News / Topseller International success with ergonomic workplaces
VS-Tannheim (bz) Even several different sources and a highly motivated staff – for Ralf Weniger of BZ Plankenhorn in Tannheim the success story of his company is obvious. And the success is measurable: “Already now we record the whole last year’s turnover.”
The designer and manufacturer of height adjustable stand-/sit workplaces with customers all over Europe has survived safe with this strategy also in this difficult economic environment. The reason are increasing large projects where BZ Plankenhorn could win against international competitors. So recently a project with about 4000 workplaces for the Federal Ministry of the Interior in Berlin has been finished.
Last but not least due to a minimum production depth – standard components are purchased at minimum cost – BZ Plankenhorn is able to convince always new customers by high quality and a satisfying value for money.
The Plankenhorn family founded the company in 1948 in Spaichingen as “Büro- und Zeichentechnik (BZ) GmbH”. The main business at that time were school desks and furniture for technical offices.
With the Olympic Games 1972 in Munich and the Daimler Benz Group they could present well-known references already at that time.
Ralf Weniger who had studied Business Economics on the Dual Academy in Schwenningen, came into contact with Plankenhorn in the 90’s, with the result that end of 1998 he gained the rights on the furniture line and immediately designed a new office furniture programme.
“An unbelievable fascinating time”, he is looking back. It was clear that he had to find a new location which he found in summer 1999 with the former branch of the company Kuno Moser in Unterkirnach, on the village boundary of Tannheim. On 7.500 sqm. – of which 2.600 sqm. are for production – the team manufactures not only products for the above mentioned project business out of 35.000 different technical and colour options. Also the LIBERO and SENZA series for the office furniture retailers are produced here, and an additional corner on the market is served with drawing cabinets.
Even as “world market leader” Ralf Weniger can call himself with his ergonomic individual watchmaking desks. To have acquired the exclusive watch manufactory Vacheron Constantin located in Geneva as top customer in 2005, this meant the highest “accolade” for BZ Plankenhorn in this especially superior business sector.
Recently two more exclusive watch manufactories could be won as customer – IWC in Schaffhausen and A. Lange & Söhne in the Saxon village of Glashütte. “Here we concentrate all our knowhow”, Mr. Weniger says proudly.
However, there is one urgent problem which the successful businessman wants to get solved:
A fast internet access which is still missing in Tannheim. This makes the location more and more unattractive. The internet access which is available on the domicile is working so slow that modern andsophisticated computer applications as their own website cannot be used properly. A well-known problem in Tannheim which develops increasingly to a serious commercial disadvantage of the location. “If this will not be realised, we obstruct our own future and the future of the next generation”, he estimated.
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