With vision and clear goals
Within just a few years, this company has increased its exports tenfold – through targeted marketing and digitalization. But there is another key factor to success.
A walk through the production halls of Bornemann Gewindetechnik in Delligsen shows: This company supplies customers in many parts of the world. From Norway to Egypt, from a single part ready for dispatch to an entire series – there is almost nothing that cannot be done here when it comes to threading technology. “We deliberately position ourselves broadly,” says Managing Director Moritz von Soden.
When he joined his parents-in-law’s family business in 2008 after attending school and studying in England and gaining work experience in Asia, the export share was just five percent. When he took over the business together with his wife Kathrin, the initial focus was on analyzing the company structure, scrutinizing processes and working on the corporate culture. “We were primarily concerned with the central question: where do we want to go?” says Moritz von Soden.
“Above all, it took investment and the courage to take risks.” – Moritz von Soden, Managing Director
From regional to international
The entrepreneurs quickly realized the potential of the family business, now in its third generation. “Above all, it took investment and the courage to take risks,” recalls von Soden. New machines were purchased and buildings were renovated. Today, the team of 53 employees can move small and oversized parts – the infrastructure in the halls is sufficient.
But von Soden has also drawn up a timetable for growth and expansion. Digitalization and marketing are his top priorities. He redesigned the website with a search engine optimization (SEO) partner and made targeted investments in online marketing. This set the ball rolling for more and more inquiries from abroad. The company currently supplies all continents except North America. The export share is now just under 50 percent.
Bornemann’s website is available in 17 languages – including an AI assistant that answers users’ questions. There are only a few competitors in Germany and Europe. The spindles and threads from Delligsen are used, for example, in wind power, nuclear technology, aerospace, oil production and medical technology.
“Automation is our plus point”
Moritz von Soden sees the company’s family structures as a major advantage for success in export. “We have short lines of communication, can make decisions quickly and remain agile.” He believes it is important to empower his team to make decisions themselves. A management team now takes on so much responsibility that von Soden can continue to develop the company strategically at full speed.
This includes, for example, the purchase of a modern automation system that runs fully automatically at night. “Before it is used, it is loaded so that it can work through,” says the entrepreneur. In the past, one person loaded the machine, but today, thanks to technical developments, there are now two machines. The “Robert” and “Berta” robots also make work easier for the employees in production. “They don’t take work away from the team, but are used where recurring tasks are required,” explains von Soden. By increasing productivity, the company remains efficient.
“The robots don’t take work away from the team, but are used where recurring tasks are required.”- Moritz von Soden, Managing Director
A vision unites the team
The development of “Vision 2030” began at the start of 2024 so that the entire team could help shape the company’s further development. “We imagined what Bornemann Gewindetechnik should look like this year,” says the 49-year-old. The results were recorded in writing and are now on display for all to see in the entrance area of the company. The implementation of the vision is actively worked on every day: in a conference room, individual steps are documented year by year and month by month on colorful sticky notes on the wall. “It’s not a rigid system – we regularly adjust and check how we are progressing and who is responsible for which tasks,” reports the entrepreneur.
Winning the Lower Saxony Foreign Trade Award is a milestone on the company’s path to the future. The increase in the export share within ten years and the involvement of employees in the further development of the company culture contributed to this success in the opinion of the jury.