Achieving more together

Dr Gökstorp, what prompted you to team up with another company on process automation?

Gökstorp: Many industrial companies are seeing rapid global change. High energy costs, mandatory sustainability goals, political and societal expectations, all those are drivers of sweeping transformation processes. That's why companies want and need to restructure their production processes to make them more energy efficient. And yet, for such transformation to be a success, companies cannot afford to lose sight of their profitability. This is where we see a major market opportunity. Process automation is a relatively small part of SICK’s business. Our core fields are factory and logistic automation, which together account for more than 80 percent of our revenue. That's why we have come to the conclusion that a strategic partnership makes sense from both a technological and a sales perspective. We know that with a suitable partner, we can better support our customers and benefit more from growth opportunities.

What made Endress+Hauser stand out in your search for a partner?

Gökstorp: It was an obvious choice for at least two reasons: First, like SICK, Endress+Hauser is a technology leader in its field of activity, and our respective product portfolios match up very well. Second, there are a lot of similarities between our two companies. So, I was sure from the start that this would be a good fit in terms of technology, culture and people. And this turned out to be the case when we set about establishing our partnership.

Dr Selders, why does it make sense for Endress+Hauser to go down this path of partnership?

Selders: Quite simply, because here is a case where we are more than the sum of our parts. After looking carefully at the potential of close collaboration, we have concluded that pooling our strengths in process automation will bring great benefits to both sides. This strategic partnership opens up opportunities for growth and development. Together, we can achieve more, and faster than either company could on its own.

Endress+Hauser and SICK are no strangers to working together on orders and projects, with mutual customers. What does the partnership mean beyond that?

Selders: We at Endress+Hauser have always seen partnerships as opportunities to build something new together. That isn’t possible with ad hoc collaboration. So in this partnership we want to grow in tandem and continue our long-term development, adding value for our customers through cooperation, networking and interaction between people. Technology and products matter – they are what our business is based on. But people are crucial. They make the difference. They contribute their knowledge, skills and personality. This is what we’re looking forward to!

Gökstorp: Our common goal is to give customers the best possible support all along the value chain. Together, we want to offer first-class technologies and services that will best address our customers’ challenges. Parallel to this, we put special emphasis on our employees. My goal has always been to find good solutions for them. Only then can our partnership be successful.

The contract was signed in the summer. What tasks and challenges are there still to overcome before the deal is finalized?

Gökstorp: First of all, I am very grateful to the many colleagues on both sides who got things ready for the contract signing. Now it’s a matter of taking the steps necessary for the joint venture to start operations. The present focus is shifting to very specific issues like the design of the joint venture’s IT landscape. In customers’ best interests, we are doing everything possible to ensure seamless continuation of business. And of course, we are getting ready for the transfer of our sales and service experts to Endress+Hauser. It is of personal importance to me that this changeover goes smoothly for the people involved.

Both companies are breaking new ground with this partnership. What convinced you that teaming up would be successful?

Gökstorp: As I mentioned, Endress+Hauser and SICK have been collaborators for many years. The fact that our existing product portfolios are complementary technology-wise was a basic premise for our partnership. But we would never have come together without a foundation of shared culture and values. Ultimately, it is people who shape partnerships like this one and steer them to success.

Selders: Our companies have so much in common. Not least a shared conviction that our work contributes to solving major societal challenges. SICK and Endress+Hauser both see sustainable transformation as an opportunity. What’s more, we are joining forces from a position of strength. Both companies are market successes in their own right. But we are convinced that together we can achieve more: for our customers, for our employees and for our respective companies. This has been reinforced by our consistently constructive and forward-looking work together in the lead-up to the contract signing, notwithstanding the challenges.

Assuming we meet again in five years’ time – what do you hope you will be able to say about the partnership?

Selders: I hope that we’ll look back and say that we made the right decision back then, that we acted at the right time to guide our customers effectively into a sustainable future and that together we resolved the issues that we faced in our partnership.

Gökstorp: I want to be able to say that we made a progressive, farsighted decision in the interests of our customers as well as the employees at SICK and Endress+Hauser. By making the most of the available market opportunities, we aim for customers, employees and society as a whole to reap the benefits of our strategic partnership in the long term. And I am convinced that we will achieve this together.