CHRISTMANN + PFEIFER will be 100 years old in 2025. To mark this milestone, our communication has already focused on the founders, the products and the employees. Today, we are shining the spotlight on the company's management.

Rolf Heinecke took over the management of the company in 1985, and his successor Karsten Kumann took over from him in 2024 - both with 60 and almost 100 years of company history behind them.

How can a traditional company be managed? What are the challenges, special features and endearing qualities? In this interview, we get to know the company from their perspective, from the “command bridge”.

Mr. Heinecke, Mr. Kußmann: What is it actually like to take over a traditional company in a position of responsibility?

Rolf Heinecke:
"I took over the company in the mid-1980s in times of crisis: Starting with the oil crisis, the entire construction industry was in trouble. Tradition does not always lead to lasting success! But back then, I took over a modernized and highly functional production from my predecessor, which he really had in mind - and it was also the cornerstone for making the company profitable again. So despite the crisis, there was still this strong core."

Karsten Kußmann:
"I arrived last year in safer waters. The company is in the state we would like it to be: the material flow in production is still something that sets us apart today, there is continuity. And I can rely on the diversity that has grown over the years, because we are successful with different products and services in different segments - that ensures balance. C + P is now a company with a group structure."

What makes C + P special from the Managing Director's point of view?

Karsten Kußmann:
"It is still an owner-managed, medium-sized company. So you can really work here as an entrepreneur, open up new markets and establish new products or services."

Rolf Heinecke:
"The people here have a different relationship to their work than I previously knew from my home in the Rhineland: People are very attached to the company. The employees go along with it, that's a real asset."

How has the role of the Managing Director changed in recent decades?

Rolf Heinecke:
"Four decades - a lot has changed! In my early days, leadership was linked to orders and obedience, just like in the 'Bundeswehr'... you can't win a flower pot with that today."

Karsten Kußmann:
"From the top down - that's not my style either. You have to take the workforce along with you, they are more or less co-entrepreneurs today and want to understand where the journey is going. Leadership today is more cooperative."

What is essential for a Managing Director?

Karsten Kußmann:
"Definitely to have a thick skin. You have to be able to withstand pressure well and have a good level of resilience for everything that doesn't go as hoped."

Rolf Heinecke:
"And a willingness to take risks. But also the knowledge of how far you can go without jeopardizing the company. To stay with the image of the bridge: The skipper must not be afraid. I have seen many companies that never dared to leave the straight and narrow. They sank anyway. You can't avoid all cliffs. Even Managing Directors make mistakes. But you shouldn't take risks that are so big that they jeopardize the entire company."

And what are you trying to avoid?

Rolf Heinecke:
"You should avoid getting too euphoric at all costs! And don't lose sight of the fact that as a Managing Director in a medium-sized company, you are always ultimately responsible."

Karsten Kußmann:
"That's true. I don't want to think I'm in a false sense of security. Just letting it go - that doesn't work any more than issuing instructions from above. Tradition or not, just preserving and resting on old laurels is not an option. So you have to take a close look: What new things can you try without overburdening staff and customers? Tradition alone does not secure the future."

Finally, a brief outlook: How will the company's history continue?

Rolf Heinecke:
"I'm no longer actively involved, but I'm delighted to see that my successor is boldly forging ahead. After just one year, there is already an additional branch in Darmstadt and new employees - things are moving forward! And I've just noticed how many new names have been added during a little tour of the corridors. I think it's great when C + P continues to inspire people."

Karsten Kußmann:
"I will definitely be open to what comes my way. I try to listen carefully in order to develop ideas that fall on open ears. For me, standing still is a step backwards, I just want to keep moving with the times and take on the challenges of the current situation, that's a big task. How the story reads in retrospect is what I'm most curious about."