Gunter Fritzsche – one of the forklift truck industry’s best known personalities – recently celebrated forty years with Jungheinrich. Gunter, who joined the Jungheinrich Group as a trainee in Germany before moving to the UK, has held a number of positions with the company but is perhaps best known for his role in establishing Jungheinrich (UK) Ltd’s Automated Systems Division at Wythenshawe, near Manchester.
Here he answers some of the questions we know you’d like to ask him!
Give a brief description of your career path leading to your current position.
After completing a commercial apprenticeship with the Jungheinrich Group in Germany I came to England to work at the company’s newly established UK operation – partly to improve my English. After nine months I was given responsibility for developing Jungheinrich truck sales in an area that ran from the city of Liverpool up to Scotland. I went on to help to establish Jungheinrich’s (GB) Ltd’s Automated Systems Division at Wythenshawe, near Manchester and during my career I have worked as UK sales manager for the company’s systems trucks and as UK sales manager for the Systems Division. The Jungheinrich (UK) Ltd Projects and Systems Division now accounts for a significant proportion of Jungheinrich’s UK turnover and my current position is systems sales manager for the North of the UK.
Give a brief history of your position with Jungheinrich and share with us what you like about your work.
I like working for Jungheinrich and I am fortunate in that I also enjoy the actual job that I do very much. I get to meet some very interesting people from a wide range of industries and when it comes to designing a new system every challenge is different. I have always considered seeing a client start to relax as it becomes clear that the end solution that he or she has been instrumental in specifying will meet their precise requirements, to be an extremely rewarding part of my job. I also enjoy the fact that at Jungheinrich we have the freedom to explore new and exciting ways of helping our clients to achieve the best results for their business.
How has the company changed over the past forty years?
When I joined Jungheinrich GB the company employed just 30 people – now we have in excess of 800 sales, service and administrative staff. The Jungheinrich brand was not well known in the UK and as a salesman I had two main challenges – one was creating awareness of Jungheinrich and the other was overcoming the resistance to buying a product that was not made in Britain at a time when the UK Government was promoting a ‘Buy British’ campaign.
What is your vision for the organisation for the next forty years?
I can only see Jungheinrich developing as a healthy and highly successful company – both in the UK and globally and continuing to grow its market share throughout the world.
What is the most amazing (challenging/enjoyable/time-consuming) project you have ever worked on?
All projects are challenging in their own way but I particularly remember a scheme in the mid-1980s that we worked on with a photographic equipment specialist. It was the first fully automated VNA project of its kind and took a lot of sleepless nights, but the customer’s team were great people to work with and there was a tremendous sense of shared achievement when the site went live.
During your career, what notable changes have you witnessed in the materials handling industry?
The main differences between products are now to be found ‘under the bonnet’. 40 years ago one manufacturer’s forklifts were visibly distinctive from another’s but these days from the outside they all look quite similar – it is only when one checks the internal functions of the machines that the differences between a top end supplier and the others becomes apparent. Also of course, today’s market is far more cost conscious – every penny has to count.
What are the qualities you believe contributes to the successful management and leadership of an organisation?
To be a successful manager I believe that a man or woman has to have a human touch. All companies are only as good as the people that work for them. I firmly believe it is people that make companies and I think the successful managers are the ones who can generate team spirit and a willingness among the workers to go the extra mile for the business. In my experience, an arm around the shoulder if things aren’t going so well or the offer of a celebratory glass of wine when you’ve enjoyed some success from a manager are far more motivating and likely to breed loyalty than simple cash-based incentives or threats. In my career at Jungheinrich I have been fortunate to work with some of the best people in the business.
Jungheinrich UK Ltd
Craig Johnson
Tel: +44 (0) 1908 363100
www.jungheinrich.co.uk
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