The temperature specialists: From Westphalia to the world
© technotrans SE
17 locations worldwide, revenue of 238 million euros (2022), around 1,500 employees - these figures beg the question: why is technotrans SE one of the "hidden champions" according to a study conducted by the NRW Ministry of Economic Affairs in 2021?
The listed technology and service company cannot be that unknown. Perhaps it is: because the group of companies with its headquarters in Sassenberg develops technical solutions in the field of thermal management. Its customers are exclusively corporate clients. "Consumers often only come into contact with our products indirectly. A great example of this is the newspaper. It is produced on printing presses that are cooled by technotrans systems'," says CEO Michael Finger, looking back to the days when the company was purely a supplier to the printing industry.
Today technotrans supplies various future-oriented industries with its cooling and temperature control solutions. In concrete terms, this means that the technology company manufactures, among other things, systems that cool or temper certain machines. Filtration and separation, as well as pumping and spraying of liquids, are also among the group's core competences. With the aid of these systems, corporate customers can make their processes more efficient and environmentally friendly, and thus reduce their impact on the environment and climate.
technotrans essentially serves four focus markets: Plastics, Energy Management, Healthcare & Analytics and Print. And it is precisely in these sectors that the group enjoys a strong market position and a high level of recognition. The company is one of the leading suppliers worldwide. How has the group achieved this?
Company history like from Silicon Valley
It is 1970: Willy Brandt is Chancellor of Germany, the Beatles announce their separation, the Vietnam War continues to spread. It was a turbulent time when the "nucleus" of the technotrans Group was born in Harsewinkel, Westphalia. Together with his wife Josy, Franz Böhnensieker founded a machine design office as a small sideline in a garage: fb-apparatebau Böhnensieker GmbH & Co. Possibly a secret of success? After all, the stories of Microsoft, Amazon and Co. also began in a garage.
In 1977, the first dampening solution circulators are built. That is important, because they are the cornerstone of technotrans' success story. And so in 1990 Böhnensieker sells the company to five senior employees and two capital investment companies. In the same year a location is established in England. A first step towards expansion. In the meantime technotrans is one of the three largest suppliers of dampening solution circulators in the world.
"It is unbelievable how the company at that time took such a strong market position in the printing industry within just one decade. The huge demand meant that we not only needed more working space but also more staff. We finally found the right location in Sassenberg," Michael Finger describes.
IPO and further locations
The year 1997 marks a significant milestone for technotrans: its conversion into a public limited company. In the following year, the (then) technotrans AG goes public. The group also continues to expand its market presence in the 1990s. Locations are established in France, the USA and China. An expansion course that continues at the beginning of the 2000s with further subsidiaries and takeovers - until the global economic crisis from 2007 onwards. technotrans now also has to accept a slump in revenue, introduce short-time working and give up locations abroad. "It was a difficult time. Many employees were afraid for their jobs. But technotrans did everything in its power to emerge stronger from the crisis," says Michael Finger.
While the financial crisis is driving other companies into insolvency, the Sassenberg-based group is getting back on its feet. After acquiring further subsidiaries in Germany, technotrans AG is converting to an SE in 2018. With its numerous locations and competences, however, it is gradually becoming clear that a strong and clear umbrella brand is needed. With its new Future Ready 2025 strategy, which will be successfully implemented from 2020, the company achieves a uniform group-wide appearance and sets the course for the future. And all this during the Corona crisis.
At an all-time high in the crisis
"Like many other companies, technotrans was not spared the effects of the pandemic. However, we have managed to weather this crisis and exploit the resulting developments for our benefit," says Michael Finger. In the end, technotrans closes the 2022 financial year with revenue at an all-time high.
And there is more good news in the same year: in the gfw competition "Attractive Employer in the District of Warendorf 2022", the group wins in the special category of talent management. This means that technotrans is also confident about the shortage of skilled workers.
Given this successful course, how long will the company remain a hidden champion?
