For nine months Dr. Wolfgang Blank and Hubert Deutsch have been managing directors of the BLANK-Group, consisting of FEINGUSS und FORMENBAU BLANK GmbH and the American sister company FEINGUSS BLANK USA Inc. During this time a lot has happened: In cooperation with employees from all areas the management team has developed a new strategy which prepares BLANK for future challenges and successfully leads it into the future.
One outcome of the strategy was the evaluation of the existing structures and organizing the departments more efficiently. The resulting changes were presented to the workforce on 1st October 2019. "From today there will be a three-person management team, whereby Dr. Wolfgang Blank will move from the operative business to the advisory board of the group," explained Deutsch at the staff meeting. "To enable us to focus even better on our core processes, we have decided to restructure the process areas.” The position Production and Development is covered by Alexander Lenert. Mr. Lenert has already worked for Audi and Schmitter Group AG in the automotive sector and most recently for Carl Walther GmbH. "I come from the automotive industry and know the procedures and supplier structure there very well, but in my professional career I have also been able to get to know completely different industries," explained Lenert at the meeting. He looks forward to getting to know all areas and also the employees in the coming weeks and months.
The managing directors Deutsch and Lenert will be supported by the new position of a managing director who will be in charge of organizational development and central services. This position was filled internally by Jürgen Litz, who has been with the company since 2001 and has previously been responsible for Human Resources, Training and Organizational Development. "With a strong management trio, we ensure that each division can concentrate on the essential tasks and requirements," explained Litz. "In order to be able to implement a goal-oriented strategy effectively, we need the right internal setup, which we have now implemented through the restructuring of the divisions.”
The BLANK Group is thus preparing itself for the future and the associated new framework conditions in the global and national market. "We are currently in a cooling and a transformation phase at the same time," says Deutsch. "However, beside the economic challenges we must not neglect general changes in the market such as increasing price pressure from China or the development of alternative drives in the automotive sector." The newly organized, strong team enables a more flexible and faster management approach to further support the company’s success.
Hubert Deutsch emphasized once again at the end of the staff meeting: "I am looking forward to the cooperation within the new management and am sure that this is the right way for us to become better."
Following the appointment of Dr. Wolfgang Blank to the Advisory Board, there will be also a generational change within the Blank family. Juliane Blank joins Mr. Deutsch in the management of BLANK Holding. Dr. Wolfgang Blank steers the company within the Advisory Board and replaces his brother Dr. Eberhard Blank.
