Record year for häwa and committed employees still sought in 2022

Question: Mr. Müller, the coronavirus is still the dominant issue, especially in the German economy. häwa has come through the crisis well so far. How would you rate the past financial year – and what are your forecasts for 2022?

Arno Müller: Despite all the adversities, 2021 was a very good year for häwa. Thanks to our strict hygiene concept, we had very few absences due to Covid and thus hardly any noticeable loss of capacity. We are very satisfied with the financial year as a whole. All in all, incoming orders and sales were even at record levels with growth rates of around 20 percent. A good sign that allows us to look to 2022 with optimism. However, we can currently see potential material delivery bottlenecks as a possible problem. If we get this global trend under control, I'll feel very positive about häwa's future. Here, too, we are still in a relatively good position thanks to our forward-looking purchasing policy.

Question: häwa is constantly investing in staff and machinery. What specific measures are planned for 2022?

Arno Müller: Our long-term strategy is paying off, especially during the crisis. We don't make decisions overnight. Instead, we plan our investments for the long term. We will reach important new milestones again in 2022. We are planning a new, highly efficient, and resource-saving paint shop and a modern administration building. Both are important measures to make our business even more efficient and customer-friendly. In terms of human resources, we not only increased the workforce in various departments in 2021, but also filled two important management positions: one in IT and one in human resources. Both undeniably important areas for the future that we are actively tackling.

Question: When it comes to human resources, häwa relies on its own training and on bringing in young people to fill management positions. What are the plans for 2022?

Arno Müller: That's right. We consistently rely on in-house training and run a modern training workshop for this purpose, which we are constantly expanding. This pays off not only for us, but also for our junior staff. The best example is our new production manager in the main plant. For us, the model of recruiting younger staff and offering the best opportunities for ambitious, young skilled workers doesn’t exist just on paper – we put it into practice. In addition, thanks to our good order situation, we are planning to increase staff in various areas of our company.

Question: In 2022, there will probably be hardly any trade fairs again. How is häwa responding to this and staying in touch with customers and interested parties?

Arno Müller: The lack of trade fairs is a difficult issue for the entire industry. In my opinion, we made the best of it – and the feedback from our customers says so too. With our 2020 and 2021 roadshows, which took us through several European countries, we were able to keep in touch with customers, suppliers, and interested parties. Further confirmation of our strategy came when we recently received the renowned Ulm Marketing Prize. For 2022, we are planning to continue the roadshow, as well as to hold completely new, digital events that will undoubtedly set standards again.

Question: häwa is excellently positioned in the market with a well-established range of products. Are further innovations to be expected for 2022?

Arno Müller: Our successful products and accessories are constantly being further developed; it doesn't always have to be a 'big innovation' – a very good example of this is X-frame. The machine frame is a modular system that offers maximum flexibility. This concept has been successfully implemented since 2008. In 2022, we will be further expanding the UL certification. Because if products – like X-frame – are exported to the USA and Canada, they have to be certified, especially when it comes to machine frames. This means that our customers in the USA and Canada can be sure that they are not taking any risks with a häwa product.

Question: Looking to the future, what do you see as häwa's greatest strengths?

Arno Müller: häwa is very well positioned overall. If we can take something positive from the Coronavirus crisis, it’s that, on the one hand, we have managed to keep the virus at bay with our hygiene concepts. And on the other hand, thanks to our strong products and performance, we have come through this period very well overall and have also achieved good financial results. My special thanks go to the committed employees in all areas of our company – without them, this success would not be possible!