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Reto Zürcher takes over the management of HB-Therm AG
On 1st January 2012, Reto Zürcher, son of the current CEO Hans Peter Zürcher, shall assume the management of HB-Therm AG in Switzerland as well as HB-Therm S.A.S. in France. This is the date on which Hans Peter Zürcher shall retire from operational management and take on new duties as chairman. The interview in the appendix shows how Reto Zürcher intends to tackle this responsible task, and how positively Hans Peter Zürcher regards the change of the person in charge of HB-Therm.
Question for Hans Peter Zürcher: why are you surrendering the leadership of your company to the next generation so soon?
Answer: early succession is one of the most important tasks of a family business. It is not just a matter of continuing to lead a functioning and profit generating business like HB-Therm. It is also, above all else, about the development, advancement and successful implementation of new ideas. Facing up to this crucial challenge for the future (not least when the economy is as unsteady as it is) requires youthful dynamism and creativity. I took over HB-Therm in 1997, during a management buy-out from the company Grossenbacher Unternehmungen AG (indeed, this was also during a period when the economy was rather uncertain). With this acquisition we focussed on temperature control technology. It was a decision that would prove very important and correct regarding the continued existence of the company. HB-Therm AG today has a turnover of about 35 million CHF, 100 colleagues, and subsidiaries in Germany, France and Japan and more than 40 other representatives worldwide; it is one of the leading internationally active companies in its industry.
Picture: Reto Zürcher, Hans Peter Zürcher
Question for Reto Zürcher: how is HB-Therm positioned for the future, and will you be treading any new ground as the new CEO?
Answer: the takeover of the management of HB-Therm is a big challenge for me. HB-Therm represents innovative and high quality temperature control technology. With the aid of our top motivated team, we will be continuing to orient ourselves according to these strategic success factors in the future. We are today able to offer very interesting innovations based on this. The development of the HB-Therm temperature control units is a good example. We are not just claiming that our temperature control units contain elements of „exciting technology“; we can also prove it. To accommodate such up-market technology in such a confined space is a challenge that HB-Therm has always achieved successfully. This has brought us into a position of international leadership in the markets; a position which is there to stay. For example, take Series 5: in it, the combination of technical features is totally unique. Where else will you come across so many innovations in one device which also reduces maintenance costs while increasing energy efficiency? I am thinking of fully automated process monitoring, ultrasonic flow rate measurement, non-scaling and pressure shock-free cooling, closed system with no oxygen contact, and facilities for recording data and producing graphical evaluations. All this reduces operation costs considerably, and helps to keep the injection moulding process under control. With this current series, but also with our module devices that are controlled and operated jointly, and our external flow meters as well as the Treat and Clean water treatment and cleaning devices, we have established a typical „Swiss made“ product program that leaves lasting impressions. My father’s work concerning the development and expansion of the company is very impressive, especially considering that the financial resources for developments and investments that had to be developed without external funding. HB-Therm AG has continuously grown by 10 % annually, and today it is, with its innovative products, technologically unique. This results in a large open scope for the future, which we will be filling with powerful, durable and innovative new products. We are totally dedicated to tradition while always open to new technologies.
Question for Reto Zürcher: Where does your affinity with the company and technology really stem from?
Answer: Naturally, it comes first and foremost from my parents’ house. I have practically grown up with technology over the last 32 years. Thus it came only naturally to study technical science. And I actually did, studying Information Technology and Electrical Engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich. I completed my Master’s degree at Imperial College in London. After five years of vocational experience I completed the work-study program for Technological Entrepreneurs at the School of Entrepreneurs of the University of St. Gallen (HSG), where I could also acquire the business skills necessary for such a job. So you see: there are always parallels between my personal development and the development of HB-Therm. Both are characterised by single-mindedness and straightforwardness. Various study jobs have brought me always back to manufacturing with HB-Therm. Then, in 2008: that was when I joined the company for real. I was originally active in technology development, then as an Area Sales Manager in the sales department. I consider this having enabled me to gather the practical knowledge necessary for taking on this responsible position. I am pleased at being able to work with a well-practiced team of qualified and motivated colleagues, and it is this that the success story HB-Therm is ultimately based on. I will still be active in the products development department, so I can experience the exciting world of technological development first-hand. And I will not completely surrender the sales side; this will allow me to keep my proximity to the customers and feel the market. I will also be getting one hint or another from my father; only by doing this will we manage to bring one of the fundamental values of our corporate philosophy – the continuity of HB-Therm – into the future.
HB-Therm Team Switzerland
The questions were asked by:
Uwe Becker, freelance journalist, UBCOM Communciation Management, www.ubcom.cc
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