After studying mechanical engineering at the Ruhr University in Bochum, chance (long blonde hair) brought me to Bonn at the end of 1990 to work in central research and development at what was then VAW aluminum AG. After just a few days, I was infected with aluminum fever. It was a material that was almost unheard of at university at the time and yet offered such an incredible range of possibilities.

Then I went to Unna to a highly specialized aluminum tube plant and then to Wachtberg/Bonn to a very specialized automotive service provider for a project and then in Erkrath for the first time the task: “We make in steel, but are constantly asked for aluminum”. I was immediately hooked.

Then back to Unna as part of an employee buy-out project. Stayed there for another 15 years and gradually took on entrepreneurial responsibility for around 400 people and a turnover of 80 million euros.

Starting April 1, 2015, we were able to focus on building and expanding our family GmbH. It was a great time with a truly strong family team. Things got exciting again in late summer 2018. Our wife and mother took over as managing director, and our youngest shareholder initially worked for our family GmbH before following a professional opportunity to the capital. At the same time, the then-new major shareholder of the pipe plant in Unna reached out.

And as we all know, all good things come in threes, so on November 19, 2018, our daughter went to Berlin and I went to Unna again – I already knew the way anyway. What was initially only planned for two years turned into a longer trip for a number of reasons. Corona – German courts – war and the German government’s energy price fiasco. So all tasks were completed, turnover increased significantly to over €120 million and profitability stabilized. We also brought together a strong group of people at management level. Thank you for that! And from July 1, we will once again be taking on new tasks. You can look forward to it.