30 years of DEGUMA
30 years of DEGUMA – We love machines
30 years is a long time. What were you doing 30 years ago? What moved you? Perhaps the reunification? At that time, Winfried and Barbara Schütz from Rhön, Hessen, primarily focused on founding their company – DEGUMA-SCHÜTZ GmbH. Back then, it all started in an old lemonade factory in Weyhers, Hessen. At that time, the first machines were repaired, overhauled and stored on the site of the decommissioned factory before they were shipped out all over the world for rubber production. Even then, the machine portfolio was extensive: From presses, calenders and mixing mills to extruders and cutting machines, machines were offered for all process steps.
The lemonade factory quickly became too small and in 1994, groundbreaking took place for a new, larger building in Geisa on the Hessian border in Thuringia. In April 1995, the brand new red and white business facilities were inaugurated, with offices, a production site and warehouse spanning over 4,000 sqm.
Four years later, the couple took the next big step and in 1999 took over the program for the production of mold carriers for the polyurethane processing of Kannegiesser. This resulted in new markets, opportunities and businesses. Their courage paid off.
Being able to offer customers a large selection of quickly available machines has always been part of the business model of DEGUMA-SCHÜTZ GmbH. Therefore, in 2008 Winfried and Barbara Schütz decided to purchase another building nearby with office and hall areas (Plant II). Since then, the company has had a total of 5,600 sqm of workshop and storage space on which over 300 systems are stored and overhauled, and now even new machines are being built.
From used to modern
After many years of intensively working on models from all European manufacturers, the technical staff developed improvements for the machines that not only put them back into service but also modernized and made them safer. This is how DEGUMA efficiency was developed – a state-of-the-art drive system that, among other things, makes rubber mixing mills more energy-efficient as well as more compact, quieter and safer. As the demand for compact mixing mills continued to increased, DEGUMA-SCHÜTZ GmbH made the decision to build its own new rubber mixing mills with this innovative drive system: the DEGUMA neo mixing mills. The development was first presented at the German Rubber Conference in 2018 and was immediately well received by experts in the field. The new machine portfolio now also includes extruders, roll cutters and laboratory presses.
But energy efficiency is not the only important issue in the operation of machines. People work on the machines in production every day, and their physical integrity should be a top priority. Working on used machines has made it clear that they often lack adequate safety devices and the immense power of the machines can quickly lead to serious accidents with fatal consequences. That is why the company joined the Machine Safety Working Committee of the BG RCI (Professional Association of Raw Materials and Chemical Industry) so that machines processed by DEGUMA comply with the latest safety guidelines. However, since many unsafe machines continue to be operated in rubber factories, DEGUMA-SCHÜTZ GmbH now offers retrofitting of safety devices as a service for other companies.
Winfried Schütz and his wife Barbara Schütz, who has since passed away, laid the foundation for all of this. But even full-blooded entrepreneurs can take a step back from the operational business once they pass seventy and have devoted more than 35 years to entrepreneurship. Winfried Schütz has gradually handed over the reins of the company to his daughter Viktoria Schütz over the past two years. After completing studies in Global Management and Marketing Management, gaining experience in various other companies, numerous stays abroad and implementing her own projects, she joined the company in 2013. Viktoria Schütz has now specialized in marketing for mechanical engineering companies and has also published a book on the subject.
Viktoria Schütz has been supported by Daniela Dingfelder as Operational Managing Director since fall 2019. Daniela Dingfelder is a commercial lawyer and previously worked with DEGUMA-SCHÜTZ GmbH as an external partner. She has many years of experience in strategy development, process optimization and risk management for medium-sized companies in various industries. In addition, she worked as a project manager on a training project in Tanzania for several years, in which a dual training program was implemented in the electrical engineering, automotive and hotel and restaurant sectors.
The two women run the company with a workforce of 40 people together with a young management team.
Looking to the future
Viktoria Schütz and Daniela Dingfelder are committed to the topic of new work and developing the organizational culture towards more involvement and personal responsibility of employees and the broader positioning of the business areas. This includes expanding the range of services and taking a step towards digital offers. In this context, starting in June 2020 a project regarding “innovation for production, services and work of tomorrow” will be realized together with Fraunhofer institute and other partners, supported by the Federal Ministry of Finance.
But all of these innovative business areas require well-trained specialists. As the topic of the shortage of skilled workers is ubiquitous in the field of mechanical engineering, DEGUMA-SCHÜTZ GmbH will once again take the training of its technical specialists into its own hands starting in 2021. And in order to bring children and young people into contact with technology at a young age, the company has set up experimental workshops that schools in the region can use in the future for practical sessions.
The regional focus also plays a role with regards to suppliers, which will become more important in the future. In order to maintain a high-quality standard, Viktoria Schütz and Daniela Dingfelder are convinced that regional purchasing of as many parts as possible is essential.
The company is well positioned for the challenges and opportunities of the future and will continue to be a reliable and innovative partner in the field of rubber and plastics processing.
DEGUMA forum, which was originally planned for May 2020 will take place digitally on September 15th 2020 (details to follow). And for celebrating the 30th Anniversary there will be an "Over 30 party" in the context of DKT 2021 in Nuremberg.
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