Insight

Lederer has confirmed current Managing Director Peter Henke will retire at the end of 2024, with Sebastian Ovenhausen, current managing director at NORMTEC Montage- und Befestigungstechnik GmbH –acquired by Lederer in 2021 – taking the role from January 2025.

Peter Henke has been a key part of Lederer for 32 years – playing a fundamental role in the company’s growth and success. “Peter really has been a major player in our business and has always been ambitious and loyal to Lederer – handling the company as if it was his own,” explains Volker Lederer, also managing director at Lederer GmbH. “Over the years we have created an optimal relationship and worked together very constructively, and in a trustful way, which has led to Lederer being successful. I am very happy and honoured that he worked for us for such a long time and brought us to the position we are in today – especially in the end user railway sector, which in many ways was his ‘baby’ and is now a strong market for us. He has certainly helped us push forward and grow as a company and I wish him a happy retirement.”

With Peter retiring, Lederer has decided to appoint Sebastian Ovenhausen, current managing director of NORMTEC, as the new managing director. Acquired by Lederer four years ago, NORMTEC is also a distributor for stainless fasteners – partnered with effective and cost efficient logistic processes, whilst also guaranteeing high availability and precise delivery times. 

“Sebastian has demonstrated his capabilities and leadership at NORMTEC and he will play a key role in the generational change of the management team at Lederer,” underlines Volker. “As a business we are looking to bring in the next generation of employees – putting them into more and more responsible positions within the management team, so we can guarantee our long-term success and continue to move the company forward.”

With Sebastian becoming managing director of Lederer, it has also been decided that it is the right time to fully integrate NORMTEC into the Lederer brand. “NORMTEC is very similar to Lederer, but on a smaller scale, and with Sebastian becoming managing director sales, it was decided it would be more efficient to integrate NORMTEC fully into Lederer and provide both companies with new opportunities to grow going forward,” highlights Volker. “For example, the range of NORMTEC is relatively small, but we can add the Lederer range to the offering, meaning NORMTEC customers can get access to even more products.”

Volker adds: “Almost everything for NORMTEC customers will stay the same, in most cases even keeping the same contact person. It will only be those customers who buy from both companies where we will create one contact point.”

By integrating NORMTEC fully into Lederer it will also generate opportunities for Lederer. “With its end user business NORMTEC does some very special things, which could prove beneficial to Lederer and help us move further into new markets over the coming years,” mentions Volker. “The end user market is already proving a successful sector for us and we have established a reputation as a reliable supplier of stainless steel fasteners, especially within the railway market. Our position within the railway sector is very strong and the rail sector in the coming years will continue to grow, not only in Europe but around the world. As already mentioned, Peter Henke had a lot to do with our success in this area and we are keen to continue to grow the market.”

A prime example of Lederer’s success in the end user rail sector is its partnership with a global rail customer – who recently announced plans to establish a new branch on the east coast of the USA, with Lederer given the opportunity to tender for the business, for which it was successful. “As part of this tender process it was necessary for us to establish a branch in the USA and to be able to serve the customer directly,” explains Volker. “That is why we have set-up a branch close to the client. Whilst we already have customers in the US, this is the first time we have our own physical location, making it a big step for us.”

Volker continues: “Our first objective for Lederer USA is to serve the rail customer in question and ensure we are providing a first-class service. Once this is successful, we can think about possibly expanding our business within the US, but this a second or even third step for us currently. The main focus will be our key rail customer and guaranteeing a complete service.”

With the new management structure and generational shift; the addition of the US operation; as well as ongoing growth targets; Lederer is looking to reaffirm its organisation and structure in order to go on providing the products and service its customers have come to rely on. “At Lederer we realise the importance of continuously moving forward and growing as a business, which is why we have focused on our management team, the markets we supply, as well as the products and services we deliver to customers,” concludes Volker. “We also make sure we are flexible as a business, so we can react quickly to the challenges of the market, such as freight costs, exchange rates, etc, whilst continuing to provide our customers with the products and services that have enabled us to become one of the leading companies within the stainless steel fastener sector.”