A visit to Baukom – Dr. A. Schütte
"An extraordinary example of generational succession done right"
Dr. Albrecht Schütte on his visit to Baukom, experts in building products in Sinsheim-Reihen.
Member of the Baden-Württemberg Landtag Dr. Albrecht Schütte recently visited Baukom GmbH, a company specializing in Exterior Insulation and Finishing Systems (EIFS), meshes, and plaster and drywall profiles, for an interview and a tour of the company. He was greeted by managing partner Stefan Endlweber at the mid-sized company's offices. Mr. Endlweber has been part of the management team since 2016.
Together, they discussed the risks and opportunities created by digitization for mid-sized companies in Baden-Württemberg, before heading off on a tour of the company's production and warehouse facilities. Dr. Schütte is an expert on the topic of digitization himself, thanks to his experience in IT consulting, and he attested to the excellent work Stefan Endlweber is doing here: "As a relatively smaller business in the construction industry, you have the opportunity to adjust to the demands of digitization more quickly and with greater flexibility than larger competitors."
Endlweber named a few examples where the company is already relying on digital solutions or where such solutions are in the planning stages. These include digital order taking, a warehouse management system for computerized order-picking, and an intelligent logistics concept: "especially when it comes to networking with suppliers of building materials – essential for us – digitization offers lots of potential for optimization."
Baukom was founded by Rolf Klein in 1994 with a 400 m² production area in Sinsheim-Steinsfurt, and in the last 20 years the company has developed into experts in Exterior Insulation and Finishing Systems (EIFS), plastering meshes, and profiles for plastering and drywall work, along with a selection of chemical products. Baukom went international early on, starting with the establishment of Baukom France in 2003, and they soon began investing in holdings in the supply industry both in Germany and abroad. They're starting to reach the limits of their capacity, however, which is why a 20,000-m² expansion to the present production and storage facilities in Sinsheim-Reihen is being planned.
As one of the European Union's largest producers of EIFS supplies and accessories, the company has a major stake in the free exchange of goods and services within the EU: "A great deal of our production goes abroad, most of it by far within the European Union”, said Endlweber.
At the conclusion of the interview, Dr. Albrecht Schütte stressed how difficult it can be to make the change from one generation to the next, especially for a mid-sized company: "Baukom is a prime example of how a difficult generational succession can work, as company founder Rolf Klein has picked the right time to do it."