HELDECO was launched 30 years ago. The foundations for the success of the Styrian flagship company are based on a great vision from founder Helmut Dettenweitz Sen., genuine friendships and an explosive agreement of secrecy during its founding. A look back at the founding (snacht).
When Helmut Dettenweitz Senior and Helmut Dettenweitz Junior met with Othmar Aigner, the mood was sombre – to say the least. "We just sat there together for a few minutes at first. Neither of us said anything," Aigner recalls today. The trio's silence had been preceded by turbulent days. Within the leading regional company, the father-and-son team had developed into central specialists: While Dettenweitz Junior was being groomed as a company assistant to become the manager of tomorrow, Dettenweitz Senior had worked his way up over decades to become a managerial personality and finally managed the company operationally – with an unforeseeable end: In a surprising manoeuvre, the owner appointed a regional politician as managing director – agreements that had been in place with the duo up to that point expired at a stroke.
The rift became inevitable: Dettenweitz Sen., then exactly 50 years old, and son Helmut had to leave. "After a few minutes, I told him that they would have to start their own business," says Aigner, who at the time was himself an entrepreneur with a business and tax consulting firm in Kapfenberg. The purpose of the company was not even discussed. Aigner: "Heli lived and breathed metal processing. There were no ifs and buts about it."
Founding Team
The mood of crisis gave way from minute to minute – and made room for new visions and big ideas: The frequency of meetings in the wine cellar increased, as did the number of participants in the mostly nightly exchange of ideas. Whether alcohol had been involved? "You have to assume that," Aigner says.
Not without a smile. Nevertheless, there can be no question of a snap idea: Dettenweitz's visionary power was particularly infectious - when former colleagues and friends heard about the new ambitions, they spontaneously signed up. The result: the duo quickly became a founding six. Dettenweitz Sr. and Helmut Dettenweiz Jr. brought Clemens Pichler, Herbert Zettl, Hannes Schrittwieser and Fritz Neuherz into the founding team. Aigner remained loyal to tax and business consulting, but was heavily involved in the initial budgeted balance sheets and in the preparation of the business plan. "There were friends at the table at the time, not strangers," explains Aigner.
Secrecy
The plans concocted in Aigner's wine cellar didn't leave it. Secrecy was even agreed upon with wives and partners. "Otherwise, the project would have been doomed before it even began," laughs Aigner. The families weren't informed until the company was officially founded – not an easy undertaking, after all, "employees suddenly became entrepreneurs – and that was certainly one of the biggest hurdles. Because that takes an extreme amount of courage," emphasises Aigner. Demonstrating a great will to change wasn't the only hurdle: At that time, unlike today, venture capital for high-tech start-ups was nowhere to be found.
Therefore, the founders pooled their resources to buy land, buildings, and machinery. Each of the sextet contributed 200,000 shillings – a total of around 87,000 euros. The basis for the purchase was the former premises of a regional sawmill, with the rest of the funding provided by Raiffeisenlandesbank in Graz. Was the current location ever in doubt? "Of course. There were intense discussions about whether we shouldn't relocate the company elsewhere. But we ultimately agreed to stay here. After all, we wanted our commitment to benefit the region," explains Aigner.
First orders
The first hall was built on the greenfield site. It was self-managed by the shareholders themselves. In addition to the unbridled ambition of the founders, the expertise of Dettenweitz Sen. in particular helped the company secure its first orders. "He had always been rooted in the industry and knew exactly what he was doing. All the others were also real experts in their field," explains Aigner.
Just one year after its foundation, the HELDECO team had eleven employees, and in 1992 the company already had a turnover of around ten million shillings (726,000 euros). Again one year later HELDECO was awarded as "Young Company of the Year". HELDECO's run of success could no longer be slowed down: "What has been achieved is really something special," emphasises Aigner. Indeed: Since its foundation, HELDECO has grown to 60 employees, is undisputedly one of the innovation pioneers in Central European metal processing - and serves "global players" around the globe: material for the next historic company chapters.
