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Most things in life don’t pan out exactly how you want them to; however, they do pan out exactly how you need them to.
No-one knows that more than Michael Baitinger. In 1994, when the young German engineer first came into contact with Dürr, he faced an unconventional invitation to collaborate: to join the conveyor department as a freelancer.
“They were interested, so they offered me a project-based collaboration to start with,” he tells The CEO Magazine. “I realized at the time that this was an opportunity to prove myself in the real world.”
“I realized at the time that this was an opportunity to prove myself in the real world.”
Baitinger agreed and, over the next six years, worked hard and proved himself as a model contractor to the company, but also gained irreplaceable frontline experience for his future career.
“In Dürr, there’s always the possibility to search for opportunities and new topics to explore,” he says.
Soon, he was teaching himself tools like AutoCAD and moving to other departments in the company in the process.
He focused on excelling in his role while remaining open to new challenges. Then in 2000, he was offered a fixed-term contract as a layout manager for paint systems. But more than that, he was also given a small team to lead.
“I enjoy solving problems through technology, but even more, I love working with people, developing them, or them developing me,” he says with a smile.
This philosophy propelled him to the position of Senior Manager for Mechanical Engineering in 2008, with responsibility for booths and ovens, with a team of around 40.
By 2015, he was on a plane to assume the position of Engineering Director for Dürr’s subsidiary in Mexico. Three years later he returned to its German headquarters in Bietigheim-Bissingen as the Director of Operations for Plants Services. His three-year overseas experience had broadened his global horizons.
Then, in 2023, he received an invitation to meet with Dürr’s HR head to follow the natural progression in his professional experience.
“They asked me if I wanted to be CEO of Dürr China,” he says.
It was a big decision to make. It came at a time when China’s COVID-19 pandemic control was at its most stringent.
“I would be leading a company far away from Germany with around 1,200 people and complete profit-and-loss responsibility. This was a decision that needed to be carefully evaluated,” he admits.
“Dürr’s engineering strengths and the long-term potential of the Chinese market made me finally accept the challenge.”
The deep knowledge of Dürr’s processes, technologies and global strategy that Baitinger gained over years across various functions now positioned him uniquely to formulate and execute strategy for the critical Chinese market. He embraced the challenge. By August 2023, he had landed in the country for a handover with Reiner Schmid, who had been CEO in China for 20 years.
“Our engineering, our project management and our products are also contributing to international projects.”
Much has changed since Schmid opened up Dürr’s operations in China two decades ago; in particular, the local competition has become stronger.
“The Chinese businesses are closing the gap and they are especially challenging in terms of costs rather than technologies,” Baitinger explains.
That’s why, in parallel to the partnerships with global major customers are the relationships with local partners, the likes of robotic components supplier Shanghai Rongzhile Robot and Shanghai Xinbo Fire-Fighting Equipment Installation. This enables Dürr to gain localized support, strengthen its regional presence and extend its global reach.
Baitinger has been sure to take his time learning Dürr’s local business strategy. In the current on-the-ground economic climate, one he describes as ‘challenging’, he knows right now is the time to look outward toward international opportunities.
“There’s a stagnation in new investments in the local market,” he says. “But fortunately, our engineering, our project management and our products are also contributing to international projects.”
Building on its long-term ‘Local for Local, Local for Global’ strategy, Dürr continues to enhance its local R&D and service capabilities. By leveraging the Shanghai Qingpu Innovation Hub, the company precisely responds to Chinese customers’ demands for flexible production, energy efficiency and carbon neutrality, while also providing support for their production needs.
The profound expertise and technological advantages accumulated in the local market have not only strengthened Dürr China’s own competitiveness, but have also empowered the world. This has driven it to transform from a local implementer into a global enabler of innovation.
Nowadays, Dürr China has become a global systems center, coordinating the South-East Asian market and actively exporting expertise developed in China to the world. This role is exemplified by the company’s collaboration with group branches to execute more than 50 multinational projects across over 20 countries and regions. Among them are projects in Morocco, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Mexico, Korea and South-East Asia.
Such a positioning is allowing the company to rebuff the slump in the Chinese market.
“We really are trying to get a foothold in the international market from our base in China, because we can,” Baitinger explains. “We have first-class products and first-class engineering.”
Another area of current opportunity is supporting the Chinese equipment manufacturers that are taking their first steps into the global market – a place where Dürr’s global footprint gives it a competitive advantage.
As an enterprise with rich international experience, Dürr Group has 141 branches in 33 countries around the world, with a service network covering Europe, South-East Asia, South America and other regions.
“We have a strong entity here in China, but we are also distributed all over the world. We are perfectly prepared to support our customers with our international setup,” he reveals.
Yet Baitinger knows a time is not too far off on the horizon when China will bounce back, so he’s sure to keep a laser-like focus on the ground.
“We’re also focusing on staying competitive in the local market and creating local products for the local market because we are confident that China will come back and we will be well prepared,” he says.
“We’re also focusing on staying competitive in the local market and creating local products for the local market.”
Baitinger foresees that much of the future opportunity will come from the automotive sector, particularly in terms of the personalization people are currently looking for in their cars. Digital painting – essentially printing complete areas of the car surface, even printing pictures – is a trend to follow, and it’s also important to ensure that the team is doing it sustainably.
“We have systems like EcoQPower, where we can really optimize the complete energy consumption in a paint shop,” he confirms.
Given his talent for knowing exactly what he needs to do to put the company in the best position, there’s no doubt that Baitinger was the right person for Dürr’s China operations. It would seem the feeling is mutual.
“I never doubted that Dürr is the right company for me, so I’m happy to be here,” he concludes.
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