In the German auto industry, the Bavarian supplier Webasto has a sonorous name. The family business, founded in 1901 at the gates of Munich, is known for reliable parking heaters and innovative convertible and panoramic roofs. In the foyer of the group headquarters in Stockdorf, a modular roof system is exhibited that webasto has developed for the S-Class from Mercedes: The evaporation is possible via two separated controllable roller blinds, comfortably by gesture and voice control, but also change such show projects to the current misery. Webasto was hit hard by the sales flaut on the large car markets, high debts on the balance sheet, and because even management errors were not denied – the attempt failed pitifully to get into the business with electrical charging stations – the situation at the end of the tunnel, the owners pulled the ripple, separated from the long -term board member in March Engelmann and won an experienced renovator with the successor Jörg Buchheim. After a good hundred days in the office, Buchheim believes to see light at the end of the tunnel. A real “turnaround” is possible within three years, the new in Stockdorf told F.A.Z. After that, webasto could be a different company than today: “The times of stable growth in the automotive industry are over and we have to adapt our structures. We have put all business and product areas to the test here.” Buchheim’s renovation concept, which he implemented with the Restructierer Johann Stohner and the new CFO Jörg Bremer, not only provides for a reorganization. It is also about financial relief. Webasto has liabilities of a good one billion euros, and the cash situation is extremely tense. There are still 200 million euros that are required to finance the restructuring plan. The amount is only made available by the creditors if they receive shares of the owner families in return. Rings around the trust solution. Webasto owners are the Baier and Mey families. A great -grandson of the company founder Wilhelm Baier sits on the Supervisory Board. In recent years, the families had always dispensed with profit distributions, but that was far from enough to close the financial gap. These days the negotiations are in full swing. The board of directors is working on the renovation of the family company, which is one of the larger car suppliers in Germany with a good four billion euros in sales and after extensive job cuts with more than 15,000 employees. In the smallest and youngest division, the battery systems, the pressure is particularly large. Here webasto continuously grows with the Koreans after a large order via Hyundai-Kia battery modules and also delivers high-performance batteries to several sports car manufacturers. However, the division with its 1000 employees is too small and also highly deficient. The 57 -year -old Buchheim, who has worked for the car supplier Hella in the People’s Republic for several years, admits that the highly competitive Chinese market is also not competitive. “In order to scale the battery business, enormous investments are necessary, and we are currently missing the financial scope. That is why we make the business partnerable.” Punge heating business will probably be smaller in the division that produces heating and cooling solutions for the auto industry. At parking heaters for trucks, webasto has a market share of 90 percent, and most of the ice sheakers from Stockdorf also come to the passenger cars. However, the trend towards electromobility has completely changed the market. Therefore, it must also be renovated here, says Buchheim. “With the decline in the combustion engine, our business with parking heaters is also smaller. Our Hochvoltheizer for electric cars do not compensate for this from the volume, so we are currently consolidating our thermal activities, at our location in Neubrandenburg.” And then there is the all -dominating car roof shop, which is almost four fifths of the group turnover. Webasto has long benefited from the China boom. Glass panorama roofs are very popular with Chinese customers of BMW, Mercedes and Co., now they are increasingly ordering them from local car brands. Webasto has a dozen works in the People’s Republic. More on the Themamit, the decline of German car manufacturers also shrank the margins and revenues for Webasto. After all, the most important division Buchheim is profitable. “With our roof systems we are the world market leader and want to stay. But here too we want to improve and become faster. The aim is to bring projects into the series six to nine months after the order.” Before Buchheim came to Webasto in spring, the native Westphalian for the Norwegian car supplier Kongsberg worked. The listed component manufacturer must master the transformation away from the internal combustion engine. “The renovation was different, but also at Kongsberg it was about surgical improvements and portfolio transformation. And in principle, I think that a renovation with regard to the employees must not take more than three years.” At Kongsberg we have succeeded. “How Kongsberg is now going through a renovation, at the end of which the car supplier is very different in the end of the automobile in 2028:” Know-how. When asked whether Webasto is still a family company, Buchheim replies with one sentence: “I hope it!”
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