Building the future from tradition

What the company's 150 years mean to her, what she would talk about with the founding father today and more. CEO Katharina Lehmann talks about responsibility, investments, new opportunities - and the future.

We Love Future - what does the anniversary claim mean to you?

KATHARINA LEHMANN ‘During the anniversary preparations, I often found myself thinking about the past. That's an unusual perspective for me personally. We look back, but also forward: to the potential and possibilities of wood, our company and our activities in the future. We want to actively tackle the future.’

Blumer Lehmann is celebrating its 150th anniversary - how does that make you feel?

KATHARINA LEHMANN ‘I feel equally committed to the past and the future and am simply very grateful for the anniversary. For the fact that we as a company can celebrate this birthday and continue to write this long history thanks to our customers and dedicated employees.’

If you could invite the founding father back to the present day for a day - what would you like to show him or ask him?

KATHARINA LEHMANN ‘Could you have imagined back then what is possible with wood?’
In fact, when we were preparing our company history, we asked ourselves when the wooden waterwheel was shut down and electrification was introduced. That was in 1925, 100 years ago.
In this context, I would like to show him what industrialisation means: from 10 kVA output in 1925 to 13,350 kVA and six transformer stations today.’

«I would ask our founding father: Could you have imagined what is possible with wood?»

What principles and values of the generations before you have you retained?

KATHARINA LEHMANN ‘The long-term thinking, the familiar and personal approach and the certainty that the ideas, suggestions and ambitions of the employees and the challenges of the customers are the recipe for success. And, of course, the great appreciation and passion for wood as a material.’

In what ways have you implemented your own ideas in the company?

KATHARINA LEHMANN ‘Many of our innovations arose from market or customer needs. During my time at the company, the perception of wood has changed significantly - in terms of technology, standards and as a sustainable building material. I have actively worked on further developing timber construction internationally and finding solutions beyond Swiss borders’

What gives you sleepless nights?

KATHARINA LEHMANN ‘The stability of our company, strategic decisions and the responsibility for our employees. I often ask myself: is a risk unnecessary or can it open up new opportunities? How does a logical consequence differ from a risk? These questions and the long-term stability of our organisation for future challenges or growth sometimes keep me awake at night.’

Which project have you wanted to realise for a long time and why?

KATHARINA LEHMANN ‘We are currently fulfilling two long-cherished dreams with the new construction of our headquarters and the gluing plant. While we have already moved into the new office building, we have yet to realise the gluing of glulam and cross-laminated timber.
My greatest wish is that we can supply many new customers, especially timber construction companies, with our new wood industry products.
One of my favourite projects is opening up our training workshop to people with disabilities. Social sustainability means taking responsibility and creating prospects.
I want us to give people with special needs a chance. 
I would also like to see exciting new projects - a multi-storey car park or an airport terminal made of wood would be a great challenge.’

What drives innovation and motivation at Blumer Lehmann?

KATHARINA LEHMANN ‘Our fascination with wood remains our greatest driving force. It offers enormous potential and constantly inspires us to find new solutions. That's why we actively seek dialogue with research and educational institutions in Switzerland and internationally.
We observe the market, learn from our competitors and frequently work together with them - whether as a supplier, partner or in joint timber construction projects. Because only together can the timber industry make its contribution to a decarbonised construction industry.’

«I would like to open up our training workshop to people with disabilities and give them a real chance.»

Blumer Lehmann has invested heavily in the future. What new strengths has the company gained as a result and why?

KATHARINA LEHMANN ‘We have expanded our production capacities in timber construction, bundled processes and created the basis for further automation. We will be able to work even more efficiently in future, particularly with floor and ceiling elements.
Bringing our teams together at our headquarters strengthens cross-divisional collaboration and optimises the entire value chain - always with an eye on developments in timber construction and the timber industry.’

Do the investments and new opportunities also mean new markets?

KATHARINA LEHMANN ‘First and foremost, we are improving our processes, increasing capacity and expanding our product range. This allows us to realise larger timber construction projects and produce more modules. At the same time, we have improved the infrastructure for our apprentices and optimised the work processes for our assembly specialists. Our aim is to deepen existing customer relationships and acquire new customers in our current markets.’

And what comes next after the infrastructure expansion, process optimisation and Academy?

KATHARINA LEHMANN ‘We'll see. In any case, we want to use the Erlenhof as a training centre and source of inspiration for ourselves, but also for our customers, partners, suppliers and subcontractors, and further intensify our partnership-based collaboration. This also has its place in the concept of our Academy.’

How can the family culture and cooperation within the company be maintained despite growth and expansion abroad?

KATHARINA LEHMANN ‘Culture is created between people. It is the responsibility of our managers to cultivate a family atmosphere, to exemplify our values and to value our employees. They must challenge and encourage, organise and control - always balancing flexibility and stability, tradition and innovation and accepting individual strengths and weaknesses.’

Blumer Lehmann is one of the pacemakers in timber construction and drives development itself. Is it fast enough for you?

KATHARINA LEHMANN ‘Our divisions are certainly developing fast enough in total and in interaction! However, I realise that we as a timber industry have forgotten how to tackle the right and important issues and work on our future framework conditions in a concentrated and focused manner. And as a construction industry as a whole, we are still sluggish and not very innovative. I would like to see more speed of implementation and passion in the future - especially in a customer-friendly and bundled, efficient energy concept for buildings.’

What is your vision of a timber industry that Blumer Lehmann is getting closer to?

KATHARINA LEHMANN ‘We work with a raw material that grows on our doorstep in almost every country in the world and sequesters, stores and substitutes CO2.
Our vision is a value chain in which nothing is lost: round timber arrives, is processed and in the end all that remains is energy, which is transported away in the power line. At the same time, timber construction continues to develop - technologically and as part of the cities. I am delighted that the forestry and timber industry is increasingly being understood as an overall system and that its potential is being recognised more and more.’

«Our vision is a value chain in which nothing is lost: round timber arrives, is processed and what remains is converted into energy.»