Development Stories

You have both been with the company for many decades and have grown with MEISER. What have been the main milestones along the way?

Erich Petry: I started at MEISER in 1970 and after completing my vocational training, I joined the Sales Department. The first memorable moment was the opening of a new production building in 1984. Another highlight was the reunification of Germany in 1990/91 and the steady expansion of Oelsnitz as a MEISER site over the following years. The special thing was always to grow with the company. Each time our capacity increased, we became too small again soon after. That is why there was always a lot to do during every phase at MEISER. To have played an active role in that and still be here is very fulfilling.

Achim Rivinius: I have very early ties to MEISER. As children we played on the welded wire mesh panels which MEISER produced. At that time, the site was small and it was like being on an adventure playground for us. So it was almost a logical next step that I should work for MEISER. At the time, there were 20 of us. My first memories are from my time in Purchasing where I learnt that the profit from processing was heavily dependent on the purchase price. The introduction of our first IT system in 1981 was a special experience and opened up new opportunities to better organise our growth. From 1985 to the start of the 90s, I worked in steel sales. Expansion and new products continued to offer me new, interesting opportunities. The great trust placed in me by the shareholders team gave me the confidence to use these opportunities and develop my career.

Grating became more and more important during the 1970s and 1980s. Why was that?

Erich Petry: The use of grating in many areas of industry was increasing steadily at the time. We also took a look at our competitors in Germany and dared takeovers although we were still a relatively small company. Our approach has always been bold and enterprising. At the end of the 1970s, sales were mainly through trading companies such as Teichmann in Nuremberg and Jäger in Olpe.

Achim Rivinius: Initially, we were a regional company. Our customers were mainly metalworkers and steel fabricators. Then we started to explore markets outside the Saarland – and our first major customer was Bayer in Leverkusen. In 1986 we had our first catalogue printed. That was also when the famous MEISER logo, the diamond-shaped grating was designed. I had flat bars polished and cut into pieces for it and then played around with the various elements until our logo appeared. In addition to grating production, the trade and processing of steel is a second pillar of MEISER’s business. For a time, we also treated scrap metal sheets.

The value-added chain was expanded ever more. What were its main features?

Erich Petry: From a very early stage, we had the objective to complete all the production processes in-house. In the 70s and 80s, we bought slitting plants and cold rolling mills to establish our independence. That meant that everything – starting with the raw steel material right through to the galvanised grating – was located under a single roof, namely our roof! It also meant that we remained flexible and were able to cater for the wishes of our customers. That often meant large investments and a great deal of confidence in the future. And we really did have that. Our investments in the value-added chain also opened up new markets for us and in some cases also created completely new product ideas.

Achim Rivinius: Gratings were always our main product and the rapidly growing market really helped us. Steel processing always took place parallel to this, but crucially gave us the opportunity to diversify. Trade in steel developed alongside the grating business and grew ever larger. We bought the material worldwide and then sold on the products to Switzerland and trade partners in Germany. In principle, we grew a little bit with every order we received.
We have always been interested in new technology and better production facilities. When a new machine was needed to complete an order more efficiently, we seldom refrained from making that investment.

You have played a major role at MEISER for many years. How does MEISER differ as a family-run company from others?

Erich Petry: There has always been great financial stability. That has been one of the pillars of our activity. The others were the far-reaching vision of Edmund Meiser and his willingness to take decisions. The relationships between us are all based on deep-seated trust and loyalty. Things are
always exciting at MEISER. And I’m particularly proud of the constant high quality of the company’s products. This is especially due to the personal commitment of every single employee.

Achim Rivinius: Whenever we needed a decision, it was made quickly.
Edmund Meiser always had a clear idea of the effects of a decision. The rural location of the site in Limbach also played a major role. MEISER feels its responsibility towards its employees. This creates close ties with the entire workforce, most of whom come from the immediate surrounding area. Having local roots has always ensured that we keep our feet on the ground and retain a sense of proportion.

How do you view the change of generation at MEISER?

Erich Petry: You would barely notice it, to be honest. This doesn’t mean that things aren’t being discussed internally, but those discussions are objective and target-oriented. The great advantage of MEISER is the corporate culture that Edmund Meiser has established and which he is passing on to his sons.

Achim Rivinius: Everybody in a position of authority respects and
appreciates each other. The members of the family and the management team get on very well. In addition to technical competence, dealing with people correctly and respectfully is very important. Today, the company is so large that we need a competent team to take care of everything. Edmund Meiser and his sons have always shown good intuition when looking for management personnel.

How did everything start at the time and how did contact with MEISER first come about in 1990?

Frank Degenkolb: We both worked for MLK Plauen, a company with a total workforce of 6000. The “Treuhandanstalt” (GDR Trust Agency) sold the four parts of the company with the smallest, with a workforce of 54, going to Meiser. The first contact with Meiser came through the Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

When did you first meet Edmund Meiser?

