unternehmen & trends DIGITAL

Linner GmbH, based in the Bavarian town of Wolnzach, specialises in the production and servicing of high-precision cutting tools and precision components. Its offering ranges from cutting tools and component manufac- ture and assembly through to technology con- sulting and development. Subsidiary Linner Elektronik GmbH completes the portfolio with the development and manufacture of electro- nic assemblies and test benches. In 2017, the “Die Heldenschmiede” (English: hero forge) training cooperative was established together with WMH Herion Antriebstechnik. The Lin- ner Group and WMH Herion Antriebstechnik GmbH have since merged, combining their shared skills in the areas of drive technology, electronics, toolmaking, special cutting tools, and service and consulting. The 240 emplo- yees of the Group now expect annual sales of more than EUR 25 million. The handover of the company’s reins from its founder to the next generation of the family heralded a shift in the company: by combining the three components of a new value struc- ture, digital enterprise analysis and the roll- out of Microsoft Dynamics NAV, the company embarked on a path towards comprehensive digital transformation. Ludwig-Peter Linner, now Managing Director, Production and Sa- les, his sister Katharina, Managing Director, Marketing, Product Management and HR, and brother Lorenz, Managing Director, IT, Cont- rolling and Quality Management, are now the next generation of the family in charge. “When we took the helm, two factors quickly emerged”, recalled Lorenz Linner. “We had to change the corporate culture and our IT technology was not up to the required stan- dard.” While the founding generation had previously led with more of a patriarchal and hierarchical style, the siblings wanted to esta- blish a new value structure based on coope- ration and flat hierarchies. In addition, they wanted to automate and digitise more of the company’s processes. “Our, by then, heavi- ly customised ERP system simply could no longer be updated and fell far short of mo- dern requirements. And we wanted to create added value for our customers through data and information generated by our products or even directly in the customer environment”, continued Lorenz Linner. Progressive change He explains this shift in strategy and manage- ment style as follows: “Our father was the ar- On course for digital transformation By Volker Vorburg When the next generation took the helm at a toolmaking company, the incoming management team invested in many new things. Finding the right IT partner was crucial to this. Images: © Linner GmbH chetypal patriarch. But my siblings and I have a very different approach and want to encou- rage cooperation. It’s crucial to us that people feel at ease in our work environment.” How- ever, the break-up of the old structures did cause consternation among employees and even led to some pushback due to concerns about whether they would still be needed or would be able to correctly operate the new software. “That is why we continuously pursu- ed dialogue with our employees. This allowed us to alleviate any doubts and gather direct feedback from the departments”, explained Lorenz Linner, continuing: “We asked where action was needed during initial constructive sessions with colleagues. Their responses covered 700 aspects that we then clustered. That alone was a huge undertaking.” The ma- nagement trio also enlisted the professional support of the COSMO CONSULT Group, a provider of end-to-end solutions and a lea- ding consultancy for business digitalisation. It was important to the Linner managing direc- tors to find an IT partner that would slowly but surely train them and take them along with them on technical matters. “We felt that this IT partner could offer us the best possible tool for all of our product areas. We also entered into a learning partnership with COSMO CONSULT. As part of this, we underwent a digitalisation check”, said Lo- renz Linner. This began with unsparing analy- sis – from an external and objective viewpoint. Ludwig, Katharina and Lorenz Linner (from left) 34  Unternehmen & Trends S H A R E