CHAIRMAN OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD OF L.I.T. AG WE WANT TO GROW QUALITATIVELY AND QUANTITATIVELY
INTERVIEW WITH FOKKE FELS | CHAIRMAN OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD OF L.I.T. AG
WE WANT TO GROW QUALITATIVELYAND QUANTITATIVELY
IN 2018, L.I.T. CELEBRATED ITS 30TH COMPANY ANNIVERSARY. REASON ENOUGH TO ASK FOKKE FELS ABOUT THE BEGINNINGS AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE L.I.T. GROUP
The goal was to be independent in order to achieve something in the logistics sector. Above all, I strived for freedom. At the beginning, there were three of us: Dieter Lauschke, Roland Schiefke, and myself. Roland Schiefke was our IT specialist, representing the 'I' in the company name. Each founder represented a letter with their activity. I took over the logistics part and Lauschke the transport, which resulted in L.I.T. From the very beginning, we were enthusiastic and successful, even though we entered a completely saturated market. German reunification gave us an incredible push and reordered the market – which played into our hands. I have never really regretted it – occasionally in the evening, but in the morning it is different again (laughs). The feeling of freedom always prevails in doubt.
For myself, I see it in the ambition not to stand still and to grow qualitatively and quantitatively. For me, standing still means being left behind. If we orient ourselves to this approach, we are also innovative. Innovation can be very diverse – we must also sometimes be 'change managers'. However, we also want to be a good and reliable employer. If we seriously want to achieve this, we must always be at the forefront, which means creating new jobs through innovations.
Where do you see L.I.T. in ten years?
We want to be free and independent, not driven. 15 to 20 years ago, the credo was: the successful freight forwarder is one who does not own their own vehicles; one should operate 'asset-light'. We deliberately did not do that. Safety is our top priority. Therefore, we have taken a different path and will continue to do so. When faced with the decision 'make or buy', we tend towards 'make'. Always with the underlying thought that we want to achieve security – hence the expansion of business areas, such as in Personnel Logistics. Profit optimization and specialization are good when things are going well; if not, they are a disaster. We want to be broadly positioned. The underlying idea is independence. Through our growth in the last five years, we have built up a good buffer, so we can stay ahead and the sharks in the industry cannot easily get to us. Should the market change due to recession, mergers can abruptly change the situation. We must maintain the pace and continue to do things that suit us. The market will become more manageable in ten years, so I say: in ten years, we will be a leading, medium-sized transport and logistics company in Europe, no longer just in Germany.
Are there competitors from whom we can learn something?
We must constantly look out for good ideas that we can use for ourselves. We should never be so arrogant as to rest on our laurels. There is always someone who comes up with new solutions. We then examine to what extent they can also be something for us.
What are your three most important personal values?
Reliability, frugality, innovative strength. At its core, I associate frugality with spending money correctly. For me, it is a conscious handling of money. The frugality that we must live in the company can also mean spending 1,000 Euros more if the long-term return or yield is given.