Frank Degenkolb: That was in November 1990. It was a very exciting experience. The Technical Director of my then company, Dr. Degenkolb, advised me to go to Meiser. I had to make my mind up within five minutes. It was the best decision I have ever made. But I didn’t know that in 1990.

Dietmar Prätorius: We came from a socialist system and now, all of a sudden, Edmund Meiser had placed his complete trust in us. We were real pioneers at the time in circumstances which today are almost unimaginable. There was just one telephone number, which was always busy of course, and this infuriated Edmund Meiser. Then came the first mobile phone, a massive brick with which we had to drive up into the hills between Chrieschwitz and Plauen to get any sort of a network signal. We had to do a lot of driving then and for a long time afterwards because we simply didn’t have any infrastructure here. Often we got on the road to Limbach at 3 in the morning and arrived back after midnight

MEISER Gitterroste GmbH & Co KG was soon able to supply its first gratings. And things went so well that the plant was soon much too small. So what happened then?

Dietmar Prätorius: First of all, we established the grating production in the empty buildings in Plauen using the old organisation. The first set of machines came from Limbach. The company was founded on
1 February 1991 and on 2 May 1991 we delivered our first products.
We immediately realised that the site was too small and started looking for a new site in a rural location, copying the example set by MEISER. The Johannisberg industrial estate in Oelsnitz was in its infancy and the then Mayor Eva-Maria Möbius did a great deal for MEISER. We have a lot to thank her for, unfortunately she died three years ago from cancer.

Frank Degenkolb: At that time, we were producing 220 to 250 tonnes per month. We then erected a building in Oelsnitz which was designed for 600 tonnes per month. We started production in the new building in the early summer of 1994. Naturally we continued production during the construction phase.
Dietmar Prätorius: After that, we developed in leaps and bounds. All the machines were built here in the actual plant because that was the expertise of the core team of the 54 people who were there at the start with MEISER. In 1997, Ulrich and Wolfgang Meiser founded uwM Stahlbearbeitung with its own slitting systems and later with profiling lines for the production of vineyard posts. It was joined in 1999 by uwM Stanztechnik which manufactured press welded gratings. At the same time, we also built a new central administration building.

How is the site doing today?

Dietmar Prätorius: I regard it as an equal with the Saarland site, with a similar number of employees and different divisions. Our staircase business is based in Oelsnitz and along with sheet metal profile gratings, the product alternatives which help diversification, such as our vineyard posts, are produced there.

Which markets do you serve from here?

Dietmar Prätorius: Actually, the separation of the sales territories is based on the former border to East Germany although Bavaria is served by Oelsnitz. In general, we are responsible for Eastern Europe and Scandinavia. We share the global markets through the diversification. It’s great to see that we supply vineyard posts to vineyards whose wines we drink at home.

What makes MEISER special in your opinion? What makes MEISER different?

Dietmar Prätorius: The best way of answering that question is to start from the beginning. The connection to the Meiser family was a major component from the beginning, above all to Edmund Meiser and his wife Ursula Meiser. We have both been integrated into the family and have found the complete trust that was placed in us and the values the family represents to be something extremely
enriching for our lives. We have also always been given the opportunity to make decisions and to deal with our own people.

Frank Degenkolb: Mutual appreciation and respect have been there right from the start. Edmund Meiser believed in us. His objectives and his entrepreneurship were a constant stimulus for us. It provided incredible motivation which is how we have managed to deal with the enormous workload placed on us. Edmund Meiser didn’t just think about receiving subsidies, but rather he always had the people in mind. There are enough negative examples from that time of course. Ultimately, of the 6000 employees at MLK Plauen, the 54 who went to Meiser still have the same jobs. Today, we have a workforce of around 800. We have never been regarded, or even exploited, by MEISER as a low-cost manufacturer. He
established an honest business in Oelsnitz – with the aim of building something permanent. Edmund Meiser has always considered the people.

You can now together look back on 25 years of MEISER success in Vogtland. What remains and what do you expect in the future?

Dietmar Prätorius: Although I have now left, I still think about the company a lot. The company has a solid base and will remain intact. This is helped by the healthy competition between Saarland and Vogtland, which always helped to push things along. The current size is ideal and decisions can still be made very quickly.

Frank Degenkolb: Robert Vièl has now taken over the management role. The second tier of management at the site is in place with almost everybody having been trained here including those who completed sandwich courses. They are all still young and hungry. Diversification is also important for the site. Gratings now only account for 60 percent of turnover, new products will be added in the future and this share will continue to shrink.

Mr Degenkolb, you are taking on new responsibilities. What will they be?

Frank Degenkolb: I will be looking after projects in Germany and abroad for
MEISER. In Turkey, in Dubai and South America, for example, we have built new plants which require development. The machines come from our Oelsnitz site and I have always been responsible for technical equipment so this was a logical next step.