Emil Otto GmbH is represented on the national and international market with more than 100 different fluxes developed and produced in-house. Standard fluxes are offered as well as special mixtures on customer request. Market leaders from Germany and abroad use the products in electronics production, strip tinning, radiator construction and galvanizing.
"After the death of the former managing director, my husband and I took over the company," explains Barbara Geßner, Managing Director of Emil Otto GmbH. Due to a serious illness of the former head of the company, investments and further developments were halted or postponed to a later date. "We actually found ourselves in a situation that many family businesses face. The handover of the company to the next generation was neither planned nor prepared, so we first had to invest some time to get an overview of the state of the company," says Markus Geßner, describing the difficult situation after the takeover.
It quickly became clear that the company needed to become more active in the market. Only specialists and die-hard industry experts were familiar with the brand, and the quality of the products and the customer service of the company from the Rheingau enjoyed a high reputation. The first changes were therefore quickly defined: Both marketing and sales had to be realigned.
The management consultancy Butter and Salt was commissioned to restructure the company's public image. Butter and Salt helped to develop a long-term marketing strategy, refresh the company's image, modernize the logo and corporate design and further develop the first updated communication tools. In addition to a new website, trade fair activities and direct customer contact will be expanded in the coming year.
At the same time, the first steps were taken to realign national sales. Kübler GmbH was acquired as a strong sales partner for Baden-Württemberg. In the fall, Weißer-SMT-Solutions followed for western and northern Germany, and Paggen Werkzeugtechnik signed a sales partner agreement for Bavaria. Eastern Germany will continue to be looked after by the experienced sales representative Wilfried Berke.
"Together with our sales partners, we have a young and powerful team and, with Mr. Berke, a very experienced chemical expert at our side, so that we can tackle the national market with great motivation," Markus Geßner is pleased to say. Additional new employees at the company's headquarters will support and expand the sales work.
Initial talks have also been held with a view to entering the foreign market. Emil Otto GmbH is interested in long-term partnerships. "As a first step, we will concentrate purely on the European markets," says Markus Geßner, explaining the next steps.
"We still have a lot of plans," assures Ms. Geßner, "and we have very clear goals. Of course, we also know that we can't completely restructure Emil Otto GmbH overnight, but we want to grow step by step in 2015 together with our employees and partners. We want to consolidate our position in our home market and enter individual markets in Europe. And I am certain that we will achieve this!"