When pactuell went digital, it was something of an adjustment for Hedwig Uhlmann. And while she initially still liked to have the articles printed out, she now also reads what her employees are writing and doing online on her iPad. Hedwig Uhlmann has learned to adapt in recent years. Or rather, she has learned to embrace change. Because even though you may not be able to change the new situation itself, you can change the way you approach it.
pactuell: Mrs. Uhlmann, after finishing school, you took up a commercial apprenticeship in 1953 at the Uhlmann company in Mittelstraße in Laupheim, which was just five years old and had 20 employees. How did that come about?
Hedwig Uhlmann: After graduating from high school, I applied for a commercial apprenticeship at Uhlmann. In 1953, apprenticeships were very rare, so I was delighted that Uhlmann agreed to take me on.
Hedwig Uhlmann witnesses how the company grows. The move to the new building in Uhlandstrasse in 1956 is one of her favorite memories, because she found working in Mittelstrasse “cramped and not very appealing”. The young woman also moves forward in her career, becoming department manager for casting molds and secretary to Josef Uhlmann, company founder and also soon to be father-in-law.
At work, she meets and falls in love with Friedrich Uhlmann, the future owner of the company. They marry and have two children but – rather than withdrawing from the company – Mrs. Uhlmann continues from their family home to support and advise him, allowing him to focus on running the business.
The most crushing change Hedwig Uhlmann has to face is when her husband Friedrich Uhlmann dies in 1994. “A terrible blow and a devastating loss,” she still says today. He had taken over the company from his father Josef Uhlmann in 1968. Hedwig Uhlmann therefore knows what it means to run a company. But to actually take that step herself requires courage and motivation.
pactuell: Mrs. Uhlmann, you could have sold the Uhlmann company. So why did you decide to keep the company in the family and take over the role of Chairman of the Supervisory Board?
Hedwig Uhlmann: Selling the company would have destroyed my husband’s life’s work. Uhlmann Pac-Systeme is more than just a company for our family and employees, and I simply couldn’t bring myself to surrender it to someone else. That’s why we carried on, with our then team of 490 employees, the three managing directors, and me.
Carrying on is an understatement for someone who, for example, founds subsidiaries in Brazil, the UK, Sweden and Singapore within her first four years as Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board. But Hedwig Uhlmann is not one to boast about her achievements. For her, an essential part of being an entrepreneur is remaining humble and keeping your feet on the ground. And, indeed, the company’s development speaks for itself.
pactuell: How did you manage, after your husband had passed away, to shoulder this major task and continue running the company as Chairman of the Supervisory Board? Who was particularly supportive during this challenging time?
Hedwig Uhlmann: I had the full backing of my supervisory board, along with all our staff, my family and good friends. They all stood behind me and made my start that much easier. That creates trust. My husband set up the supervisory board back in 1985 – a very farsighted move.
pactuell: A lot has changed in the almost 70 years she has worked at the company. Instead of typewriters and telephones, we now have computers and smartphones. What is your opinion of digitalization?
Hedwig Uhlmann: You must never stop learning, and always remain open-minded and inquisitive. That applies to every one of us, just as it does to the company as a whole. To keep up with the times, however, you need values that provide support and goals that give you direction. Our aim has always been to give our customers the best machines, whether digitalized or not. And whether you’re talking to someone face-to-face or on a screen: There’s always a human being on the other end, and you should treat them politely and courteously. Many things change, but some things will always endure.
When her son Tobias Uhlmann takes over as Chairman of the Supervisory Board in 2007, Hedwig Uhlmann is particularly proud that he does so on his own initiative. But it’s clear where this passion to pursue challenges comes from.
pactuell: What values and mindsets are particularly important to you and your son for the company culture?
Hedwig Uhlmann: Being close to employees and their families and respecting each individual are very important to us. Our doors are open to all our staff and we like to stay in touch with everyone, like at anniversary celebrations for employees and farewell dos.
Company festivities, too, are about getting to know people better and having fun with each other. Unfortunately, the pandemic has changed and prevented so many things. I just hope that this terrible time will end soon.
I am pleased that family members, too, can continue to read the pactuell articles online at home. We hope that a family day can be held again in the future so that our employees’ families also have a chance to see first-hand how the Laupheim site has grown.
From the small ‘Hockete’ get-together with 20 employees, mulled wine festivals and inauguration parties, right down to the gigantic 70th anniversary celebration in the Donauhalle: Ms. Uhlmann especially enjoys the many one-on-one conversations with employees, and seeing the happy faces of people having a good time together.
And even in her daily routine she will not miss an opportunity to have a chat while stopping by her office on the top floor of the new office building several times a week to check her e-mails and post. But she also pursues her hobbies like golfing, music and the arts, and enjoying good food in good company.
The pactuell team says thank you, Mrs. Uhlmann, for talking to us, and we wish you all the best and continued good health.
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