Gerhard Koblenzer, Managing Partner of LPW Reinigungssysteme GmbH.
- business fields: Systems for industrial parts cleaning
- Target groups: General market, automotive suppliers; medical technology, AM post-processing, laser/vacuum technology, optics
- Employees: approx. 80
- Annual sales: approx. € 15 million
- In which areas and to what extent has the pandemic affected your company?
- What strategies have you pursued or worked out - what would you do differently with today's state of knowledge?
- How do you evaluate the measures taken by the government, including aid programs for business?
- How has business activity been affected (for example, communication between companies, processing of existing orders)?
We are experiencing a massive disruption of basic economic functions due to COVID-19, which has sat on top of the existing structural crisis. We prepared for this crisis years ago. But Covid, of course, was not predictable. The first lockdown massively disrupted supply chains at the beginning, and that continues to have an impact today. Order processing was a little more difficult at first, but settled back to normal after a short time - as did inquiries. The government measures have of course helped and so far have avoided the worst. But of course that doesn't compensate for all the problems.
- What is your summary for fiscal 2020, what were your expectations at the end of 2019?
We had a huge order intake, so our expectations for 2020 were correspondingly high. We did not achieve our original economic targets, although we were able to catch up significantly in recent months. Despite Covid and initial reluctance to invest. However, our development goals have largely been achieved.
- How has Corona affected your industry and how has the pandemic impacted on trends and developments that prevailed up to that point, for example in the technology sector? To what extent did the Corona year trigger stagnation, or where might it even have sparked a new dynamic?
Corona has led to a collapse in traditional areas of activity much faster than we thought. Change processes that had previously been designed to take years are now taking place within a few months. Nevertheless, many business areas will be disrupted or permanently damaged after the crisis.
- Apart from the pandemic, were there any anomalies/developments in 2020 that you did not expect?
No. We are merely experiencing a massive acceleration of already known trends.
- To what extent do developments in the international political arena - such as pandemic-related restrictions, import tariffs, trade restrictions or political instability - influence your forecasts?
- What role does the US presidential election play?
- What role does the Brexit play?
Stable and reliable trade between core global markets and a perspective of an end to the Corona crisis are currently of great importance. The first is strongly related to the U.S. election. The second has a significant impact on confidence for 2021 and thus on investment decisions. Brexit is not affecting our company.
- Which sales markets are particularly interesting for you at the moment? On which international sales markets do you intend to focus even more in the future?
We are strongly committed to the core regions of Europe, Asia and North America with our local partners. Local production and service activities are still being expanded.
- Which markets have gained or lost importance (for you)?
The classic powertrain in the automotive sector and the standard systems business in the general market will see less demand in the coming years. Instead, fully automated systems for fine and ultra-fine cleaning will be in demand, requirements from the new mobility concepts, camera-based systems and sensor technology, additive manufacturing, laser and vacuum technology, as well as the field of electronics and medical technology will demand much greater demand for technical cleanliness throughout the entire process chain.
- How is the shortage of skilled workers/labor market developing?
This is an important topic, especially for medium-sized companies. LPW currently trains intensively for its own needs, but continues to have a need for specialized application technicians, sales staff and service specialists.
- What role did the topics of optimization, resource efficiency and digitalization (Industry 4.0, BigData, predictive maintenance) play in 2020? How do you assess the priority for the next few years and has this assessment changed as a result of the pandemic?
These topics have been around for longer and have now been accelerated. Viable industry standards are developing for basic processes and are being incorporated into daily work. It is important for our industry to implement validatable solutions for technical cleanliness in the process chain.
- How do you assess further economic development, for 2021 and the following years? What strategies are you pursuing in this regard, and where do you see your company and the industry in three years' time?
We expect significantly stronger demand in our existing business areas and for qualified services in the overall processes of all industrial sectors.
- What priorities and development goals are on the agenda for your company in 2021? What are your expectations for the coming year?
Based on the current signals, we expect a significant recovery in the economy from Q2 2021.
- What customer requirements do you expect in 2021?
Nothing in particular. The "new" requirements are already an everyday challenge.
- In which areas are you planning changes and/or investments?
We have already made many investments in, for example, the new cleanroom-based test and service center with contract cleaning, in new processes and procedures, plant technology and, above all, in personnel qualification. Furthermore, process digitalization is running at full speed.