A Swabian family business on course for growth
Around 50 kilometers southwest of Stuttgart, Horb is "picturesquely nestled between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alb along the course of the Upper Neckar", as the town writes on its own website. It has a lot to offer its almost 26,000 inhabitants: Sports and leisure activities, art and culture, gastronomy, events, nature - it's all there and can be found in the "Horb app".
Auch Even though the app did not yet exist at the time, Fritz-Jörg Gläser must have realized as early as 1976 that this was a good location, as he founded Gläser GmbH here to offer hydraulic blocks. Eleven years later, in 1987, the range was expanded to include the sale of hydraulic components and in 1997 a second plant was opened in Horb. At the beginning of the 2000s, the laboratory for technical cleanliness was added, which was expanded in the further course of the company's development to include mechanical engineering for this area. In 2010, another plant was opened at the headquarters in Horb and the first foreign subsidiary was founded.
Today, solutions for all areas of technical cleanliness are offered under the CleanTec brand, including consulting and training - as the only company in the world that both builds CleanTec machines itself and works on them in its own 4 international laboratories.
But the idyllic town of Horb was too small for Claudia Gläser, daughter of the founder and current Managing Director, in the long run: "I have always been interested in other countries, I liked to travel there to see them and think about whether we could find a new market for ourselves there.“
This also explains why the Gläser CleanTec test laboratory is now not only accredited as a service provider for technical cleanliness, but is also one of the largest in Europe: "We are in demand worldwide and are represented by trading partners and our own locations in the USA (since 2010), China (since 2015) and Mexico (since 2019)," reports Claudia Gläser, not without pride.
The mechanical engineering graduate got to know Mexico, where the most recent subsidiary was founded, in 2018 during an organized trip organized by BW_i *, which she joined because she wanted to get her own impression of the country. The location seemed promising to her, so she used the initial contacts she made there and founded Glaeser Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V. in 2019.
"But things didn't go as we had imagined at first. We made a few decisions that didn't lead to the desired success, our service provider at the time didn't give us enough support on site and the pandemic wasn't exactly helpful either," summarizes Claudia Gläser dryly.
"But then there was Gregor Vorderwülbecke, Managing Director of InterGest Mexico, who kept bringing himself into the conversation and offering his help. I had even heard good things about InterGest from two different sides, so we signed up with him and are optimistic that our situation in Mexico will now improve significantly."
Gregor Vorderwülbecke can understand why Glaeser Mexico has not yet been able to develop as desired: "You not only have to know the mentality here, but also be able to realistically assess it when filling positions. We know the market here very well and also the challenges it brings. I was born in Westphalia, but I live in Mexico, both professionally and privately. That's why I know exactly what a German company is looking for and whether and how this can be reconciled with Mexican culture. In some places not at all, you have to be clear about that! And it doesn't help if you speak fluent Spanish like I do." he laughs. "But of course we know how to establish smooth workflows and structured processes, and above all how to find the right people for the job.“
Claudia Gläser trusts the local know-how and expertise of InterGest Mexico: "I believe in the market! And I take my hat off to Mr. Vorderwülbecke, who provides us with excellent support from his team."
She already has her sights set on another country that she finds attractive: "I was in Thailand and took a look at the country. The automotive industry there is surprisingly strong, did you know that ... ?"
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* Baden-Württemberg International: central location promotion agency for business and science in the state of Baden-Württemberg
