crucial roles from the Körchower Waldweg

08.04.2011

She's been mixing for 20 years Förderelemente Mecklenburg GmbH in the global roller market.

Körchow - When the Kröpeliner Thomas Schuster talks about his roles at a business party at the society “Zum Raben”, he mainly talks about steel, aluminum and plastic. The 57 year old managing director founded Förderelemente Mecklenburg GmbH on November 29th 1991 together with his former engineering colleague from the Rostock Neptun shipyard, Bernd Lehmann, and five men from the LPG "German-Soviet Friendship" on Waldweg in Körchow.

Today, 35 employees produce and distribute transport rollers for general cargo and bulk material as well as support rollers. Although their ever first order was for Schwerin, the rolers now travel from Körchow accross Europe as well as to America, Africa and Asia. Because FMG delivers to intermediaries or plant manufacturers among others, who then delight the consumer with Körchow's products. They go to supermarkets, airports, breweries, gravel conveyors and agricultural companies. Deliveries are made directly from Körchow to Hungary, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Sweden. “We have a lot to do and need to build every roller that is needed. You can't miss us, ”says managing director Thomas Schuster confidently. He moved with the family from Rostock to Kröpelin long before the Berlin Wall came down.

The former repair shipyard technologist then worked here as an energetic specialist in the local LPG. In addition, he was chairman of the internal audit commission. The chief controller, you might say. After the reunification, Thomas Schuster found work at a roller maker in the Ruhr region. There he practically “got to know” the new field of employment for a year and a half. His former shipyard colleague also went to the far west some three months later to study making rolers. Then the two men set up their own business with the machinery and know-how support from their previous employers. "That was a good decision," says managing director Bernd Lehmann looking back.

What was initially also thought of by the partners as a branch quickly developed into its own roles. Even with technologies that we have figured out ourselves. Quite a few farms in the region were soon looking for replacement rollers for the old GDR conveyor belts, for example. Körchow promptly provided supplies.

FMG seems to be well connected to the surrounding area in general. The company supports the youth sport of the Kröpeliner SV, the local school club, the KKV 81, the Schmadebecker Dorfrockfestival, the ice hockey bears and the sailing club Kühlungsborn. “As a child, I sailed in a Rostock company sports club, supported by the large shipyards. Nowadays, other companies have to take action if children and young people are supposed to do something similar, ”says the father of the family, explaining the company's commitment in this area. But there is also a network of the surrounding area in other areas: two employees from the Kröpelin workshops come to work in Körchow every day - a handicapped-accessible assembly machine is waiting for them here. "And we pay a lot of business tax at the office in Neubukow," throws in Thomas Schuster. Therefore, he does not understand that the municipality of Biendorf, to which Körchow belongs, does not support FMG. You don't feel that there is a community for this company too, they say. Nonetheless, the trio of managing directors is looking confidently to the future. "It is important that we have a plan for the future," says Thomas Schuster, justifying the fact that he asked his daughter Anja a good two years ago to break off her career as an Ospa branch manager in Warnemünde and Rostock-Lichtenhagen the Körchower company management to come. Your father says: "Carrying on is an important point!"

From Thomas Hoppe | Newspaper: Ostseezeitung