Podcast „Alles neu...? Aus dem Maschinenraum“

Anyone who puts in contact lenses in the morning, drinks a coffee at the office, or takes an antibiotic has probably already come into contact with a Bürkert valve without realizing it. Hidden champion Bürkert Fluid Control Systems, based in Ingelfingen, manufactures valves, regulators, and measuring devices for liquids and gases, employs around 3,700 people, and most recently generated revenue of around 680 million euros.

Of that, only about 17 percent comes from Germany. The largest markets are the US and China, with India set to follow. "It's a transformation, because I have to accept that there are people in India who can do this just as well, maybe even faster," says CEO Georg Stawowy. The competency the German headquarters will need going forward is therefore a different one: coordinating a decentralized, globally connected network. "It no longer means 'I'm thinking ahead for India,' but rather 'What do we need to do for India so they can develop it themselves?'" he adds. Investment continues on both sides: 7 million euros recently went into building up production in India, and 70 million euros into three German locations.

Georg Stawowy wants to rethink not just Bürkert's international setup, but the business model itself: "Sustainability is an economic reality today," he says, pointing to rising copper and gas prices. "Whether I ultimately do it to leave my children a better planet or to save money doesn't matter to me," he says. "If I don't believe in the ethical perspective, or if I deny climate change, I still have to do it for economic reasons." He wants to align his portfolio more strongly with products that contribute to a "regenerative economy," one in which social, ecological, and economic systems can recover instead of being depleted.

Georg Stawowy also talks about why Bürkert strategically excludes business with the defense industry, even though he himself is not a pacifist, and why being CEO can mean sometimes finding yourself sitting alone in the cafeteria – on the podcast "Alles neu…? Aus dem Maschinenraum" with Tobias Rappers and Katja Michel.

How can the origin and future of Mittelstand companies be courageously united? What are the challenges facing family businesses and what experiences do they gather in digital transformation? These questions are answered by “Alles neu...? Aus dem Maschinenraum“, the interview podcast for German Mittelstand*. Once a month, Tobias Rappers, Managing Director of Maschinenraum, and Nils Kreimeier, Senior Editor of the business magazine Capital, talk to thought leaders and makers from the heart of the German economy and focus on the personalities and their motivation. *The podcast is in German.

For more episodes of “Alles neu...? Aus dem Maschinenraum“ please click here!