Interview with Sebastian Sennebogen
Die dritte Generation wächst. Wir sprechen mit Sebastian Sennebogen über den Einstieg ins Unternehmen, Aufgaben und zukünftige Herausforderungen und wie es sich anfühlt Verantwortung im Familienunternehmen zu übernehmen.
"Taking responsibility and actively shaping the future of the third generation"
The third generation rises. We chat with Sebastian Sennebogen about joining the company, his role, future challenges, and how he feels about taking on responsibility in the family company.
You have had an official role within the company since 2018 - was this something you had to think about or was the path already set out for you?
In essence the path was already sort of set out for me. I didn’t have any big decisions to make; it was more a question of development. From at least the time I did my first internship during the school holidays aged 15 it was clear to me that one day I wanted to carry on the family tradition and play my part in actively shaping the company. And before I knew it, the time had come. A huge challenge that I am pleased to be taking on.
You have previously got to know other companies. What influences and ideas have you brought with you that could be implemented at SENNEBOGEN in the future?
My previous professional roles were all with companies that are bigger than we are. Experiencing rigid, bureaucratic structures and processes was very enlightening. They did not have the spontaneous, short decision-making paths that we experience at SENNEBOGEN. This highlighted to me that we need to ensure we keep our flexible, middle-sized mentality as we go forward. More specifically, we already have very clear processes here but there are also one or two loopholes. So if something needs to happen quickly it can be done, and the processes do not get in the way.
At the same time, when it comes to our business processes, we should not ignore modern systems; there are things we can learn from bigger companies and useful tools that we can take on board.
With the Multi Line, not only does SENNEBOGEN have a new product line, but a new business area has also been established. What does this mean for the company and for you personally?
The separation of Multi Line as an autonomous company division is both beneficial and necessary for SENNEBOGEN. Both the mechanics and construction of the machine, and the control technology sets us apart from other products. Our own plant at the Wackersdorf location underlines this autonomy. From the idea, through development and production and on to delivery of the finished machine we currently have just 40 employees controlling the whole process, so all decisions can be made quickly and in close cooperation with each other. In addition, the diversification of our markets and products means that Multi Line makes an important contribution to the company as a whole and makes us more crisis-proof. The more widely we are positioned, the more securely we can continue to weather global market fluctuations. As co-director of Multi Line GmbH, a lot of trust has been put in me at a young age. I am both pleased and proud. Along with my motivated team, I have the optimum creative opportunities to put my ideas into practice.
The 355 E represents the first step in a new product line - can you tell us what comes next?
I believe I am permitted to tell you that we are currently developing two smaller Multi Line models, which will be called models 355 and 345. This much has already been revealed. More information will be released at the start of 2020. In addition, we will soon be moving to our new production location in Wackersdorf. The hall is ready, the production line is in place and the offices are almost ready to be occupied. Fundamentally, going forward we want to invest lots of time and effort into our product development process, do plenty of testing, gather experience and continue to improve our batch sizes.
Your main work location is in Wackersdorf, round 100 km from Straubing. Does this have an impact and is it sometimes helpful to have a bit of distance between you and corporate headquarters?
The people here are a little different in mentality to those back in Straubing. More pragmatic, I would say. As it is purely a production location, we are faced daily with questions about how to solve problems quickly and get products delivered. I already feel like I belong in Wackersdorf and no longer need to know everything that’s going on at the head office. A bit of distance is useful, it means you can concentrate on the task in hand. I’m in Straubing roughly once a week for meetings and discussions, but my day-to-day work is done here.
67 years after the company was founded, SENNEBOGEN is looking good. What is the secret of SENNEBOGEN’s success, and how can we ensure this development continues for future generations?
One of the most important factors to our success, was, and in my opinion still is, that my father and uncle are both deeply involved in their relevant subjects areas and are involved in all the relevant decision-making processes. At the same time, there was always a certain amount of gut-feeling involved when important decisions were being made - for example, whether to take the plunge in America and Hungary, or the current decision about the location and design of the new customer service center. In short, the key to success has been common sense business decisions combined with a pinch of optimism. These days SENNEBOGEN is getting bigger year by year and it’s harder for me to keep up with the important topics. That is the biggest challenge. Staying up to date with things when sites are growing and new departments are springing up, without losing sight of the overall picture. As the third generation we will, naturally, have a different management style to our parents. That much is clear. It is much more important, however, to keep the basic working principle. We need to maintain the overview and at the same time be fully informed about the detail, so that we can provide our input.
"The key to success has been common sense business decisions combined with a pinch of optimism."
The younger generation thinks differently, lives different and has different goals to those of its parents. The youth are currently very active in the media, and not just in relation to environmental matters - is this a development that will affect companies in the future, too?
Of course it is important that young people are actively involved - everywhere. After all, they are the ones that will have to live with the consequences of the decisions we make today. It also depends quite a lot on the topic as to what extent we, as young people, are directly affected. Environmental protection is certainly a prominent topic. Our products are already making a difference in this important area, for example in recycling and in the timber industry we are doing our bit towards the sustainable use of the Earth’s resources. We have also been working on saving energy and alternative drives for quite some time. It is certainly in the interest of young people to be actively involved in finding solutions for the environmentally friendly, resource-efficient construction machine of the future. With our green livery and a green attitude to business we are, I believe, well-positioned for the future.
A personal question now - what do you enjoy doing after work or what do you get up to at the weekend?
My evenings are often just spent eating dinner with my girlfriend and relaxing on the couch. Sometimes I meet up with friends for a game of cards. Weekends are often spent with our families in Straubing. If the weather is not so good, you will find me enjoying my hobby at the bouldering center I opened in Straubing last year.