CEOInterviews.AIFIL Studio - Kate meets Martin Peters, Managing Partner at Eberspächer Group

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Interviewer0:00

FAL Studio live we're joined by an incredible person so you must have noticed the blue, the blue color, the blue hint that is everywhere you see on the sides. It's all over, it's on the bibs. Eberspächer is our full sponsor for the Luge World Cup this year, and this is the head honcho, that's what we say back home, this is the big guy on campus, Martin Peters. Thank you for joining us. Welcome to the track.

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Martin Peters0:25

It's my pleasure.

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Interviewer0:27

So fun. So I when I heard it was called because it's Eberspächer Luge World Cup circuit, I didn't know much about what Eberspächer did, and then I talked to some of the women that work for you, heating and cooling systems, right? Or maybe you explain to us what Eberspächer does exactly.

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Martin Peters0:45

We've got a lot of products from the automotive industry. We are a supplier to the automotive industry. We've got three divisions: first of all, exhaust systems, it's the biggest at the moment still for diesel and petrol engines. It's climate control, we do air conditioning and heaters, also heaters for electrical cars, high voltage heaters for example, and we do control units and switches, that's something where you steer the whole car with. Yeah.

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Interviewer1:27

That is so. It's someone that works in this industry. So how did you, I mean that's a wide spread, those three things, so how did you find yourself working with Eberspächer especially?

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Martin Peters1:41

I mean, I'm a member of the family. The family is steering this company for 158 years now. I'm the fifth generation. We started with construction, with glazing, and then that developed in the different divisions, and finally now we are 100% supplier to the automotive industry.

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Interviewer2:03

Wow, that is fascinating. So were you with the family legacy? Like was it your great great grandfather or how did this passion come into this?

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Martin Peters2:09

It's a great great grandfather of my wife. Yes, that's true. Yeah yeah.

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Interviewer2:15

Very cool. And so do you, does the store, what's the story behind it? He just decided, oh I'm really interested in this and I want to create a product around it.

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Martin Peters2:23

I've been studying to the border to Austria in Germany at Passau, and that was a nice lady which I met there in my studies, which was my later wife, and she was Christina Eberspächer. So it's Eberspächer, their last name. And then my father-in-law he decided to ask me, have you got interest to the company, and then we decided together yes we'll do that. No, it was round about now 30 years ago. She must have a cool family to work.

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Interviewer3:03

That's super cool. So how, I hear you're a big luge fan, so how did you decide, how are we so lucky to have you sponsor the luge circuit?

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Martin Peters3:13

It was really one of my first dates at Eberspächer when I joined in 2000. And then they asked what do we do in terms of advertising. And I was asked what do you think of luge. And I didn't know. I was informing myself. I talked to people, and then I found out these people had luge, they're so natural, they're so nice, they're direct, they fit to us. And yeah, they like competition, and that's the same as we do, we want to become better and better, and we like competition too. So these two, Eberspächer and luge, they fit together.

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Interviewer3:54

That was a really nice answer, and I agree with you. I do feel like luge people are a little different in this world. Because yeah, it's interesting because I know this is a professional sport, but the difference with luge is that everybody gets involved at such a young age, so they recruit 8, 9, 10 year olds, and then you all kind of grow together, and then it's the athletes become the coaches, and so everybody has spent all this time together, so while there's competition, intense competition, there's still this like family aspect to it. So you really nailed it on the head with that.

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Martin Peters4:32

Yeah. I mean you're very very close to the athletes and you get in touch with them, and not only with the Germans. I mean when we started in 2000, it was very national, it was very German. Now it's really it has become more and more international, there are no more nations. And same as Eberspächer is growing all over the world, we're in 24, 9 countries now. Also luge is growing and I like that, and I hope it will further develop. I appreciate everything you're saying about this because it's making a lot of sense to me. You're right, it was very German back in the day, now there's so many countries.

