Arburg’s Tobias Baur on leadership, innovation and the future of plastics

Around 20 years into a career at machine tool and laser maker Trumpf SE + Co. KG, Ditzingen, Germany, Tobias Baur made a change that’s brought him fully into the world of plastics. Since joining injection molding machinery maker Arburg GmbH + Co. KG last fall, he’s found a family atmosphere like Trumpf’s, where long-term success and customer needs are the focus. 

In an interview in September with senior staff reporter Karen Hanna, Baur, the managing director of sales and after-sales for Arburg, was looking back on his career at Trumpf and forward to the K show. He also reflected on the most recent title he added to his resume over the summer — president of Euromap, the organization that represents about 500 European plastics and rubber equipment makers. 

What led you to your current job? 

Baur: I was contacted a little bit more than one year ago by Arburg, a well-known company here in the region. I was more than 20 years with Trumpf. Arburg is a family-owned company, good reputation, also very technical, with a good market position. That’s why I joined.

What had led you to Trumpf? 

Baur: Trumpf is, internationally, a large company, perhaps the best known and most innovative machine tool company. They are a very technology-oriented, very innovative company. After completing my studies — I did several studies technically, but also law and business studies — I had a chance to join Trumpf in 2003 as an executive assistant. It just was a good chance. It was a very good time; I’m really grateful. I collected experience in the service business, technical service, but also in sales, product management, marketing, also saw time in R&D. 

How does your experience with Trumpf inform your experience with Arburg?  

Baur: I would say the challenges we have in this industry are similar in sales and service. We are also at Arburg very customer-oriented. We are very close to the customers. We are a solution provider; this is very similar to Trumpf. We are really looking for the technical or process solution for our customers. The challenges we have in sales, in service, this is my field of responsibility. I can bring experience with me in the machine tool business; it’s about making the company, or really keeping them, fit for the future. This is what we are doing here. It’s a lot about processes, digitalization, but also customer processes, being close to the customers, having good technical consultants for our customers. As a solution provider, we have to develop, together with the customers, the right processes for them and the right solutions to make the customer successful. [We] are making customers successful; then you also will be successful, for sure, as a company. This is what is really similar to these two businesses. 

What are some of the challenges Arburg is currently facing, and what’s being done to overcome them? 

Baur: I would say the big challenge is international business, which is quite segmented, in different industries with different sizes, different applications. To stay competitive, you have to prepare yourself, and this means to prepare the company internationally, to have the right setup in all the regions, not only in Europe, [the] Americas — there are similarities, but also local challenges — and in Asia. What we have to do is to prepare our organization, the setup and our products. [It] starts with the products, but also with our structure and organization to be flexible, to meet the requirements in the different regions. We have a very good organizational footprint in sales and service all over the world, on a very high level. We will continue this, also, when we talk about production in China or in other countries, bringing the value change to other countries. You have to be agile and flexible to meet these challenges.

How would you characterize business currently for Arburg in the U.S.? 

Baur: The United States is a very important market. We [have] a big focus on the U.S., on the Americas, as well as Mexico [and] Canada. So, for sure, the tariff situation is something that we have to handle. We are positive that we’ll find solutions together with our customers, and we are not sure where this will lead. We are working on this every day, and we have a good company setup that we also can try to meet these challenges. This is influencing our business, not positively, but I would say, due to our structure, we try to do our best to deal with this. This will not be this calm, stable world, what we maybe knew from the ’90s or the beginning of this century. All companies, this challenge, we all have to deal with [it], and this will make the difference, if you are able to do it or not. I think we are preparing for this, or we are prepared for this already. We try to do the best for the customers. Customers need us. 

Your background is actually law and marketing. Did you foresee yourself working for these kinds of industrial businesses? 

Baur: I was doing this MBA, here in Germany and in Japan. This led me to the industry — in Germany, the machine tool industry, these mechanical industries, are very strong. I really learned these big advantages of family-owned companies. You have also a very good cultural frame, from the family-owned companies. This was why I joined Trumpf, and now Arburg.

What appeals to you about working for a family-owned company?

