The coolest Truck Company in the world? Jürgen Hartwig’s be a mover talk with Joerg Howe

Yes, I started 30 years ago in Gaggenau. Interestingly, I also spent my youth in Gaggenau, which, in the end, makes you feel somehow like you are a child of Daimler Truck or Unimog. Yes, I actually started there 30 years ago. The Unimog is no longer produced in Gaggenau, but it still feels like it is. After all, the museum is still there, and it has been transformed into a conference center.

For Gaggenau, Unimog is still part of the Gaggenau DNA. The Unimog itself is a fascinating product. There's this classic joke about Unimog. When someone asks you how long does a Unimog last? The answer is: "We don't know yet, it's only been around for 70 years." The production numbers themselves were of such magnitude that it made no sense in the long term to produce the vehicle at facilities where a different production method was usually used. And that's why, for us as a whole, it was the sensible step for stronger integration with Wörth and in Wörth, even if it was emotionally difficult for Gaggenau.

That is still the case. We receive so many applications, even for Truck, that we can hardly save ourselves from the flood of applicants. Basically, the labor market has changed. That doesn't just apply to us. It's that way everywhere! I started in 1993 as a baby boomer. At that time, it was extremely difficult to get a job as a graduate. For Daimler, that meant you posted something in the newspaper then received baskets of applications. Those days are over, especially for the profiles that will change the industry. With autonomous driving, with zero-emission driving, top candidates have their choice of where they want to ultimately work. For us, conversely, this means that we have to present ourselves as an attractive employer. We need to start initiatives. In the background, you might see: We currently have a lot of recruiting initiatives. Now to answer the question specifically: We receive good applications, we receive very good applications. They are absolutely okay in terms of number and quality. But it's much more challenging for us to make it clear why we are a great employer. We are doing well at the moment.

Definitely not, definitely not.

But it's partly down to your profile and partly down to you.

In times like these, I don't like the term "war" anyway. I think it's gained a new dimension since the 24th of February. But the fact is that there is a very, very intense competition for good candidates. People making it to our selection process today, tomorrow, or some day, with certain profiles, they can choose their employer, so we are also competing with other employers.

So I believe it's a mix of different things, and pay must not be ignored. Even in times with great purpose, it has to be okay. But in the end it is not the decisive factor. For me, there are a few dimensions. One is: From a technological point of view, it's extremely exciting what's happening here right now. The truck and bus industries are becoming zero-emission industries. In addition, autonomous driving is incredibly fascinating in terms of the task, in principle developing business systems that reflect the whole thing. Super exciting. Secondly: We are a truly global company. And when I talk about global, personally, for example, when I'm at a recruiting event, and I see people from different countries – we have people from over 100 countries in the company, with over 40 sites, and with everything going on in the world, I find this interconnectedness incredibly exciting and fascinating. You can be truly global. That is the second element. The third element is: The spin-off was an important step, a new opportunity to create a new identity. And last year, on day 1, the 1st of December, we asked people out there what actually makes you proud to work at Daimler Truck? We had no idea what the reaction would be. We thought, "Okay, maybe something will come of it, maybe nothing will come of it." I'm always a bit self-conscious because, as an HR Officer, people never know "Does he have to say this now because it's his job?" But we got some feedback that really fascinated us. I watched the film 30 times, and the 31st time, it still got goosebumps.

For many, many years, we had our Daimler Truck people spread throughout the greater Stuttgart area – I am not talking about Wörth and the other plants, but about the greater Stuttgart area. For anyone who knows Stuttgart, we had sites from Esslingen to Untertürkheim, but we always had the idea of bringing the Truck people together. And then, many years ago, the discussion at Daimler, and the entire world, was about how someone was looking for space in Untertürkheim. Then we stretched out our hand. We still have a lot of colleagues in Untertürkheim, they are still there. We are figuring out how to do it. And that is how the decision was made, that we would move together. The second part was then clear, that we want a campus, a site that fundamentally matches our culture: Open, bright, transparent. Behind us there is a truck, an Actros. Simple, public access, no separate offices. Anyone who comes to see me: I don't have my own office anymore, anyone can come by. You can only tell it's my spot by the KSC football club scarf. Otherwise, it is a very, very free and open concept because we actually want to exude this as a leadership philosophy.

