An interview with CEO Arnd Brüning
Dear Arnd,
we have started into the new year. What are your expectations and ideas for 2020?
First and foremost, I expect an even stronger internationalization. At present, 25% of our sales have an international dimension. Our goal is to significantly increase our sales in international business.
Furthermore, I would like to improve the cooperation between the different units, such as Waste Wood, Nawaro (Renewable Raw Materials), Small Plants, Non-Wood-Waste, Bark, Sawmill Waste, Bedding Material, Pellets, Peat and Service. I would like to see the same for the sites in Fischerhude, Bremen, Hallbergmoos, Kritzmow and Copenhagen. There are more and more interfaces and here we have to constantly optimize communication and intensify cooperation.
It is particularly important to me that this year we are concentrating on understanding the respective customer needs much better. We have very different customers, from sawmills to waste incineration plants, with different expectations of us. For one customer, only the security of delivery, certified material or origin counts, while for another, the impeccable quality of the goods is of great importance. Here we have set ourselves the task of working out these diverse requirements better in order to offer a perfect customer service.
What do you think will be the most significant challenges?
This year we will certainly have to struggle again with the effects of the bark beetle infestation. It will be particularly difficult to find new solutions for the growing surplus of damaged wood.
A further challenge will be to respond optimally to the rapidly changing European markets. In the course of reducing CO2 emissions, European countries are taking different paths. We must be prepared for this to have a major impact on the markets for our products. A typical waste wood exporting country – see England – can quickly become an importing country.
Then there is digitalisation. Here I see a great need for investment. We have to face the new challenges and identify the important issues that will determine the future for our industry and our company.
Probably you already have new ideas and concepts, can you introduce us to one or two of them?
We are planning a series of workshops with our partners of the company companions GmbH for the further development of our employees. I think it is important to get input from the outside to get a different perspective on things and not to go through business life with blinkers on. We are known for constantly reviewing our strategy, we must not be negligent here.
We are also thinking about opening another office abroad and adding one or two new product units to our portfolio. But all this is still top secret.
Is there anything you would like to do differently or better compared to last year? What is your personal motivation for the Brüning | Group this year?
I have firmly resolved to take even more time for staff appraisals this year. For me it is important not to lose contact with the employees and to be always up to date on what moves the individual people, what they might need help with or in which area they could be given more responsibility.
Then I would like to tackle one or two projects that have been planned for a long time and are now being implemented.
And what are you particularly looking forward to?
After we had a big change last year with the participation of investors in the Brüning | Group to finance growth, which took quite some time, I am looking forward to being able to really tackle things again. And after a few really good employee appraisals, I am additionally motivated and already quite excited to see how the journey will continue in 2020.
The keyword ”journey” brings something else to mind that I am particularly looking forward to – namely our company outing in April to Mallorca. This is going to be great fun!