"Our goal must be a level around ten percent"

After more than 30 years, Dieter Manz resigned from the management of the high-tech machinery manufacturer Manz in 2017. His successor was the restructuring specialist Eckhard Hörner-Marass. In addition to the implementation of the recovery initiated, the new CEO is also working with the main Chinese shareholder and future strategy M & A.

Entrepreneur Edition: Mr. Hörner-Marass, in July 2017, you have took the direction of the founder Dieter Manz. How is your balance for the last 12 months?

Eckhard Hörner-Marass: If we look at the central key figures, we have made some nice progress at that time. Business performance has increased, new orders have posted a clear positive trend and productivity has also increased significantly. In part, we even exceeded our goals. Of course, there is no doubt that the change of company founder from the board of directors to the supervisory board after more than 30 years has initiated a cultural change on several levels. After all, Mr. Manz was an equally central and dominant figure for the company – in a positive sense. The company is no longer run by a founder, but is led by a management team.

They expect the expansion of the service sector, more standardized machinery and more efficient sales. Where is the company implementing these measures?

It was absolutely necessary to significantly increase sales at the same or even lower costs. If we still achieved sales of 136,000 euros per employee in 2016, this figure was already in the order of 210,000 euros in the first quarter of 2018. The goal is to continually increase the productivity of l & # 39; company. Standard machines should also contribute to this. In terms of sales, we have made many hires, particularly in the United States and Asia. A consequence of this is that the number of potential new customers increases again to double digits as a percentage. I still see a lot of potential in the service sector. With the expansion of the machines installed on the market, service revenues are expected to increase as a next step.

The last few years have not been easy for Manz. What was the significance of the Shanghai Electric Group's entry in 2016 in this context?

This event was undoubtedly very important for the company. I mean here first the financial aspect. It's no secret that Manz was in financial trouble at the time. The entrance of Shanghai Electric Group as the main shareholder in the context of a capital increase has greatly diminished. We therefore consider Shanghai Electric as a very valuable door opener in the Chinese market. As a public company, the Group is well connected. We continue to benefit from the contacts we receive via Shanghai Electric

What opportunities do you see for Manz in China?

Marass Horns: Especially in the field of electromobility, ambitious goals have been formulated by the Chinese government. There are clear guidelines that will allow strong market growth in the coming years. Thanks to our well-known Chinese partner, we are in an excellent starting position. Shanghai Electric serves as a bridgehead in the planned expansion of our activities in China