No company in the world would say that teamwork is not important. And, to get away from the buzzwords, I am thoroughly convinced that there are analogies between football, maybe not between the success of my football team and the success of Daimler Truck. I would make a slight distinction there. But since different things have to come together, because, in the end, it's about overall success, and not that of the individual. It's no use if one player scores three goals but you concede four. It's about togetherness, it's about helping, sharing, full understanding. These are all analogies that I think are extremely important here. And I am deeply convinced that successful football teams survive by this, that the way players interact with each other, on and off the pitch, plays a central role. I am deeply convinced that this also plays a very important role for us.

So for me, it's a huge opportunity. Of course, sometimes it's also demanding. Let's start with the time zones. When you look at my job: I usually start with Asia and go to bed with the guys in Portland. When I have a joint meeting, I start it at 2 p.m. That means that for our Japanese colleague it will be 10:00 p.m. And our US colleague will be getting up at four in the morning. This is sometimes challenging. But on the other hand: These different points of view are absolutely essential for our global business. And, if you ask me personally: "What do I find most fascinating about working with people?" Then I would say it is precisely this diversity. Now, I haven't traveled for a while because of COVID-19. But overall, when I'm in Japan with my colleagues, in Brazil, in the USA, that gives me a lot of energy. We also offer a wide range of products.

First of all, an external evaluation is always a legitimate one. And, for me, the question isn't really about whether I am of the opinion that it's right that they take a look or not. I find it legitimate, and I also find them to be the right questions, because they are socially relevant. For me, ESG is something I see as a profound internal commitment. We all live in this world. We should all make sure that it continues to exist. We want to make good money, no doubt about it. But we absolutely want to be a sustainable company. Whether it's in terms of "E", in terms of "S", where I myself am very deeply involved, with the question: "How do we shape working conditions, how do we shape the conditions for our employees?" And that's why it's not an obligation for me, but rather a commitment and conviction, that we need to do a lot.

So for me, Germany is a competitive environment. We made a conscious decision to set up our headquarters here in Germany, in the greater Stuttgart area. We have created a vision for the future, for our German unit sites in Kassel, in Mannheim, in Gaggenau. We decided to produce the electric Actros in Wörth. That is a clear commitment to Germany as a location and to its competitiveness. Now comes the "but": Obviously, we have types of production and business areas that are very labor-intensive. And we need to monitor very closely how we can remain competitive there as well. If our competitors produce in countries that are significantly cheaper, which sometimes forces us to be very, very critical and ask ourselves, so that we can maintain Germany as a location, if we have a cost position that also works long term.

This will definitely be a journey that will take us the next 20 years. We have already published goals for 2039, which is the journey we are now embarking on. There will now be gradually more and more vehicles. This will be a trend that continues to grow. Of course, we are currently still in an industry that is not overly complex. Things will increase significantly in the second half of the decade. And in the thirties, the world will look completely different.

Well, in the truck business, of course, it is very important to look at what I need it for. If you asked me, as a car driver or private individual, the answer would be completely different than for our business. And for our business, the answer to this question essentially depends on: What do I need it for? For someone who permanently drives from Hamburg to Barcelona, I think that the fuel cell would be more interesting. For distribution transport, I would definitely rather drive an electric vehicle. But I think that our customers have a very good sense of what they need.

In sociopolitical terms, for every country, for every company, achieving this transformation requires tremendous effort and costs a lot of money. Therefore, the question naturally arises: When you invest in new technologies, it makes sense to look at the groundwork that eventually needs to be done, making joint investments, in order to have a foundation for getting on the road, with specific vehicle concepts, with our solution, for Mercedes, or for Freightliner and Volvo, and for yourself, of course. But at this stage, sharing the financial burden to some extent, and bringing in expertise, as well as working together to make sure that it's all on the road in the end, I think that makes sense. And the differentiation, that is done later.

Those are very different dimensions. I am deeply convinced that we will be a very successful company in five years. We will have worked clearly to cut CO2, will have made significant changes there, will have far more cars on the road. Secondly: We will continue to work on having, at least on the heavy-duty side, the best engines in the world in the future. That is the substantive part. We are very, very well positioned. And if, on the one hand, we make sure we keep focusing on customers, and are disciplined on the other hand, on the cost side, we will also be a financially successful company in five years. There's a third dimension, and it is very affected by COVID-19: The way we work. The world will not go back to how we knew it in February 2020.

I am deeply convinced that we, as leaders, have a big responsibility – you, me, every single employee. Secondly: In the end, the results belong to all of us, 100,000 around the world. And if I had a request, I would like you to get involved, help shape the future. Think about what makes the company better. If something doesn't work, speak out. Let's work together and develop a culture where we all want to make our company the greatest truck company in the world.