Baur: We are long-term-oriented. It’s not short-term profit or success; it’s about long-term technical strategies, long-term customer relations, to develop something successful together with the customers. This is also, I would say, a big part of our solution-provider story, what we can give our customers. Not only selling a machine, it’s about process orientation for different industries, for different customer tasks. This is, from my point of view, a very good business case for us. We invest a lot in our technology centers worldwide. [It is] not only showing a machine, it’s about really showing the process, showing the best solution for the customers, what he needs for his industry, for his customers. This is about his long-term orientation, this stability, but also this really demanding mindset. We have to really be the best in technology, in processes and development.

What do you hope visitors will take away from Arburg's K show stand? 

Baur: It’s by far the most important event. I’m very happy about to show our innovations, our new products. It’s about showing our own potential, what we have, but also meeting the customers, coming into the discussion with the customers, maybe meeting new customers. These talks, I would say, [are] one of the greatest experiences you can have in sales. We’re very positive about this.

Sustainability is one of the most important topics, especially in the plastic industry. Arburg has a strong history in sustainability long before it was so popular. What does sustainability [mean] for our machines? We are improving our machines in the direction of more sustainability, how to use the right machine materials. What are the materials of the future? Such topics, we want to address. Besides the economic aspects for our customers, we see this interest for sustainable approaches, technology, materials.

You also serve as the Euromap president. What’s your role there? 

Baur: This new function I have just started some months ago, closely linked to what we are already doing together with VDMA. I was asked to do this. First of all, it’s about building alliances between the different associations. We have to bring the interests of different plastic sectors, industries, countries together. I would say this is a link to politics. It’s bringing the different aspects and ideas together and bringing into politics, really working for the industry. It’s for sure [in the] interests of Arburg, but it’s not about taking on something directly for Arburg. It’s about a lot of things, like bringing market data better together, [trying] to bring different parts of the plastic industry together. What’s very important with Euromap is [working] on international standardization. This is also an important aspect for the machine industry — developing standards like [the] interface, OPC-UA, these kind of standardization topics are very important for us and our customers.

Why was it important for you personally to take on that role? 

Baur: I would say it’s really part of our responsibility. We are bringing industry together, also other companies. This is what we really try to do now on technical topics, maybe also some political topics [and] networking. 

What’s your vision for Arburg? 

Baur: We stay really entrepreneurial, we stay ahead in what we are doing, our customer-oriented processes and technology. What we are doing, working together on this international footprint, continuing this work, staying fit for the future with this wonderful, family-owned company. This is what we are really working on, and this is my vision. Staying independent, that is also important for us.

What advice would you give to someone who’s coming up in a path similar to your own? 

Baur: Plastic is a wonderful industry. I really promote, motivate everyone to come to the plastics industry. What I really recommend: Be curious, really active, [have] courage to change things, keeping ahead, thinking of, what can we improve? What can we do better? Sometimes, [you will] experience that not all is working out, that all your ideas are not working out. It’s not all positive, but working on these topics will make your company successful. 

What do you like about working the plastics industry? 

Baur: There are so many aspects, so many applications. There will be no world without plastics. The possibilities are a really big range. We have really always to keep this sustainability aspect in mind. It’s a bright field of possibilities. We are visiting everyday customers worldwide, and it’s every day a new thing. It’s really still a modern industry, a field of jobs, with all very good opportunities.

What do you like to do in your spare time? 

Baur: Now it’s becoming almost the winter, I am a really passionate skier. This is what I really love to do on weekends. I have a family, two children. I’m very interested in traveling, [discovering] new countries. I’m very interested in different cultures. As we are close to Stuttgart, I’m also a supporter for our local soccer team. It’s a big range of things I do, traveling, doing some sports, being in the mountains. I’m really passionate for mountains. 

Any favorite places to visit? 

Baur: I [have been in] more than 60 countries in my life, and it’s really difficult to say. I really love the Alps. This is the place where I find the best things: Alps or northern Italy, a wonderful region where we have good food, sun, mountains, lakes. It is my favorite spot to stay with children, but also for mountain activities. This is the nicest region where you have some lakes, mountains, good food and good wine. 

What would you like to leave as your own legacy?  

Baur: Bringing in this entrepreneurial mindset. Leadership, I think it’s all about curiosity; it’s about courage, creative drive, trying out things, changing things and being curious, to develop new things together with the customers. And this is what I really love.