Hammerschmid Maschinenbau

“It was fascinating for me to see how Hans Hammerschmid has showered us with trust in those early years. Only now I understand why he did this,” says Martin Reingruber, one of the two managing directors who took over operational control in 2008. “In my role as the boss I first had to learn to trust my employees. Back then, when I went to school, teachers did not promote this skill.”

A special project of the company illustrates what this culture of trust looks like. The core business consists of traditional B2B contracts with other business customers. A few years ago, the Hammerschmid GmbH started the development of a first retail product: the electric motorcycle “biiista,” which was presented in 2012.

Much of the development originates from a 25-year-old graduate of a technical college, George Hochreiter. He has been an employee of Hammerschmid Engineering GmbH since 2008 and joined the research and development department “biiista” in 2011. Founder Hans Hammerschmid quickly handed the technical conception over to Hochreiter. “Hans has trusted me and gave me the responsibility; it was as if an engine was turned on inside me,” says Hochreiter. “While my friends quickly switch off after work, I often sit at home with paper and pen and draft any ideas I have. I still feel connected to my work, even if I am not at work anymore.”

“You won’t find the artificial distance which was created by the executives of my previous employers, here,” says Pia-Maria Maier, who recently joined the biiista team and handles sales management. “In particular, you can see the difference when mistakes are made. The employee is always shown emphasis and the aim is to learn from this error together.”

The Hammerschmid GmbH focuses on special machines. Not only the electric motorcycle, but every single product is a new development. Therefore, the company needs the creative potential of its employees. 

“Errors are always made, but without mistakes nothing is learned. I trust my employees,” announced Hammerschmid. “For example, you do not need to show me a sickness certificate. If an employee tells me that he is sick, I trust him. A piece of paper from the doctor is unnecessary.”

Through the high level of trust that Hammerschmid has in his staff, he subtly influences their own beliefs. In particular, new or young employees tend to ask, “Am I good enough? Am I am able to do all that?” These little doubts have the power to limit the development of their own potential and to negatively influence their behaviour. Through his faith and belief in his employees, Hans Hammerschmid counteracts those doubts. The phenomenon is well known in resilience research: If somebody else believes in me, I can strengthen my belief in myself, too. The result: People start to develop their potential better and grow beyond themselves.

“After a few years of independence, we noticed how rapidly we developed as human beings. That’s exactly what I want for everyone working for the company,” says Hans Hammerschmid.

Some years ago, an employee had a very sophisticated machine designed; almost every product of Hammerschmid Ltd. is a new design. The customer was delighted and asked after delivery for another, a similar job. On the way home from the client, the responsible engineer jokingly said to Hans Hammerschmid, “I don’t particularly like that.” Naturally, they tried to get the job, but there was a spark of truth in this statement for the simple reason that, already back then, the repetition of an already-existing design was not all that desirable for the enterprise.

“So far we only accepted jobs which we really liked,” says Hammerschmid’s partner, Ludwig Mülleder, who, next to the creative Hans Hammerschmid, likes to take on the role of the deliberate critical sceptic. “I still remember the sleepless nights in the early years. Sometimes I just didn’t know where to get the money for the next salaries.”

“By now I have given up all illusions that you really can plan your revenues,” adds Hammerschmid. “All you can do is ensure that you do your work as well as possible. In the rare case that we have only a few orders, we let our staff deliberate on new ideas and develop things we might need later.”

Personnel and owners leave capital in the company as much as possible. By investing in new ideas and tools, knowledge and experience can be continually developed and experimented with. “The resulting expertise helps to secure future orders. These days most of our customers seek our engineers because of an earlier positive experience or on recommendations.

“Many companies do not see the hidden economic power inherent in young employees. My personal concern is that these people can engage in our business in the best possible way. I am delighted to see the ideas they deliver. I do believe that this person-centred approach pays our company several times over.

“Even if it is strategically sensible, sometimes I have the feeling that the biiista project was launched by the founders for one reason only: for our employees to enjoy and to evolve,” says ex-organizational developer Pia Maria Maier.

The radiance and joy of the workforce seemingly carries over into the creative problem-solving process for new products as well as in the unified appearance to customers. “Personally I do not praise our colleagues explicitly, but our customers tell me many times that our guys are just exceptional,” closes Hans Hammerschmid in a marvelous Upper Austrian accent.