Strong staff growth despite oil price shock

15 new employees taken on by LIQUI MOLY an MÉGUIN in July

Ulm/Saarlouis – Crude oil prices are unlikely to stop rising in the foreseeable future so the tension won’t let up any time soon for LIQUI MOLY and MÉGUIN where procurement costs are concerned. In spite of the adverse conditions, the lubricant specialist is continuing to take on staff: 15 new employees joined the company in July alone, bringing the total up to 430.

In view of the price of $140 per barrel of crude oil and the related negative impact on LIQUI MOLY’s annual result, managing director Ernst Prost is well aware that his strategy is a daring one. The additional personnel costs will add to the extra costs for the current fiscal year, which have already risen by €15 to €20 million.

People power
At the same time, Prost is convinced that this is the way forward: “Problems can only be solved with people. I’m relying on my co-entrepreneurs’ creativity, commitment and love of their work and the company.” The 15 staff were all employed to help the company take control of the crisis, which was caused by raw material costs skyrocketing, and to soften the impact for LIQUI MOLY. Hence Prost swore in his new “comrades-in-arms” with a swearing-in ceremony reminiscent of the inaugural address by former US president John F. Kennedy: “And so, my fellow entrepreneurs: Ask not what your company can do for you – ask what you can do for your company.”

The managing director trusts in the sense of responsibility and cost consciousness of everyone in the company: “We have to keep improving little by little. The last thing I want to make savings on is my people.” He went on to say that once the crisis was over, they would be glad to have a strong team to write plenty more chapters in the company’s success story.

Network of trust
LIQUI MOLY is also on the right track when it comes to communication. “We put our cards on the table and talked about the crisis to the media, our vendors, customers and banks without beating about the bush,” writes Prost. This openness has reaped its own rewards: Banks have spontaneously reduced interest rates, vendors have given higher discounts and additional bonuses and customers are placing special orders and purchasing more articles to increase their product ranges. “The network is bearing up,” emphasizes the company director. “It’s impressive how the supportive community of LIQUI MOLY and business partners works and can be relied on – even at a time like this.”

Weitere Informationen erhalten Sie bei
Meguin GMBH & Co. KG
Mineralölwerke
Tobias Göbbel
Leiter Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
Rodener Str. 25
D-66740 Saarlouis
Fon: +49 (0)731/1420-890
Fax: +49 (0)731/1420-922
Tobias.Goebbel@liqui-moly.de

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