Teningen, Germany -- Fifty years ago, Werner Thieme established the company Thieme, which has grown since then into a Euro 43 million turnover business in two areas - polyurethanes and printing systems. In South Baden alone, the independent second-generation family enterprise employs around 320 workers.
According to a Thieme statement, Werner Thieme used richness of ideas, readiness to take risks and a dose of luck in developing the business, only being conservative in maintaining the location close to its original one in Breisgau. Today's headquarters are only a few miles from their origin -- although Thieme now also has sales and service locations in France, Great Britain and in the US.
Thieme began with contract manufacturing of machine components, then made specialised machines and in 1965 went on to develop a second business area - Thieme plastics, starting in 1972.
This developed into a specialisation in high-quality moulded parts of polyurethane, and ten years later the integration of energy absorbers for the automobile industry. Today, claims Thieme, it is "recognised as one of the globally leading specialists for high-quality moulded and functional parts made from PU and other plastics."
In 2002, Werner Thieme's son Frank Thieme became the principle shareholder of the company, and continues to manage the company with the same degree of success as in the past 50 years.
"Of decisive importance in our fast-living world of today is the organisation of the company which must also secure success in the future," said Frank Thieme. For the Teningen-based company, this means it must maintain the flexibility of the past to cope with new market demands.
On the other hand, Thieme's statement said, he "places more value than ever on solidarity, reliability and predictability for the employees, customers, suppliers, and the company surroundings, such as banks and the community."
Both core values determine the thinking and actions of the enterprise: "The confidence achieved by this forms the basis for the continued successful path of our enterprise group in the future," said Frank Thieme.
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