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pactuell:<\/strong> Mrs. Uhlmann, after finishing school, you took up a commer\u00adcial appren\u00adtice\u00adship in 1953 at the Uhlmann company in Mittel\u00adstra\u00dfe in Laupheim, which was just five years old and had 20 employees. How did that come about?<\/p>\n Hedwig Uhlmann:<\/strong> After grad\u00adu\u00adating from high school, I applied for a commer\u00adcial appren\u00adtice\u00adship at Uhlmann. In 1953, appren\u00adtice\u00adships were very rare, so I was delighted that Uhlmann agreed to take me on.<\/p>\n Hedwig Uhlmann witnesses how the company grows. The move to the new building in Uhland\u00adstrasse in 1956 is one of her favorite memo\u00adries, because she found working in Mittel\u00adstrasse \u201ccramped and not very appealing\u201d. The young woman also moves forward in her career, becoming depart\u00adment manager for casting molds and secre\u00adtary to Josef Uhlmann, company founder and also soon to be father-in-law.<\/p>\n At work, she meets and falls in love with Friedrich Uhlmann, the future owner of the company. They marry and have two chil\u00addren but \u2013 rather than with\u00addrawing from the company \u2013 Mrs. Uhlmann continues from their family home to support and advise him, allowing him to focus on running the busi\u00adness.<\/p>\n The most crushing change Hedwig Uhlmann has to face is when her husband Friedrich Uhlmann dies in 1994. \u201cA terrible blow and a devas\u00adtating loss,\u201d she still says today. He had taken over the company from his father Josef Uhlmann in 1968. Hedwig Uhlmann there\u00adfore knows what it means to run a company. But to actu\u00adally take that step herself requires courage and moti\u00adva\u00adtion.<\/p>\n pactuell:<\/strong> 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 Super\u00advi\u00adsory Board?<\/p>\n Hedwig Uhlmann:<\/strong> Selling the company would have destroyed my husband\u2019s life\u2019s work. Uhlmann Pac-Systeme is more than just a company for our family and employees, and I simply couldn\u2019t bring myself to surrender it to someone else. That\u2019s why we carried on, with our then team of 490 employees, the three managing direc\u00adtors, and me.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Carrying on is an under\u00adstate\u00adment for someone who, for example, founds subsidiaries in Brazil, the UK, Sweden and Singa\u00adpore within her first four years as Chair\u00adwoman of the Super\u00advi\u00adsory Board. But Hedwig Uhlmann is not one to boast about her achieve\u00adments. For her, an essen\u00adtial part of being an entre\u00adpre\u00adneur is remaining humble and keeping your feet on the ground. And, indeed, the company\u2019s devel\u00adop\u00adment speaks for itself.<\/p>\n pactuell:<\/strong> How did you manage, after your husband had passed away, to shoulder this major task and continue running the company as Chairman of the Super\u00advi\u00adsory Board? Who was partic\u00adu\u00adlarly supportive during this chal\u00adlenging time?<\/p>\n Hedwig Uhlmann:<\/strong> I had the full backing of my super\u00advi\u00adsory 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 super\u00advi\u00adsory board back in 1985 \u2013 a very farsighted move.<\/p>\n pactuell:<\/strong> A lot has changed in the almost 70 years she has worked at the company. Instead of type\u00adwriters and tele\u00adphones, we now have computers and smart\u00adphones. What is your opinion of digi\u00adtal\u00adiza\u00adtion?<\/p>\n Hedwig Uhlmann:<\/strong> You must never stop learning, and always remain open-minded and inquis\u00adi\u00adtive. 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 direc\u00adtion. Our aim has always been to give our customers the best machines, whether digi\u00adtal\u00adized or not. And whether you\u2019re talking to someone face-to-face or on a screen: There\u2019s always a human being on the other end, and you should treat them politely and cour\u00adte\u00adously. Many things change, but some things will always endure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n When her son Tobias Uhlmann takes over as Chairman of the Super\u00advi\u00adsory Board in 2007, Hedwig Uhlmann is partic\u00adu\u00adlarly proud that he does so on his own initia\u00adtive. But it\u2019s clear where this passion to pursue chal\u00adlenges comes from.<\/p>\n pactuell:<\/strong> What values and mind\u00adsets are partic\u00adu\u00adlarly impor\u00adtant to you and your son for the company culture?<\/p>\n Hedwig Uhlmann:<\/strong> Being close to employees and their fami\u00adlies and respecting each indi\u00advidual are very impor\u00adtant to us. Our doors are open to all our staff and we like to stay in touch with everyone, like at anniver\u00adsary cele\u00adbra\u00adtions for employees and farewell dos. I am pleased that family members, too, can continue to read the pactuell arti\u00adcles online at home. We hope that a family day can be held again in the future so that our employees\u2019 fami\u00adlies also have a chance to see first-hand how the Laupheim site has grown.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n From the small \u2018Hockete\u2019 get-together with 20 employees, mulled wine festi\u00advals and inau\u00adgu\u00adra\u00adtion parties, right down to the gigantic 70th anniver\u00adsary cele\u00adbra\u00adtion in the Donauhalle: Ms. Uhlmann espe\u00adcially enjoys the many one-on-one conver\u00adsa\u00adtions with employees, and seeing the happy faces of people having a good time together.<\/p>\n And even in her daily routine she will not miss an oppor\u00adtu\u00adnity to have a chat while stop\u00adping 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.<\/p>\n The pactuell team says thank you, Mrs. Uhlmann, for talking to us, and we wish you all the best and continued good health. <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hedwig Uhlmann has been in the busi\u00adness for almost 70 years, many of which she spent at the helm of the company as Chair\u00adwoman of the Super\u00advi\u00adsory Board. Pactuell managed to persuade her to take a short trip back in time and asked her: How do you deal with change, Mrs. Uhlmann? [\u2026]<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/pactuell.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/10\/UHL-logo1.jpg\"){kind=logo}
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\nCompany festiv\u00adi\u00adties, too, are about getting to know people better and having fun with each other. Unfor\u00adtu\u00adnately, the pandemic has changed and prevented so many things. I just hope that this terrible time will end soon.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/pactuell.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/10\/Hedwig-Uhlmann-12.jpg\")
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