Stern-Wywiol Gruppe Reports Double-Digit Growth in 2010

Torsten Wywiol takes over the management of the family business – investments in applications research, production and international expansion will ensure future growth

5/6/2011 --- The Stern-Wywiol Gruppe in Hamburg achieved a two-digit growth rate again in 2010 and increased the consolidated turnover of its affiliates to 270 million EUR as compared to 223 million EUR in 2009. The course has been set for continuing the successful development of the family business based in Hamburg. Torsten Wywiol (45), son of the founder Volkmar Wywiol, took over the management of the group on 1 January 2011.

Under the umbrella of the Stern-Wywiol Gruppe, eleven independent companies with a high degree of specialization develop, produce and market functional ingredients for food and animal nutrition. Established by Volkmar Wywiol 30 years ago as a one-man business, the group of companies has grown to become one of the leading specialists in the global ingredients market, with over 650 employees.

Torsten Wywiol took over chairmanship of the board at the turn of the year. He joined the group over ten years ago as managing director of the affiliate Herza Schokolade in Norderstedt. For three years he has managed the business of the holding company together with his father. “With this handover we have achieved a smooth generation change and created the basis for a successful future as a family business,” says Volkmar Wywiol, who will remain on the board and continue to accompany the group’s operations.

A critical success factor in global competition in the ingredients field is the ability to react fast to changing market conditions with innovative products and services. The Stern-Wywiol Gruppe has been able to do this above all because of its special corporate structure. Eleven independent German companies, each with a high degree of specialization, focus on specific industries with tailor-made services and closeness to the customer. Thanks to interdisciplinary cooperation, the individual units have excellent potential for innovation in their own segments. The heart of the group is the Technology Centre in Ahrensburg, near Hamburg, where extensive applications development work is carried out in a total of eleven laboratories. In 2011 Torsten Wywiol intends to invest over five million EUR in enlarging the Technology Centre and a further ten million EUR in production plant at the SternMaid facility in Wittenburg (Mecklenburg-West Pomerania). “With better pilot plant in our testing laboratories we shall be able to enhance convenience food still further with tailor-made functional systems. Many of our customers do not have such a wide range of applications technology of their own, and that makes us interesting as sparring partners”, Torsten Wywiol explains.

The group exports over 80 percent of its products and is therefore firmly established internationally on a broad basis. In order to advise customers in 110 countries at present and supply them with individual solutions, the company runs foreign affiliates of its own in Russia, Mexico, Singapore, Malaysia, India and China. Yet another branch opened in Brazil at the end of 2010. Torsten Wywiol intends to push ahead with this development with further investments, partnerships and new companies.