No compromises when it comes to safety

Stuttgart In the current multiple crisis in the world, Dekra, the world’s largest non-listed auditing company in the expert field, is proving to be robust overall. Yes, the external environment is volatile and uncertain, says new Dekra boss Stanislaw Zurkiewicz.

But in a first interview after taking office, he is confident to the Handelsblatt: “I don’t have a crystal ball, but after our sales have grown in the first half of the year, we are moving according to plan.” For the year as a whole, the group expects a sales increase of five percent.

Zurkiewicz intends to stick to the previous forecast despite shrinking global economic growth, disruptions in supply chains, a shortage of raw materials and high energy prices. “You can’t make any compromises when it comes to safety,” the top manager explains

Entry in April was not easy for the new CEO. The increasing economic crisis also put pressure on Dekra’s profitability.

His predecessor Stefan Kölbl, who now heads the supervisory board, only put the expert organization back on course for growth in 2021. The net profit rose by 50 percent to 141.5 million euros. Sales increased by around eleven percent to 3.5 billion euros in 2021.

Internationalization is on the agenda

In 2020, for the first time in 16 years, sales did not increase, but fell by 6.5 percent to 3.2 billion euros. “Inflation is eating away at our margin. We cannot pass all of the higher costs on to the customer,” the 43-year-old admits.

Stan Zurkiewicz

The new Dekra boss relies on the business of digital security.

(Photo: obs)

But the group also benefits from the fact that many parts of the testing business are based on legal requirements in the individual regions and countries. That is why Dekra’s business is not so heavily dependent on the economic cycle.

When the native Pole, who worked for Dekra in Asia for 15 years and is still diligently taking German courses, was appointed to the head of the testing group five months ago, it came as a surprise to many at first glance. “As I’m not German and have spent most of my professional life in Asia, I realize that I’m an unconventional choice,” says Zurkiewicz.

“But the Supervisory Board made this decision very consciously. The point is that Dekra, as the fourth largest testing and certification organization in the world, has to think more globally.”

A third of the Group’s turnover is attributable to vehicle testing

Zurkiewicz’s words are a signal both internally and externally that the Stuttgart-based company will internationalize its business even more. Vehicle testing, which accounts for a good third of the Group’s sales, is also to be expanded. “With the recent entry into Costa Rica, Dekra now has more than 30 million vehicle inspections worldwide for the first time. We are the world leader by a wide margin,” he says.

>> Read here: The e-car bazaar – How business people take advantage of the environmental bonus en masse

Due to the tightening of the emission standards, the top manager sees an even greater importance of the emission tests in the short to medium term. “But it is clear that in the long term this part will decrease significantly with the increase in electromobility.”

But the CEO is convinced that electric cars will add many additional tasks and safety issues, for example due to the high voltage. Other technologies such as fuel cells or hydrogen engines in commercial vehicles also promise new business for Dekra.

Particulate matter measuring station

Due to the tightening of the emission standards, the top manager sees an even greater importance of the emission tests in the short to medium term.

(Photo: imago/photothek)

However, access to vehicle data is hotly debated with car manufacturers, especially when it comes to autonomous driving functions and their updates. “The more driver functions the car takes on, the more precisely the systems have to be checked,” says the man, whom Dekra only calls Stan for short. With the Lausitzring, Dekra has had unique test opportunities for autonomous driving functions for five years.

The need for security grows

The new boss makes it clear that the need for security is changing rapidly worldwide. The reasons for this include the increasing networking of products and systems and climate change. “We have sharpened our strategic positioning and supplemented our Strategy 2025 with the core topics of digital security and sustainability in addition to classic security,” said Zurkiewicz.

electric cars

But the CEO is convinced that electric cars will mean many additional tasks and safety issues.

(Photo: dpa)

One of the reasons for this is that from 2024 onwards, companies will be obliged to account for their sustainability criteria. This promises additional business in testing and certification.

In addition, Dekra is benefiting from the renaissance of nuclear power. Although Dekra does not inspect German nuclear power plants, the Stuttgart-based company is the market leader in Scandinavia in this segment and, according to Zurkiewicz, in Europe outside Germany its position is “very strong.”

“Nuclear power is playing a role again worldwide, precisely because of the climate targets, and is a growth market. This is where we at Dekra have very strong expertise.” Zurkiewicz sees far larger markets in green energy generation, both in the maintenance of wind and solar systems and in the testing and certification of components.

It therefore seems logical that Dekra will remain a job engine under the new boss: “This year we have already hired 600 people and we are still looking for qualified personnel, especially in the areas of sustainability, cyber security, AI and mobility of the future, in which the demand for our services is growing very rapidly.”

>> Read here: Why the Chinese electric car manufacturer Nio is venturing into the German market

The temporary work division, with which Dekra turned over around 400 million euros, has also grown by 20 percent this year. “In logistics, among other things, the supply chain bottlenecks or the increase in electronic commerce mean that companies’ demand for personnel is extremely high,” says the Dekra boss.

As a cosmopolitan, the Dekra boss wants to “build bridges”

The extreme amateur athlete is not lacking in assertiveness and stamina: the manager has a black belt in both judo and taekwondo. He also takes part in ultramarathons with distances of more than 100 kilometers.

“You shouldn’t overestimate my athletic qualities, but the self-control and discipline that I’ve developed over the years have also helped me in my job,” said Zurkiewicz. At the age of 20 he left Poland alone “out of a thirst for adventure”, studied in Scotland and began his career in Asia.

As a cosmopolitan, he is open to other cultures and perspectives. “Many of the challenges we are all facing are global and can only be solved together,” he is convinced. “In view of the geopolitical fragmentation and the drifting apart between the USA and China, it is important to build bridges.”

>> Read here: What the main inspection and emissions test at TÜV 2022 cost

In his own four walls, he also works on it on a small scale. But his wife, a Chinese, with whom he moved to Stuttgart 18 months ago, still doesn’t really like the Swabian pretzels and Maultaschen.

More: Dekra gets a new boss

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