HYDRAULIKPRESSE - HANSA-FLEX Hydraulics Canada Inc.

IN CONVERSATION
Over 20 years of service at HANSA-FLEX, to start with
at the workshop, then as a member of the fi eld team,
followed by a position as branch manager. Now four
years spent as regional manager for the branches
of Boff zen/Höxter, Korbach, Paderborn, Blomberg,
Warburg and Lemgo. Diethelm Kappe is a man who
combines theory and practice to come up with customised
solutions.
He was recruited to the company in Boff zen by Peter
Weidtkamp Senior in 1986 and initiated into the
10
In conversation with Diethelm Kappe
„We can‘t manage without training“
HYDRAULIKPRESSE
world of hydraulics. In 1987 the dynamic growth
enjoyed by HANSA-FLEX resulted in the founding of
the Paderborn branch, where Diethelm Kappe was
taken on at the workshop. Branch manager Hans
Lohmann quickly spotted Kappe’s suitability for
work in the fi eld and encouraged him to develop
these skills. In 1999 he succeeded his mentor, taking
over his position as branch manager in Paderborn.
He became one of the fi rst regional managers
in 2003 and since 2002 has also been responsible
for internal auditing at the Group’s branches. He
spoke to HYDRAULIKPRESSE about his career and
the future of specialist staff .
: Did your time working in
Boff zen leave its mark on you?
Diethelm Kappe: Oh yes, I owe an awful lot to Peter
Weidtkamp Senior. I was very impressed by his
aspiration to run the company like a family fi rm. He
motivated us all with his strategic approach combining
challenge and encouragement, so ensuring
growth of the Boff zen Group. Since then I know
how important it is to have committed staff . In the
meantime the Boff zen Group has been taken over
by one of the shareholders, Peter Weidtkamp Junior,
with whom I enjoy a working relationship based
on partnership. And this is also the case with this
sister Sabine Weidtkamp.
: You have a bond with
Peter Weidtkamp Junior from having worked together?
Diethelm Kappe: You are speaking about my
time in Niederaula. Following a period of intensive
training I worked together then with Peter Weidtkamp
Junior, looking after the tunnel building
sites for the ICE line with a mobile workshop. We
were always on hand with a well-stocked assortment
of parts so spare hose lines could be supplied
without delay. The customer was impressed by the
fast availability and focus on service off ered by
HANSA-FLEX. Here we virtually acted as pioneers,
with this experience being subsequently incorporated
in the concept of the HANSA-FLEX mobile
service centre. Today FLEXXPRESS off ers a range
of mobile services, guaranteeing fast support for
customers.
: This was soon followed
by a stint in the fi eld team?
Diethelm Kappe: In those days at Paderborn
Hans Lohmann realised that I not only have a good
understanding of technology and am able to get
to grips with a subject but also that I know how
customers’ minds work and speak their language.
I enjoy working outside the offi ce, not least as this
meant I received training from “old hands” such as
Horst Klarholz, Werner Rode and Jürgen Marx. Their
experience and tips were often a great help to me.
on training?
: What value do you place
Diethelm Kappe: We can’t manage without
training - I too received systematic encouragement
and support. Today the opportunities for training
within the HANSA-FLEX Group are quite diff erent.
For example, courses at the training centre or at
the branches, as well as product familiarisation organised
by suppliers. I set great store by systematic
training for all staff in my region as the continuous
growth shown by HANSA-FLEX calls for the strategic
cultivation of junior staff at every level.
We can only play an active role in shaping the future
with qualifi ed staff . In the region we have four
youngsters training in the wholesale and export
sector as well as in warehouse logistics. They are
fully involved in processes at the individual companies,
where they learn to act on their own initiative
and take on board our customer and serviceoriented
approach from the very outset. One great
idea is HANSA-FLEX’s initiative to train a hydraulics
specialist – even providing a diploma. Our workshop
manager in Paderborn, Hans-Josef Denzer,
is due to complete this training course in Dresden
next summer (2008). This will allow all staff to take
on new responsibilities in the course of their career,
including abroad.
ISSUE DECEMBER 2007