Edmond Finkenauer, a regional vice president of international sales of the German company MKN, which produces high quality kitchen appliances, visited us last year in December.  Edmond was impressed by our new headquarters and congratulated. He concluded that Coninvest is also going through major changes after such a structural development. Edmond has been working for MKN for 27 years and we had the opportunity to talk with him about the changes and transformations that have taken place at MKN during this time.

The name MKN comes from the words Maschinenfabrik Kurt Neubauer. The company was founded 77 years ago by Mr Kurt Neubauer.  MKN is a family owned business and belongs today to the children and grandchildren of Mr Neubauer. The company is managed by a professional management as the family is not directly involved in the business.
Over the last years MKN went through a huge transformation process.  The company changed from a „craft business“ to a modern industrial company using the latest production technologies. Huge investments have been done in state of the art production technologies – the new factory in Wolfenbüttel went into operation by last year only. Likewise MKN is investing continiously into innovative premium cooking technologies like the MKN FlexiCombi and the FlexiChef.
When Edmond joined the company, MKN was a different company. The company had at this time about 200 employees and the business was focussed mainly in Germany and the surrounding countries. The export share was low during these days. Today MKN is a global player with about 550 employees and 60 – 65 % of MKN´s products are exported to all continents.
Edmond told us that when he entered the company, the factory could be compared to a manufactory. “The customer called me, said something, I went down to the production line and discussed it with my colleagues and the matter was taken care of. This is not the case today! We have robotic automatic lines and if anything needs to be changed, a process has to be started. But there is no other way to handle our volume.”
Edmond Finkenauer went for the first time to Middle East, Asia, China and many other countries to represent the company. I asked him what brought about the breakthrough success in these regions at that time and he told us that 25-30 years ago it was very common for international 5-star hotel chains to have Corporate and Executive Chefs from German, Austria or Switzerland in Asia and Middle East. During these times the organizational and economic skills of these chefs were unbeatable. The german-speaking chefs naturally knew MKN’s quality and reliability and demanded the same standard as in theire home countries. Today, this situation has changed, because in the meantime new generations of local chefs have grown up in these regions, who have already received the appropriate training and, not infrequently, were brought up under the wings of a German, Swiss, or Austrian chef. They also carry on their faith in quality catering equipment.
Since that the export business of MKN was growing fast and steadily. Edmond loves travelling, so it was not difficult for him to spend most of his time abroad. He has been to 90 countries around the world. He also likes to travel in his free time, mainly with the motorbike.
As the orders came in and the markets opened up, the export department was growing as well. To fulfill the increasing demand and to offer the customers a good service, potential regions had been re-organised for a better local focus. Beside the traditional business in the hotel and restaurant segment MKN today is also very successful in the segments of institutional kitchens, catering facilities, production kitchens and key accounts. Fortunately, he really likes Eastern Europe, the CIS region, the Baltics and Asia, so we have been working with him for almost 20 years. Not only new countries, but also new segments, like for example marine business, were among his tasks.
In addition to the horizontal thermal kitchen appliances and cooking islands, a major breakthrough in MKN’s life was the development of its own combi steamer (MKN FlexiCombi) and the FlexiChef, a multifunctional cooking appliance. Both appliances are a great success for MKN and the 3rd generations are already in development. The MKN company is the main sponsor of the international IKA Chef Olympiad. The world final will be held at the Intergastra Exhibition in Stuttgart, which will last from February 2-7, 2024, which is worth a visit.
I asked Edmond how he feels when he looks back on his many years with MKN. He  said it makes him happy to see the great development of the company itself and the development in the international business. He notes with proud that several markets where he first knocked on the door are now thriving and are integral parts of MKN’s order book. He is also thankful to MKN to have been part of this incredible journey and the opportunities offered to him.