Aug22136 Food Industry Process Manufacturing CEO of the Year 2023: Harald Suchanka Albert Handtmann Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG has a long and impressive history. Established in 1873 as a bell foundry in the southern German town of Biberach, the company became an expansive group of companies with numerous individual parts. As CEO over the Filling & Portioning Systems (F&P) division within the Handtmann Group of Companies, Harald Suchanka is at the cutting edge of the food manufacturing industry in Germany. Naturally, we had to take a closer look to find out more. It’s safe to say that most people often don’t give enough thought to where their food comes from, or at the very least, how rigorous and exacting the standards of food preparation are. For many, food processing and manufacturing simply flies under the radar – an entire world of innovation and constant development that goes unheralded in the greater business world. Harald, as CEO of the F&P division, acts as a known pacesetter for this industry, setting best practices for others to follow. “Our sheer range of products is flanked by process-supporting digital solutions developed in-house. At the same time, investments are being made in sustainable food innovation concepts, which also includes the state-of-the-art technology and customer centres at the company headquarters. The acquisitions of Inotec GmbH in 2020 and Verbufa B.V. in 2021 clearly underpin the expansion course of the F&P division. The Handtmann Group employs around 4,100 people worldwide, of which 1,500 in the F&P division. The company is represented in over 100 countries around the world with numerous subsidiaries and sales and service partners, and also operates a comprehensive network of strategic partnerships,” Harald explains in more detail, before continuing to discuss his career and how his experiences shaped his leadership style. “I started my career in sports. As a successful sports shooter and member of the national team, I have learned to focus on what is essential, and my determination and willpower have also been a strong factor in my professional career. There is nothing you cannot achieve, if you really want it and follow through. So I started out as a mechanical engineer and designed high-performance packaging machines. As a member of a start-up company, I not only developed machines but also got involved in the project business and international sales. My passion for technology and the international and intercultural experiences I gained in sports helped me a lot. “Moving on, I then worked in my first position as managing director for a sales and service office of a large company for a small market in Europe. The goal at the time was to set up a new sales organisation, build a team and develop the market quickly and systematically. Before long, other markets in Central Europe were added with the same responsibilities, which then propelled me into a global role within the company as VP Sales & Operations. Again, I was entrusted with developing, managing and taking responsibility for new regions and markets in Latin America, Africa and Asia. My skills are customer focus, knowledge of the market and strategy, which ultimately earned me the position of CEO at Handtmann.” Utilising these skills and experiences has been a process of improvement and perfection for Harald, and today, he wields leadership with finesse and adaptability. “I challenge, but also encourage, and always try to be clear and straightforward in the way I communicate. Active communication is the most important and most efficient means of getting your own staff, but also the entire organisation, on board. I therefore strive to be approachable and accessible for everyone.” With the world moving ever towards more technology-driven solutions, the F&P division is well placed, already ahead of the curve in many ways when it comes to fine-tuning its operations and machinery towards peak efficiency. So, with that in mind, the future of the company lies firmly within Harald’s area of expertise – catering to customer and market requirements, as he explains more in his closing comments. “Our distinct goal is to further develop Handtmann as the world market leader. In doing so, we not only want to cater to customer and market requirements, but rather be a driving force and play a relevant role in developing the markets in a number of industry sectors. We will make intensive use of the year 2023 to take us a step closer to this declared goal. Current investments in the expansion of our assembly capacities, increasing our in-house production depth as well as establishing a new sales company in Europe are some of the projects that we want to successfully push forward this year.” Company: Albert Handtmann Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG Name: Harald Suchanka Email: [email protected] Web Address: www.handtmann.de/en/ filling-and-portioning-systems Address: Hubertus-Liebrecht-Str. 10-12, 88400 Biberach/Riss, Germany Telephone: +49 7351 45-1401 Jan23805
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTY1MjM3