and learn to accept these changes. learn to accept these changes. Not everything can always work at the first attempt and not everything “old” things necessarily need to be improved. Incidentally, that was my first learning at emuco! I would like to dedicate the final word to our employees. You are doing a fantastic job! Thank you for spending a large part of your lives at emuco. A company can never exist without a well-functioning team. Our employees should always work in a company that puts “people” first. They should feel comfortable, heard and valued. I hope that we will continue to work together for many years to come and successfully together successfully for the future.