Martin Gane, Managing Director of Hettich Australia, celebrates 10 years with the company this year, so TKBB sat down to talk about his journey in the industry.
Martin’s background is in engineering with a specialisation in material science and he spent the first part of his career in the brick industry. “I still have a lifelong passion for bricks,” he laughs. “All types of bricks!”.
He started his career with Brickworks Ltd, moved to a Spanish company which sold brickmaking equipment, then back to Brickworks for a time, and from there to CSR for a 13-year stint in which he held eight different roles including Export Manager for SE Asia where he oversaw the export of bricks, pavers and roof tiles. From CSR, Martin moved to Boral for two years and, until 2006, everything he’d done was related to making, selling or exporting bricks, roof tiles & masonry.
It was as State Manager for Laminex that Martin had his first exposure to the industry that was to capture his imagination. “It was certainly a very interesting time,” adds Martin. “The GFC hit shortly after I joined Laminex and we were subject to many pressures but I absolutely loved my time at the company and I had the opportunity to take on a number of projects – large and small”.
Moving from Laminex to Hettich was a change in culture and a slight side step in terms of product range but Martin felt very comfortable with Hettich right from the start. “I really love this company,” he explains. “I love the people I work with and for, I love the brand and I feel very connected with what the company represents”.
Hettich is a family business which started in 1888 and is in its fourth generation of family management with Dr Andreas Hettich now the Chairman of the Advisory Board. Martin explains that he feels invigorated by the pragmatic approach Hettich takes to the market and the longer-term vision the company is able to implement. “I have found the company has a very meaningful long-term perspective. Many of our goals are centred around 2030 and beyond,” he says.
Martin describes joining Hettich as becoming part of a family and he marvels at its ability to create that sense of family despite becoming more of an international business every year. He points to the example of the Covid upheaval and how the business recognised each and every employee to say thank you for their dedication during a very difficult time.
As each generation takes the reins of the business, Martin says he can see how the business is going from strength to strength. “I feel the business has really modernised over the last 10 years,” he adds. “We work as a global business and that means everyone has the opportunity to input suggestions for improvement and be heard”.
As part of an international network of Managing Directors, Martin has regular contact with counterparts in Germany, Japan, Korea, China, SE Asia, New Zealand and Ukraine. “I find these relationships very important & extremely rewarding,” he explains.
The last few years, notwithstanding Covid, have seen a number of significant changes and challenges for suppliers within the industry. Martin says one way in which Hettich responds to these challenges is by seeking ways to be more efficient. “We strive to constantly do better,” he says. “Not just with our product range but also with our customer service and access to information. I’m really proud of the work our customer service team has done with digitisation and we now have close to 70% of orders placed digitally”.
He particularly points to a transitional period where Hettich moved from managing its own warehouse to a 3PL arrangement, something he recognises caused disruption. “We made a strategic decision not to implement a price increase for that reason,” he says. “And I’m so grateful to the customers and staff who stood by us and supported us. That says so much about the relationships we’ve been able to establish and the wonderful culture within our team”.
It’s this approach to relationship building that Martin has focussed on as a key part of his role. “I love that someone can take particleboard and MDF and cabinetry hardware, and use those to make a beautiful piece of furniture,” he adds. “We have some very clever people in our industry and I see our role to support more in our industry to be making high-quality, Australian-made products. We can work together to make the industry the best it can be”.
Martin is seeing an increasing gap between quality and poor-quality products. “As the manufacturer of the product, Hettich controls the output and the quality of the end result,” he explains. “We will be around for the long term to service and support the products and that’s important when you consider the lifespan we expect from a renovation”.
When it comes to a unique approach for the Australian market, Martin is quick to point to the broader Hettich values which fit in very well with the Australian psyche. “Hettich worldwide is a strong believer in sustainability in three key areas – people (safety and wellbeing), social (charity and society), and environment (sustainability and eco-friendliness),” he says. Two other key areas of focus are digitisation – using technology to enhance the company’s and the customer’s experience – and brand representation. “I’m proud that Hettich Australia is leading the way in digitisation and brand recognition,” adds Martin. “All of these areas combined make up the Hettich culture and are a key part of our strategic goals”.
Hettich Australia is also able to provide local insights to global strategies. Martin uses the example of the new Outdoor Kitchen range which was a development led by Hettich Australia. “Every country wants a solution for outdoor barbecues and alfresco living,” says Martin. “But Australia had a unique position with the climate and our attitudes towards outdoor entertaining to really make it work. We worked closely with the product managers in Germany to develop a range of stainless-steel hinges and special drawer runners, handles and bins, and now we have some wonderful examples of customers who have been able to utilise the new product range in that environment”.
Martin also points out the increase in interest thanks to the international tours run by Hettich Australia to allow customers to experience the facilities in Germany and develop a greater understanding of the product range. “Every time we bring a group of customers together it creates such an amazing community,” Martin says. “We pride ourselves on the quality of the tours we run, customer networks and the relationships they allow us to create”.
When asked about the future of the industry, Martin points to the immediate challenges with customers relating their inability to find quality staff and recruit apprentices. “There are far fewer cabinet makers today than even just a few years ago,” he says. “The consolidation of some of the smaller players into the bigger businesses has seen the numbers drop”.
Martin would also like to see the industry as a whole emerge from the recent tumultuous years as a stronger entity with a positive future ahead. “It has been problematic for customers to manage the disruption with the engineered stone silica ban but I was happy to see health and safety prioritised and I think suppliers have responded sensibly,” he adds. “We may see fewer cabinet makers in the future and some smaller businesses may need to specialise or find a niche in the market. Local industry will have a job to do to show customers that it’s worth spending money on quality products across the board”.
But Martin certainly sees positivity in both the long and short-term future for the industry. “No one will lobby better for the industry than our industry,” he says. “And Hettich has a commitment to continue to support those who support our industry”.
Hettich Australia’s future plans rest heavily on a continued investment in digital technologies to improve communication and service, as well as a heavy investment in research and development to ensure an ongoing refinement of existing products as well as the launch of new market-leading products.
For more information visit designwithhettich.au/ or web.hettich.com/en-au/home
