Podcast „Alles neu...? Aus dem Maschinenraum“
Episode #21: Dr. Heiner Lang
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Podcast Episode 21
Dr. Heiner Lang | WAGO: "The more you give away, the more you get back"
Managing Director at WAGO
Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Episode Description
Basically, WAGO is in a good position: For decades, the company from Minden in eastern Westphalia has had a well-established product that is in demand in many industries - the spring clamp, a cable connection for which no screws are needed. WAGO achieves over one billion euros in sales per year with this product. But the concept is not meant to stop there. "Our company is very product-centric, that's what we live by," says CEO Dr. Heiner Lang in the podcast "Alles neu...? Aus dem Maschinenraum." "But we want to move from product to solutions." What is meant is: not just spring terminals are to be sold, but concepts for intelligently networked systems and the associated consulting - as with charging stations for electric cars. Lang is aware that he will also need new employees in some places. That, however, is not always easy. "It's difficult and challenging for family businesses to recruit young new talent," he says. What's more, not all skills can be found within the company's own troops; in many cases, it's necessary to team up with others. "I'm a big believer in alliances and partnerships," Lang says. "The more you give away, the more you get back." The WAGO CEO explains why it's sometimes easier for a boss if he doesn't come from the owning family, he reveals what advice he would give to other managers, and he says why he reads books about mice. In the podcast - with Tobias Rappers, managing director of Maschinenraum, and Capital editor Nils Kreimeier.
Book recommendation by Dr. Heiner Lang: Spencer Johnson "Who moved my cheese".
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Dr. Heiner Lang
After three Hohorst generations, Dr. Heiner Lang is the first non-family member to take over the management of WAGO at the beginning of 2021.
He holds a doctorate in engineering and has gained experience in various mechanical engineering companies, most recently as a member of the Executive Board of Bosch Rexroth AG with responsibility for development as well as the Factory Automation business unit. Dr. Heiner Lang began his career at Bosch Rexroth in January 2017 as Business Manager Technology for the Industrial Applications business unit. Previously, he was President Europe and Asia of MAG IAS GmbH.
His main areas of expertise are corporate development and product innovation.
About The Podcast
How can the origin and future of Mittelstand companies be courageously united? What are the challenges facing family businesses and what experiences do they gather in digital transformation? These questions are answered by "Alles neu...? Aus dem Maschinenraum", the interview podcast for German Mittelstand*. Once a month, Tobias Rappers, Managing Director of Maschinenraum, and Nils Kreimeier, Senior Editor of the business magazine Capital, talk to thought leaders and makers from the heart of the German economy and focus on the personalities and their motivation.
*The podcast is in German.
For more episodes of "Alles neu...? Aus dem Maschinenraum" please click here!
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