With heart and mind – Günther Weber has the answers

Günther Weber, 57, is managing director of the company Flex-Punkt Druckformen GmbH. Founded in Halle/Westphalia in 1994, his company has grown to a business with 50 employees. For 27 years, Flex-Punkt Druckformen GmbH has now been known as a specialist in the packaging industry.

Deeply rooted in Wellingholzhausen, Günther Weber has also brought his company to his hometown in the course of its development.

1. Did you see your professional career ahead of you from the very beginning?
No. When I started my apprenticeship as a repro photographer in 1979, I naturally had no idea that in 2021 I would be an entrepreneur with 50 employees by now.
At the age of 16, I had not yet thought about or planned to ever start my own business.

2. Would you do anything differently today?
On the whole, no. The time management, I would have to rethink that, maybe that should have been arranged a little differently. This mixture of private and professional life is not so easy as a self-employed person. You’re on the ball in your head 24 hours a day. I would try to take more distance in my free time.

3. How did you come to found Flex-Punkt Druckformen GmbH?
After working in a print shop for 15 years, I changed sides and went to a supplier. I worked there for a year as a sales representative and during this time I realized that many things could be done better and more easily. I then forged a plan and looked for and found allies. The actual idea came about over a beer. Together with the then production manager and his deputy, the three of us then set up our own business. That’s how Flex-Punkt Druckformen GmbH got started on July 1, 1994.

4. Was there a business plan?
Of course we had a plan before the start and had an idea that did not exist on the market at that time. The idea was to offer plate mounting as a service, which we still do very successfully today.
We then said to ourselves that if, after half a year, we didn’t make enough money to pay ourselves a reasonable salary, then we would shut the whole thing down again.

5. Is it easier to be the sole managing director?
In terms of decision-making, of course, it’s easier because you don’t have to coordinate with others. So far it has always worked out well, but I do get input from friends and acquaintances and also from a circle of entrepreneurs from time to time on how they would see problems and make decisions. In the end, you make the decision yourself, but a second opinion is never wrong.

6. Who were the first customers? Are they still customers today?
The first customers of the hour were large printers in the food, tobacco, hygiene and medical products industries. All the initial companions are still among our regular customers today.

7. what did the first jobs consist of?
We were a very small company, which initially only produced photopolymer plates. So the technical equipment was only designed to produce this kind of plates. There was no digital plate route at that time, that was via film. We worked with a partner from whom we bought in the repro.
As a trained repro photographer, I went there and talked through the repro, they then implemented it and produced the films.
The first jobs were mainly bottle labels for the beverage industry and also hygiene products.
In some cases, we were also known as “Schnellschussheini” (quick-fire guys), we got the finished films from customers and didn’t have to do any repro at all, just the plates. They would call us in the afternoon and ask if we could make 30-40 more plates. Then we went out and got the films, made the plates overnight and brought them back to the customer in the morning.

8. Since when has Flex-Punkt had a repro department?
In 1996 we bought our first ArtPro license for Mac. We were very proud of that. So in the beginning the department consisted of only one person. Then the repro department was slowly built up, because the investment was also very high at that time. It’s crazy to think that repro is now the largest department with 19 people.

9. What were the first machines?
The first machines were an imagesetter and a washer from DuPont and a dryer – pure equipment for plate production. Then in 1995 came the first Microflex for gluing these plates, because we had the idea of offering something that others don’t do – mounting the plate as a service. It wasn’t until 1998 that we had the first digital laser.

10. What are your leadership principles?
Fairness is very important to me. So is giving my employees a say, listening to opinions and accepting them. On the other hand, my leadership style is also determined.

11. What plays negatively into your leadership style/keeps you from achieving your goals?
Sometimes I am not consistent enough here and there. This can make some decision-making processes take longer, but it has never prevented me from implementing anything. Sometimes it’s also a good thing, because then you sleep on it again and decide it’s the right thing to do.

12. Have your leadership principles changed over time?
Yes, especially in the last 4-5 years they have changed in the sense that I also delegate. I no longer make decisions on my own, and more colleagues share responsibility.

13. What advice would you give to young professionals?
I would advise young professionals in particular to go full throttle when it comes to learning. You shouldn’t rest on your laurels after an apprenticeship, but continue to do what is required today. In other words, do a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, technician’s degree, etc. and try to gain a lot of theoretical experience, but also practical experience. I always think it’s good when people have “gotten their hands dirty”. In my opinion, pure theoreticians have a hard time in everyday life.

14. Is a boss allowed to show weaknesses?
Absolutely. A boss is only human. You have to be able to admit mistakes sometimes. And as I always like to emphasize, “not everything I say has to be right.” For me, admitting one’s mistakes is not a sign of weakness; on the contrary, it’s a sign of strength. No human being makes extra mistakes. By the way, that is also a great strength of Flex-Punkt Druckformen GmbH, admitting mistakes.

15. What is a big difference in working life/world in the past compared to today?
Definitely the time factor. What has changed most is the throughput and speed that technology makes possible. In trying to keep up with this, I think people are also reaching their limits on a massive scale. The flood of information we have today is enormous.
In the repro department, we used to have a week to process three jobs. Today, you get anxious if you don’t have three jobs ready in three hours.
You have to become faster, do more in less time, everything has to be better and the quality has to be top. But the price has to come down. The gap between the two is very wide. The working time models have also changed considerably as a result. We’re on the road here with 37.5 hours, which is already an exception and not very much for today’s times.

16. Would you have thought at the beginning of your self-employment that you would be where you are today?
I never dreamed that I would be where I am now. It was still too far away for that. At the very beginning, we thought that in the future we would have a company with about 10 employees.

17. Where do you see your company in the future?
I see us as a well-positioned service provider in a changing packaging market, among the leaders in terms of technology and quality. The responsibility for Flex-Punkt Druckformen GmbH will then be in younger hands, with a young management team running the company. It was always clear to me to take care of succession planning at an early stage. That’s why I started planning this about 3 years ago.

18. What gets on your nerves (at work)?
When you discuss things that have not been done even after the second or third time. Ignorance gets on my nerves.
Also, it gets on my nerves when there is disorder and dirt.

19. How can you switch off after a stressful day at work?
Cycling or driving a vintage car through the countryside.
Afterwards, I like to sit on the terrace with family and friends with a glass of wine.

20. are you sometimes late?
Yep. So in the last few years, I sometimes take it out here and there.
It used to be a no-go for me. If I had an appointment, I was always there a quarter of an hour before. At work, though, I’m usually on time. If a time is arranged, I’m there.

21. How do you react to criticism?
Calm would be the wrong word. I definitely take it on board and try to implement it.

22. Have you always been able to rely on your gut feeling when making decisions?
90 percent of the time, yes. I also built up the company here according to my gut feeling.