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Interviewer5:12

What was your first experience with luge like? Did you come to races as a kid? Or how did you, because luge is more popular in Germany, where I'm from in USA it's not very popular, but it's still kind of a unique sport. Did you come to a race when you were younger?

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Martin Peters5:28

I mean before I knew Eberspächer, I saw it of course on the TV, and it was so amazing because gold medals in Olympics were also only luge, we were very successful. So I like that. Very popular in Germany, they got their gold, silver, bronze medals. So, I like that just because of that. Yeah, they're very good at what they do.

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Interviewer5:52

So for Eberspächer, what's next for your company? Do you have any new products coming through the pipeline? Or what are you guys working on that people would want to know about?

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Martin Peters6:00

I mean the automotive industry is changing a lot at the moment. And we've got lots of challenges: all the CO2 change. We say we are driving the mobility of tomorrow, so we are always watching other new technologies which we can develop and we can take care of for the mobility of tomorrow. And there are lots of topics.

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Interviewer6:34

Yeah well, because now cars are going electric, they're dealing. Has that changed your whole business? Like how they're kind of switching over?

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Martin Peters6:41

For sure, for sure. I mean 10 years ago it was 100% combustion engine. Today it's only 50% combustion engine, and that will further develop into new technology. You have to like totally adapt to the changes happening. We don't know what's going to happen. It happened. I mean battery electric vehicles are very popular at the moment, also because of legislation in Europe. But what about hydrogen?

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Interviewer7:07

But what about hydrogen?

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Martin Peters7:10

Yeah, we do research and development on hydrogen, and we think there will be a market in some years. And not only on passenger car discussion but also on commercial vehicles, which we serve the whole range of.

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Interviewer7:29

Do you think hydrogen is going to be the key to the future?

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Martin Peters7:31

My personal opinion is yes.

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Interviewer7:33

Yeah, just you feel it in your gut or how?

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Martin Peters7:37

Now it's a feeling, of course, and it's an advice of our research development people who say we see the biggest opportunities there.

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Interviewer7:51

Interesting. Well, we're gonna have to see where Eberspächer goes. Looks like you have an incredible team behind you with everything that you're doing. Have you been on a luge sled before? That's the number one question I have to ask everyone.

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Martin Peters8:01

Of course I have.

It was great! But it was amazing. I mean you experienced this pressure with which you are put on the ice. And mentally it's also, if you don't know what's happening, it's so amazing. But I love it. For now, I've done it around about five times, and every time I've got the opportunity, I like that.

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Interviewer8:34

Yeah, you're a natural. Five times, that's a lot. Okay, it's pretty good. Is there anything that like you could use with Eberspächer, the technology that the Germans could use or with tracks or anything? I feel like there's so much behind like keeping these tracks running, and you guys are working with like heating systems. Cool. I don't know if you guys are also smart in the original idea was the parking heater idea because now we are standing in the cold and going back to the car and the car is preheated, it's a nice thing getting to the warm car.

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Martin Peters8:56

That is of course one of our products which we've got.

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Interviewer9:08

Okay. Love that. Thank you so much. So fun to have you. Again, Eberspächer are, it just looks, I appreciate it so. Thank you for joining us this season. It's been so fun, and you're also just really cool. Is there anything you want to say to anyone watching back home?

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Martin Peters9:28

I don't know, thank you for the opportunity to talk to you, and it's really great fun here.

Probably I'm a bit too old, huh?

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Interviewer9:51

We've got Masters races. Really? Yes? Okay. In the states we do. I'm sure there's a lot of old-time sweaters. I'll apply for that. We'll see you there. Thank you so much, Martin Peters.

So cool. He's got his whole team right here. Look, talking to these lovely women yesterday. It's marketing. These, this is, you guys make everything happen. And this is their first luge race. So how cool. They've loved it. Thank you for coming back for day two. It's so fun. Enjoy your time here at the track. So fun. Bye guys. We'll see you.