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Success is the reward for hard work

That was no joke, Horn says with a smile, and judging by his achievements it is easy to believe he really is a hard-working man. And facts prove him right; when he took over the company in 1995, it was generating around €14m with 200 employees in Tübingen. Today, the company employs more than 900 people in Tübingen, generating €170m. Lothar Horn has grown a once local Swabian company into a world leader in its field, with production sites in the US, Italy, the UK and the Czech Republic. But the company remains committed to its base and production site in Germany and is continually investing in its headquarters. From 1999 to 2008, Horn doubled its floor space in Tübingen twice, from an original 2,800 m² to 11,500 m². In 2011, Horn invested more than €30m in its subsidiary, Horn Hartstoffe, acquiring 5,000 m² of production space. Here the company produces green carbide blanks and wear parts.

At the end of 2016, Paul Horn moved into two new buildings for production and administration, yet again doubling its capacity. The total amount invested in the two buildings, including production facilities, amounts to more than €70m. “We are investing in our future,” Horn says. “It will be especially beneficial for our customers, as we continue to focus on speed of response to orders, top quality and precision.”

Covering an area of 3,500 m² across six floors, the new administration building houses not only offices but also seminar rooms for customer training and internal training facilities for Horn employees. A clear architectural design and bright rooms offer ample space for the 120 employees who moved into the building in December 2016. The new production facility covers a total area of 20,000 m², of which 12,000 m² are dedicated to production. Completed and occupied last summer, the two-storey structure is now the largest industrial building in Tübingen. "We are planning tangible growth over the next few years," Horn says. The new production building is dedicated to the manufacture of toolholders and houses the tool-coating department and logistics.

Approximately 60% of the total production area is dedicated to mechanical manufacturing, which includes 75 milling and turning centres and other machinery for in-house production. Automated guided vehicle systems are to be introduced in Spring 2017 to transport materials, production orders and tools around the site. This is a sign of a gradual move towards Industry 4.0. “Industry 4.0 goes beyond automating or networking machines for us,” Horn explains. “For us, it means fully integrated processes, from order to CAD/CAM, production and logistics. While this might mean less people in production, it will require additional staff in other areas, so our staff will not be reduced. We have not even laid anyone off during the crisis in 2009.”

Education has become a special focus for Horn. For this reason, Horn Academy has been founded as a separate department within the company. It has five pillars: apprenticeships, further training, academic studies, occupational retraining and customer seminars. "It is very important for me take care of the existing generation as well as of future generations," Horn says. "We are focusing not only on young people but also on our existing staff. The goal is to have the same level of knowledge in all areas of our production."

As for the future, Horn remains optimistic. He plans to double the company’s turnover with the same amount of employees, which he says has been the plan since he joined the company in 1991. He has of course not yet realised this objective, but you have to aim high to achieve your goals.

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