Change gives new energy

After a year in the new company building and under new leadership, markilux sees itself even better positioned in the market and prepared for the future.

Sun protection specialist markilux moved into its new company building in Emsdetten more than a year ago and almost at the same time received the legal status of GmbH + Co. KG (=~BV) under the umbrella of the parent company "Schmitz-Werke". Klaus Wuchner and Michael Gerling, the two managing directors of markilux, take stock of a first interim review after more than a year of internal changes.

Companies today face major challenges. They must adapt to changing markets and new technologies in ever shorter cycles. This requires strategic and smart use of resources and professionals. Sun protection specialist markilux saw this development coming years ago and started a process of change at an early stage. One such change involved the transition at the end of 2017 to a newly built, facility- and technically up-to-date office building.

Modern office building adds to brand appeal
"In recent years we have worked hard to make our brand more visible and tangible, both nationally and internationally. For example through our website, through our own showrooms or by presenting our products in customers' showrooms within markilux's Corporate Design," says Klaus Wuchner, Director of Sales and Marketing, adding, "But what you show to the outside world, you also have to live up to internally." And on that point, there was still some catching up to do. In the new building, employees can identify with the brand even more than before. According to Wuchner, the company's image has also changed: "In our showroom here in Emsdetten, we already received a lot of positive feedback from visitors. This showed that our presentation now represents the brand one-to-one. Since then we have been seen more as a strong, future-oriented company." He sees this as an asset that markilux intends to play in the future, especially in the search for skilled professionals.

Klaus Wuchner and Michael Gerling, at the helm at markilux since the beginning of 2018, are pleased with the company's first year as a new GmbH + Co. KG (=~BV) in the new office building. The internal change with modern structures and altered work processes gave the sun protection specialist an additional impetus that makes the company even more attuned to the market situation and the future.

Open communication in office promotes collaboration and project-based work
In doing so, the initial planning phase was not so much about the building itself. "The big question was what the digital world in our industry is going to look like in the coming years," said Michael Gerling, director of engineering and production. "Our main concern has been to design an office that is fit for the future." Thus, Mr. Gerling said, modern, ergonomic workstations have been created in an open space with only a few individual offices. Mr. Wuchner and Mr. Gerling agree that this has created enormous potential for project-based work and interdepartmental cooperation, emphasizing, "We have become a lot more efficient as a result. Instead of long e-mails to many recipients, we now have short interim meetings. There is still nothing like direct and quick exchange, face to face. And for communication with colleagues at other locations, we now use videoconferencing technology. That, too, saves a lot of time."

New corporate structure provides flexibility for the future
However, markilux has not only been renewed in terms of image and work processes in the past year. At the beginning of 2018, the corporate form of the sun protection specialist was transformed into GmbH + Co. KG, under the umbrella of the parent company "Schmitz-Werke". Operationally, this changed little, according to the two managing directors, who previously held managerial positions with similar duties. "In the market we were already seen as an independent company before we were a GmbH. Nevertheless, the move to independent corporate status was completely justified," is Klaus Wuchner's conviction. The company's growth required an internal structural change to create a flexible company that could adapt to the pace of the digital age. The company had to become resilient to economically tense times. That we as company leaders were able to go down this path is a great vote of confidence on the part of the shareholders, who approved the new legal form. At the same time, Messrs. Wuchner and Gerling see this as a challenge. For them, it means that markilux has to be even more purposeful and faster aligned to the future. "With our current information technology, we now work much more effectively. Especially also because we have been in one building again since 2018, which simplifies coordination," says Michael Gerling. Crucial for both directors was to also involve the employees optimally in this dynamic process, to support and motivate them, through responsibility and trust as well as through forward-looking leadership.

Innovative technology speeds up processes in all departments
Overall, 2018 was an eventful year for the sun protection specialist, which required a lot of effort from all departments. However, internal change allowed markilux to better position itself on the market, according to Klaus Wuchner. "With the help of today's data technology, we can collect targeted information, enabling us to respond more and more quickly to customer needs and trends. Digitized processes also make shorter product cycles possible. The cooperation with our trading partners also benefits from this," Klaus Wuchner said, explaining, "Here, too, we can react faster and provide support. In the future, we will also support our partners more in marketing so that they can focus entirely on the end customers and their needs." After one year in the new building with the new structures, it was already clear how important and right it was to take these steps. They have reinvigorated the company, allowing the successes of recent years to continue into the future.