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Editorial note
On 1 April 2026, Jörg Sturm officially took over the role of CEO from Helmut Ahrens. The transition was prepared over several months and represents continuity in the management of STAUFF Germany.
This article is based on an in-depth interview and deliberately differs from our usual blog format. Instead of a continuous editorial text, we have opted for an abridged, curated interview.
Mr Ahrens, you have been working for STAUFF for almost 25 years, with a brief interruption. What excites you about STAUFF as an employer?
Helmut Ahrens:
One important point for me has always been the entrepreneurial stability, because STAUFF is essentially a family-run company. This stability gives employees a lot of room for manoeuvre and strong support at the same time. There is a great deal of trust in people and their ideas, not just at management level, but at all levels of the organisational structure. This characterises us and, in my opinion, is one of the reasons for our success. One requires the other: Freedom enables new ways to position ourselves more broadly, which in turn stabilises the foundation. This mechanism has worked extremely well over the last few decades.
Mr Sturm, you have been with STAUFF since 1 January. How do you experience the corporate culture at STAUFF?
Jörg Sturm:
I can only confirm what Mr Ahrens said. You have a lot of freedom here, if I compare it with my experiences in large corporations, and I already feel like I'm exactly where I should be.
Mr Ahrens, when you look back on your time as CEO: What was the core content of your work for you?
Helmut Ahrens:
For me, the core was always not to see STAUFF as a product company. Of course we sell components, but that doesn't explain why customers work with us. The decisive factor is the application. In other words, the question: How does a system really work for the customer? Where do problems arise? And how can we help before something goes wrong?
That's why we didn't see issues such as oil quality, filtration or monitoring as an add-on early on, but as part of our understanding of quality. This means more effort, more dialogue, more responsibility. But that's exactly where trust comes from. And trust is more important in the long term than any short-term optimisation.
You talk a lot about error prevention. Why do you think this topic is so important?
Helmut Ahrens:
Because mistakes are almost always expensive - and usually not surprising. In many cases, you realise relatively early on that something is going in the wrong direction. If you then only react when parts are being produced or systems are at a standstill, the damage has already been done.
Our approach has always been: let's look earlier. Not in the sense of control, but of support. We want to create framework conditions so that customers can make better decisions - for example through parameters, through sensor technology, through clean design. The responsibility remains with the customer, but we help to reduce risks.
Mr Sturm, you have already said that you came to STAUFF from larger corporate structures. What was your first impression of the company?
Jörg Sturm:
What immediately surprised me was the speed. Things are not endlessly fine-tuned here, but tried out. This also means that you can hide behind processes less. Decisions have quicker consequences - for better or for worse.
I deliberately said that I no longer want a corporate environment. Not because everything is bad there, but because organisation often takes a long time. At STAUFF, I have the feeling that responsibility really lies where the expertise is. That's demanding, but honest.
What specific role do you envisage for yourself in your new role?
Jörg Sturm:
I don't see my role as reorganising everything. The core of STAUFF is strong. My role is more about organising things, making priorities clearer and not overloading topics.
You have to be careful with digitalisation and data in particular. Not everything that is technically possible automatically brings benefits. Data is a tool, not an end in itself. We have to make very conscious decisions about where additional information really helps - and where it only creates complexity.
New management of STAUFF Germany
With Jörg Sturm and Carsten Krenz, STAUFF Germany is now under experienced management. Jörg Sturm holds a degree in electrical engineering and electronics with a background in business administration and has extensive management and sales experience in fluid technology. He has been working for STAUFF Germany since January 2026 and has been Spokesman of the Management Board since April. He officially takes over the position from Helmut Ahrens. Carsten Krenz is a graduate engineer (FH) in production technology and has decades of professional and management experience in production and logistics. He has been with STAUFF Germany since 2012 and has been a member of the Executive Board since 2015.
Where do you currently see the greatest leverage for the further development of STAUFF?
Jörg Sturm:
Better use of existing knowledge. We have an incredible amount of experience in the company - technical, application-related, from projects. The challenge is not so much to introduce new technologies, but to utilise this knowledge more systematically.
Monitoring, sensor technology, parameters - these are not just buzzwords for me. The decisive factor is how they are used. The aim must be to make processes more transparent and to recognise earlier where optimisation makes sense.
Mr Ahrens, would you have talked about these topics in a similar way ten or fifteen years ago?
Helmut Ahrens:
No, definitely not. Back then, it was more about building stability, creating structures and securing the business as a whole. Today, we are at a point where we can - and must - take a closer look.
That is a luxury, but also a responsibility. And I think it's right that Jörg is taking over this phase. He brings a different perspective without questioning the core, which is exactly how a transition should work.
How do you both experience the transition in your collaboration?
Jörg Sturm:
Very openly. We also talk about things that we think differently about. That is important.
Helmut Ahrens:
If you agree on the basic issues, you can tolerate differences. It only becomes dangerous when everyone always agrees.
In your view, what remains unchanged - regardless of the change in leadership?
Helmut Ahrens:
That STAUFF is good when we listen and really understand applications.
Jörg Sturm:
And that we don't make things more complicated than they need to be.
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