Dear readers and followers of my blog,
quite some time has passed since my latest post here shortly after my “Independence Day” September 1st, 2024, but I can assure You that during these several weeks I have been extremely busy and productive and that lots of wonderful things and decisions have happened since.
Earlier this year, preparing myself for my “retirement” negociated with the VULKAN Group for August 31st, 2024, I took some fundamental decisions with respect to my future professional activities
First of all I decided that 40 years of employeeship for (all of them) 1st class German industrial companies in Europe, North America and South America were enough for me and that I was no longer interested in permanent employeeship for any companies for the future.
Instead of this I would from now on only offer my highly qualified, fully dedicated and absolutely reliable services for any interested companies as service provider through my own interim management & consulting company kfhservices.com.
Secondly I defined that I did never again in my life want to provide my professional services to only one customer at any moment.
And – last not least – I decided, that I did not want to provide only one type of professional services to customers at any moment.
At the first glance this appeared difficult to practice, but during the first talks to serveral potential customers in Brazil and in Germany, it came clear that the companies in general (at least the ones I talked to about this) are much more flexible towards such ideas and even recognize quickly the advantages and opportunities for themselfes. Means, from the beginning these demands were all but “no go`s” in our negotiations.
Important for me to mention something here. I did not look up any company for offering my services. All opportunities arose from contacts by these companies who looked me up by themselfes.
I received a handfull of interesting offers for the supply of different services and about 6 weeks ago I entered final negociations with the German industrial company RINGSPANN (ringspann.com), a globally leading developper and supplier of a wide portfolio of all kinds of mechanical power transmission components like couplings, overload clutches, brakes, freewheels, shaft hub connections and precision clamping fixtures for industrial applications.
Together with Mr. Fabian Maurer, Managing Director, and Mr. Ernst Fritzemeier, Director, at the headquarters and factory of the RINGSPANN Group in Bad Homburg, Germany
And last week RINGSPANN and I have finally signed my service contract, within the which I have been named – on half-day basis – as General Manager, Administrator and Legal Representant of the freshly founded Brazilian subsidiary RINGSPANN do Brasil of the globally acting RINGSPANN Group for an initial period of 3 years.
Small but important detail – RINGSPANN is a global competitor of Vulkan.com, my former employer, when it comes to industrial business.
With full transparency and without any conflict with RINGSPANN and it`s business, fully tolerated by RINGSPANN, I am now negotiating to become also the commercial representant for the one or other German industrial company in Brazil.
In the end all companies involved in these negotiations have understood that this multiple commitment is highly attractive for each of them and enriches my service provision for them.
And besides this – for sure within my remaining free capacity (f.e. during the weekends) – it has clearly been outspoken and confirmed, that I may freely continue all my other business projects and hobbies, like the creation of my series “Aforismos de Klaus”, my virtual community “Tribu do Klaus” and my mentoring & coaching services for individuals.
You see – dreams can come true, if You develop these properly and fight for them. I admit frankly that I am terribly proud about my success in getting all these dreams realized.
I have always during the last 25 years in all my functions as Project Manager, General Manager, Managing Director, CEO and President for several market- and technology leading, globally active German industrial companies of totally different fields of activities (project management for companies producing chemicals, detergents & adhesives, and general management for companies doing cosmetics, automotive – powertrain, automotive – interior, packaging machinery for the food & pharmaceutical industry, heat exchangers for the oil & gas industry and mechanical power transmission components) considered honestly acting, professional competitors as highly appreciated because they keep us awake and make us improve ourselfes and what we are doing constantly.
Seen this way, I am looking forward now in a sporting manner, to measure myself and the company, for which I provide my professional services from now on, with my former employer VULKAN.
And for sure – all my personal friendships with the many of my former employees and colleagues from VULKAN, namely from VULKAN do Brasil (https://www.vulkan.com/en/locations/brazil), will continue unchanged when it comes to our personal relations, but – also for sure – in our professional relationships we altogether have become “frenemies” from now on.
Last tuesday I had the enormous pleasure to participate in the annual AMCHAM Talks innovation & networking event with an own booth of my company KFH Services and I held a speech about my own personal & professional experiences together with my great friends and supporters from the digital marketing agency AMPLIA (amplia.derybr.com.br).
What made me especially happy was that my lovely wife Selma and our two wonderful sons Gabriel and Geywison could spent the whole day together with me at this exciting event in Campinas, Sao Paulo.
Here`s the “movie” which my friends from AMPLIA produced nicely (with the help of AI) from the lots of pictures of the different fases of my life, which I had supplied to them:
I am terribly curious now about Your feedback, comments and questions about this post and our movie.
Here`s some pictures of this beautiful and exciting event:
Our booth
Our team
Our familly
Last not least here the great “Stand by me” in the “playing for change”(https://playingforchange.com/about) project version:
Stand by me – Playing for Change
That`s all for today. I hope You have enjoyed it. See you soon back here again.
