The furniture fittings industry is witnessing a significant transformation as Hettich, a global leader with over 135 years of experience, completes its acquisition of FGV. This union brings together two family-run companies with a combined history of over 200 years and a shared passion for providing innovative solutions to their customers. In this interview, Matthias Bertl, Managing Director at Hettich Southeast Asia, discusses the strategic vision behind the acquisition, the anticipated product developments, and the future leadership dynamics.
Could you elaborate on the strategic vision behind the acquisition of FGV by Hettich? How do you envision this impacting your operations in Southeast Asia?
Hettich and FGV are two family-run companies with more than 200 years of combined experience. And together we are now around 8,600 colleagues all over the world who use all their energy, passion and ideas to achieve the best for our customers every day. This common ground has inspired us and convinced us to shape our future together. We want to complement each other’s strengths in order to continuously develop our existing business activities and offer our customers solutions with added value.
Our common goal: Shaping our future together with strong roots from the same industry
With the acquisition now complete, what are some of the new innovations or product developments we can expect to see from Hettich and FGV? How will this merger enhance your offerings to the market?
In over 135 years of company history, Hettich has established a strong position as a close partner, success driver, innovator and system solution provider with a strong pioneering and inventive spirit. In contrast, FGV, with its extensive product range and rapid adaptability to customer requirements and market developments, has been in existence for more than 75 years.
Hettich and FGV will complement each other with their strengths in order to continuously develop existing business activities and processes and offer our customers even better value-added solutions. We are working in joint project teams to inspire our customers with innovative ideas in the future.
The press release mentioned expanding Hettich’s reach to more countries and people. Could you share more about the specific new markets Hettich is targeting in Asia and globally? What steps are being taken to integrate FGV’s expertise in these new markets?
We are active worldwide and see possibilities for market expansion in Asia in particular. Asia offers a dynamic and growing market for our furniture solutions. The merger of Hettich and FGV enables the exchange of expertise and best practices. We are prepared to adapt our solutions to the specific needs of the new markets. This expansion will benefit our customers and partners worldwide.
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Merging two companies often comes with its set of challenges, particularly when integrating different corporate cultures. What measures are Hettich and FGV taking to ensure a smooth cultural integration?
From the very beginning, it was very important to us that we unite the people of Hettich and FGV so that we all pull together. That’s why we use different ways to ensure that we get to know each other, learn from each other and grow together. Eye level is very important to us in all our collaboration. Through both face-to-face and digital meetings, we create opportunities for personal encounters and growing together.
Both Hettich and FGV are known for their close relationships with customers. How will the acquisition affect these relationships? Are there any new customer service initiatives or improvements planned?
As both Hettich and FGV will remain independent brands and companies within the overall Hettich group, customers of both companies will retain their familiar contacts even after the merger. Together, we will continue to develop our existing business activities and offer our customers even better value-added solutions.
With Uwe Kreidel stepping in as the CEO of FGV, how do you see the leadership dynamics evolving within the merged entity? What roles will the current leaders from both companies play in shaping the future of the joint venture?
With over 30 years of industry, Hettich and management experience as well as his knowledge of the Italian market, Uwe Kreidel brings valuable expertise to FGV. This is highly valued by both his team at FGV and his colleagues at Hettich. Within the hettich group (hettich and fgv), we attach great importance to developing together as a team, because we do not see leadership as the task of a single person. As Managing Director at Hettich, Uwe Kreidels has already helped to drive forward this joint approach and special dynamic. We are therefore a large management team at Hettich and FGV that is shaping the future of the furniture fittings industry together with around 8,600 colleagues worldwide.\
As Hettich and FGV continue to unite their strengths, the future of the furniture fittings industry looks promising. With a strong focus on innovation, customer relationships, and cultural integration, the combined entity aims to offer enhanced solutions and expanded market reach. With leaders like Uwe Kreidel driving the joint venture forward, Hettich and FGV are set to shape the industry’s future, benefitting customers and partners worldwide.
