Heribert Rohrbeck worked for Bürkert Fluid Control Systems for almost three decades - 18 of them as CEO. He will now leave the company at the end of 2022. His successor Georg Stawowy is already in the starting blocks and will take over as CEO of Bürkert from April 2023.
Bürkert Fluid Control Systems, the fluidics specialist from Ingelfingen, said goodbye to its long-standing Managing Director Heribert Rohrbeck at a works meeting at the beginning of December. In the course of this, his successor Georg Stawowy was also introduced to the employees.
"Every person is the most important in his or her place" - this is what Heribert Rohrbeck wants to pass on to the Bürkert employees as he bids them farewell. Behind this is an aspect that is close to his heart: mutual appreciation and respect for the contribution of each and every individual. Assumption of responsibility as well as holistic thinking and working as part of the special Bürkert culture play a significant role in this - and according to Rohrbeck, this must be maintained: "The wish would be to achieve the size of a global corporation while retaining the culture of a family business".
Heribert Rohrbeck's career also reflects the holistic nature of this objective. Born in Freiburg, he looks back on almost three decades with the international family-owned company from Hohenlohe: After joining Bürkert in 1993, Rohrbeck was initially responsible for research and development. In 2004, after holding various other positions, he succeeded Gerhard Hettinger as CEO of the Bürkert Group. During his time at Bürkert, he left a lasting mark on the company and its culture and changed fundamental structures: "When I started at Bürkert, there was still a lot of division of labour and 'departmental thinking'. Since the focus at that time was more on local optimisation, we didn't think as globally and holistically as we do today," says the 61-year-old. In the meantime, process-oriented work, interdisciplinary teams and flat hierarchies have become the standard in everyday work at Bürkert.
Heribert Rohrbeck wishes his successor that "Mr Georg Stawowy will succeed in applying his experience and new ideas within the framework of the corporate culture in order to have the great Bürkert team, which gives its best every day with a lot of heart and soul, fully on board right away".
The CEO succession is settled
The successor Georg Stawowy (53) will take up his duties as CEO at Bürkert in April 2023. Due to the fact that the management of the Bürkert Group was recently expanded with long-standing team members, continuity is also ensured until then and the stable management of the company is guaranteed.
"Bürkert has a strongly value-oriented culture and is known far beyond the region as an attractive employer. I am looking forward to being able to shape things in this environment," says Stawowy about his decision to join Bürkert. And he continues: "I am joining the company after very successful years. This is a special responsibility and challenge, but above all it creates the self-confidence in the organisation to master the tasks ahead."
From 2013, Georg Stawowy worked at Lapp Holding AG in Stuttgart as the Board Member for Innovation and Technology. At Lapp, he was responsible for innovation, product management and development, the supply chain including production and purchasing, as well as IT and digitalisation activities. For Stawowy, the main focus is on the topic of digital business transformation: "We have to grasp the opportunities and implications of digitalisation in all corners of the organisation and tackle them courageously. And above all, this means not only "taking along" the employees, but also assuming responsibility together. Bürkert's future viability is in our own hands."
About BÜRKERT
Bürkert Fluid Control Systems is a leading global manufacturer of measurement, control and regulation systems for liquids and gases. Bürkert solutions are used in a wide variety of industries and applications - ranging from breweries and laboratories to medical, biotechnology and aerospace. With a portfolio of over 30,000 products, Bürkert is the only supplier to cover all components of the fluid control loop consisting of measurement, control and regulation: from solenoid valves to process and analysis valves to pneumatic actuators and sensors.
The company, headquartered in Ingelfingen in southern Germany, has an extensive sales network in 36 countries and employs more than 3,000 people worldwide. Bürkert continuously develops customer-specific system solutions and innovative products in five system houses in Germany, China and the USA as well as four research and development centres. The product range is complemented by the comprehensive service offering BürkertPlus, which accompanies customers throughout the entire product life cycle.
Further information at: www.buerkert.de
