Chairman of the Board of Management / CEO, Alfred Kärcher SE & Co. KG
#50JahreBSS | Festrede (2/4): Hartmut Jenner
Beim Festakt zum 50-jährigen Jubiläum der Björn Steiger Stiftung am 07.07.2019 sprach Hartmut Jenner, Vorsitzender des ...
About Hartmut Jenner
In a July 2021 podcast interview with WirtschaftsWoche, Kärcher CEO Hartmut Jenner discussed the company's approach to supply chain challenges and pricing. Jenner stated that Kärcher had "made its own laws" by adapting industry standards rather than following them strictly, which he described as "overblown." He noted that while the company had pre-stocked components early in the previous year to mitigate shortages, production was still constrained by a lack of available parts and labor, limiting output despite high customer demand. On pricing, Jenner said he was "not a big fan of price increases" and believed companies had a promise to customers regarding stability. However, he added that if cost pressures persisted, "we will raise prices definitely" the following year, particularly for products heavily affected by rising input costs, such as large sweepers. Jenner also mentioned that he was "living his dream" as an entrepreneur and expressed a personal wish for VfB Stuttgart to become German football champions.
Transcript (2 segments)
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Moderator0:07
Mr. Jörg Thadeusz said 'Glückauf' will especially like it, he's a Dortmund fan, and you know 'Glück auf' because he's from the region. But he'll survive because now we come to the family with whom we are here today. Those are your colors, black and yellow, great. As I said, I'm aware of a great company, but what impresses me about this company is that there are brands that have made it when people don't say 'hand me a tissue' but say 'hand me a Tempo', and with Kärcher it's similar. Nobody knows the word 'high-pressure cleaner', everyone says 'hand me a Kärcher'. How long does that last? Imitating dialects is always tricky. I know. But it's fascinating what happens. Consider Mount Rushmore, created in 14 summers in the United States, in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Those four presidential faces, each 18 meters high. The only problem: those presidential faces get dirty and need a facial cleaning, which they of course get from Kärcher. That fascinated me, that so many landmarks around the world are also Kärcher-cleaned. And the man who will now speak to us naturally looks after that too, because he is the Chairman of the Board of Management. Please welcome Hartmut, ladies and gentlemen.
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Hartmut Jenner1:48
Honorable President of the Bundestag, dear Steiger family, Professor Kamke, thank you for the welcome. I also greet all the distinguished guests and you as the host here today. It's wonderful that you are all here. This event is really well done. I know the moderator introduced me as part of the Kärcher family, but I am neither related nor married to them. I have been with Kärcher for over 30 years, and over 20 years with the company. That's why I'm often greeted as Mr. Kärcher—it's not so bad. The punchline: I would also greet you that way. You are now in Kärcher's customer center, where we normally meet customers. This building has received multiple awards and is a meeting place for Kärcher employees and people from the region. Recently we opened the Heimattage here with Mayor Holz and investor Hans Strobl. The family and the company are closely connected. I welcome you to the family business. It's a pleasure to see you. I note that you were finance minister for nine years during the severe crisis of 2009, and you made preparations. But looking at plenary sessions, I don't know which is the greater challenge. Ladies and gentlemen, it is a special honor and joy that we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Steiger Foundation at Kärcher. Please see this as a sign of our respect for the life's work of the Steiger couple and the whole family. A glance at the accident statistics from 1969 to 2018 shows clearly: you have significantly contributed to saving thousands of lives. Who else can say that? Beyond respect, there is much that connects Kärcher and the Björn Steiger Foundation, far more than the fact that both are based in Wehnen. You have collaborated many times. The defibrillators on the LGS grounds are one sign. We were the first to have them. Our comprehensive cooperation reached a special highlight in 2016 when we jointly responded to the dramatic flood disaster in Sri Lanka. Besides high-pressure cleaners, we are world market leader in mobile drinking water treatment systems. We were able to supply people with drinking water—one million liters in six weeks, which significantly averted the catastrophe. The triad of cleaning, hygiene, and health connects Kärcher and the Björn Steiger Foundation more closely than it might appear. Hygiene is a foundation of our modern global society and a prerequisite for any medical measure. Without hygienic standards, no hospital or ambulance could fulfill its mission. The inner kinship of our organizations is also shown in their histories. Both were born from a single idea and are outstanding examples of the power and impact of visions when you believe in them and are ready to stand up for them. With Kärcher, it was the high-pressure cleaner; with the Steiger Foundation, the idea of a nationwide coordinated rescue service. From the start, Kärcher and the industry have been committed to very similar values and goals. The similarities in biographical details are no coincidence. The Steiger family repeatedly used their own home to finance helicopters and ambulances. Alfred Kärcher, in economically difficult times, sold not only his metal but also his private wood supplies to pay his employees on time. The openness and unconditional willingness to change are common to Kärcher, Björn Steiger, and the foundation—a mindset that does not stop even at its own favorite ideas. The nationwide provision of emergency call pillars was one of the foundation's greatest successes. When mobile phones made them less relevant, they resolutely turned to new tasks, such as helping other countries build their rescue networks. Both organizations share this global ambition. I see a long and successful future for both the company and the Björn Steiger Foundation. It is this combination of family and regional roots on the one hand, and openness, adaptability, and global orientation on the other, that has made you and us so successful. Amid all technological change and new challenges, compassion and empathy for our fellow human beings remain the foundation of our work. Our company founder Alfred Kärcher said, 'It is the people who make success possible.' I may add: they are both the starting point and the goal of all our efforts. In this spirit, I wish you, dear Steiger family, all your employees and supporters, continued good fortune and God's blessing for a good and successful work in the service of people. Thank you very much.