Change of management at Demmel AG in Scheidegg

Change of baton at Demmel AG in Scheidegg: Maria Hege, Markus Kölle and Thomas Fischer form the new management trio of the medium-sized company following the departure of longstanding CEO Thomas Holderried. "We want to remain approachable and develop the company in a down-to-earth way," says Kölle about the joint goal of the new company management. The company wants to grow noticeably over the next few years and is also considering entering new sectors.

Demmel AG is one of the largest employers in the Lindau district. The company employs more than 800 people in Germany alone. In addition to Scheidegg, this also includes a site in Heimertingen.

Her fellow board member Markus Kölle has had a similar career. The 50-year-old has been with Demmel for 33 years. When he began his apprenticeship there as an industrial clerk, Maria Hege was his senior pen. "I was given the opportunity to take on new tasks and gain an outside perspective," says the Weiler native, explaining why he has stayed with Demmel for so long. Among other things, he was Head of Quality Assurance, switched to Sales and helped build up the now dominant Automotive division. He has been responsible for sales since 2011. As a member of the Management Board, he is now also responsible for Purchasing, Product Development and the company subsidiaries.

Thomas Fischer completes the Management Board trio. He comes from the Salzkammergut region and has been with Demmel since last fall. He joined as technical director in October and is now also an operational director, with responsibility for process development, quality management, production, logistics and supply chain management, i.e. the entire flow of goods from raw materials to the finished product. The 39-year-old began his career in Austria with an apprenticeship as a production technician at an engine manufacturer. This was followed by training as a master craftsman and studies in industrial engineering and management and digitalization, as well as professional positions as purchasing manager and operational managing director.

The appointment of two long-standing Demmel employees and a new member to the Management Board is no coincidence. A mixture of continuity, i.e. experience within the company, and external expertise was important to the Supervisory Board, says Maria Hege.
Thomas Holderried is now a member of the Supervisory Board. He has shaped Demmel AG and its enormous development as a long-standing member of the Management Board. When Maria Hege and Markus Kölle entered the professional world, the company was still located in Blasenbergstraße in the center of Scheidegg, produced signs and was known as "Ätzwerk". The AG now employs more than 1,500 people worldwide and generates a turnover of 130 million euros with its plants in Germany and 250 million euros globally. Revenue in Germany is set to rise to 150 million by 2026.

To date, the company has generated 90 percent of its turnover with car manufacturers. This dependency has made itself felt over the past three years. Corona, supply bottlenecks, chip shortages - everything that has affected car manufacturers has also affected Demmel. But business is normalizing. "The order situation is good," says Kölle.

Demmel should benefit from a development that has to do with the cut-off supply chains. A shortage of parts has brought car manufacturers' production lines to a standstill. This is why the trend is moving away from globalized thinking. Manufacturers are increasingly producing locally for the respective markets and are also relying on corresponding suppliers. Demmel is well positioned in this respect. The company has been present in China since 2010 and in the USA, the two most important sales markets for passenger cars, since 2016.

In the medium term, however, Demmel wants to become less dependent on one sector. The company has set up a "small start-up team" to open up new markets for the company over the next two years. Demmel has his sights set on fashion, sport and renewable energies. "It's an investment in the future," says Kölle.

The Management Board also has plans for the Demmel Group, which includes Rawe Electronic in Weiler and Tefag AG in Switzerland. The companies are to be brought even closer together. "That," says Kölle, "will give us even more power."