Karl­heinz Möschke usually goes to work with a tune on his lips. At least that is his declared motto: “If I come into work in the morning whistling and go home still whistling, then that means I’m in exactly the right place.” And for him, that place is Uhlmann Pack­aging Systems in Shanghai. As Regional Director and General Manager, he aspires to achieve this feel-good atti­tude not only for himself, but also for his 40 or so employees. “Only employees who leave work just as happy and moti­vated as when they arrive are produc­tive employees,” says Möschke. “Since we spend most of our day at work, it’s impor­tant that we also feel happy and comfort­able there.”

Only employees who leave work just as happy
and moti­vated as when they arrive are produc­tive employees.

Karl­heinz Möschke, Regional Director Uhlmann Pack­aging Systems Shanghai

New office: It’s a team effort, not a one-man show

Accord­ingly, one of his first offi­cial acts on joining Uhlmann in fall 2021 is to search for new premises. “Until then, our offices had been located in a high-rise building that was long overdue for reno­va­tion. It was neither a partic­u­larly pleasant place to work for the team, nor was it a great place to welcome visiting customers.” His goal: pres­ti­gious premises that are similar in ambi­ence to Uhlmann’s head­quar­ters in Laupheim.

The team counts! That's why Karl­heinz Möschke gives all employees the oppor­tu­nity to contribute inde­pen­dently.

And working in a team is better.

Bright and modern: these are the new premises.

The Uhlmann China team worked together on the room concept.

Instead of placing the project in the hands of senior manage­ment, Möschke chooses a different approach: he dele­gates respon­si­bility to indi­vidual teams. “For me, this is a central element of my work here; I want to divide the respon­si­bility among the teams so that everyone can get involved. And the new building was a good project to try this out.” The exper­i­ment was a success and Uhlmann Pack­aging Systems moved into the new premises in Shanghai in July 2023.  Möschke stresses that: “The best thing about it for me is that it wasn’t a one-man show, but a real team effort of which we are justly proud.”

Local, flex­ible, inde­pen­dent

This is the kind of autonomous and inde­pen­dent work that lies at the heart of Möschke’s strategy for Uhlmann China. He focuses on local­iza­tion and close collab­o­ra­tion with the sister company Wonder which has a produc­tion site in north-eastern China. “With Wonder and our Sales, Service and After­sales unit here in Shanghai, we have two compa­nies with different strengths, so we comple­ment each other perfectly.” He wants to make an impact in the diffi­cult Chinese market. “Once we have sold a machine, we are able to cover the entire port­folio locally – from instal­la­tion right down to service. The fact that we have our own pool of tech­ni­cians here on site also means we can carry out main­te­nance work ourselves,” explains the Regional Director.

Once we have sold a machine, we are able to cover the entire port­folio locally – from instal­la­tion right down to service.

Karl­heinz Möschke

Special machine for Chinese customers

With its “China 25” project, Uhlmann China – in tandem with Wonder – is going one step further: the two sister compa­nies are launching their own machine on the Chinese market. The Uhlmann ECO 700 is based on the BEC 700 which is built in Laupheim. Möschke explains: “The machine for the Euro­pean market is highly complex on account of the exten­sive equip­ment options. The machine for China comes with a smaller scope of supply and can thus be offered as a pre-produced system at a more favor­able price.  We have pre-produc­tion machines here that are equipped in line with market require­ments and can be deliv­ered to the customer within a very short time.” In November, we show­cased the digital version of the Uhlmann ECO 700 at the CIPM trade fair in China, and the response was excel­lent! “In future, we will be able to approach customers and offer them a complete ‘Made in China’ line – including instal­la­tion, after­sales, service, a 24/7 hotline, and even in-house training in Chinese,” says Möschke. The next goal has already been set: In future, customers should receive their spare parts from our local ware­house in China within two days.

Möschke is not running out of ideas to survive in the compet­i­tive Asian market any time soon. “I really enjoy every­thing here, and that’s also because we can work so inde­pen­dently here.” In general, he finds that China has an incred­ible amount to offer outside work. He and his wife and two chil­dren feel very much at home in Shanghai, a megacity with myriad leisure activ­i­ties and a large inter­na­tional expat commu­nity. But he is also enthu­si­astic about Beijing, Xiamen and Kunming, the “City of Eternal Spring”, where thou­sands of colorful flowers bloom all year round. So he rarely feels home­sick. “Life is simply good here in Asia. It’s a great place to be for me and my family.”