New home in Bangkok

It is 4:00 pm local time and Stephan Lenz is sitting at his desk in the office of FUCHS Thailand, looking out of the windows on the eleventh floor. He can see the hustle and bustle of Bangkok city center below. It is sunny and the trains of the elevated railway system are making their way between the many skyscrapers, also passing directly by the FUCHS office tower. This is really convenient for the commute, particularly during the rainy season. "The rain typically starts in May and continues through the end of October. The winter here stretches from November to February, but even then the temperature still reaches 30 degrees. It then occasionally climbs to 40 degrees in March and April."

Fewer stereotypes than other places

Born in Mannheim, Stephan Lenz has been living in Thailand's capital city for almost two years and – despite arriving during the coronavirus lockdown period at the end of 2020 – already feels right at home. "Anyone who likes Asia, and South-East Asia in particular, is sure to enjoy Bangkok. There's always something going on, as well as fantastic food, really lovely people, and a stunning landscape." However, it is the openness that Stephan Lenz perhaps appreciates the most: "People are really tolerant here. Unlike many other places, they simply don't think in stereotypes." This really speaks to the 37-year-old, who sees himself as a networker, an enabler. Whenever meeting new colleagues, he likes to explain this using an image depicting a spider's web and the FUCHS logo. "This is the automotive web, and I'm the spider-man who brings all of the threads together to make life easier both for customers and colleagues." 

Stephan Lenz's customers are the car dealerships, the workshops, the DIY shops – in other words: the aftermarket. These are not only located in Thailand, but also in India, Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam. As Regional Business Development Manager, Stephan is responsible for the "automotive sales units" in this region. In concrete terms, this means that he supports the local teams in raising awareness and getting the FUCHS brand out there. After all, FUCHS is only now starting to make headway in the region's automotive aftermarket sector. This can certainly be challenging, as the sales teams are much smaller than in Europe, and FUCHS is also not well known locally in this sector. Yet when people actually use the products, they appreciate them for their high quality. 

A close connection to the people 

One of Stephan Lenz's main duties is therefore to support efficient marketing – ranging from classic billboard advertising, through workshop marketing, all the way to online promotion. This includes establishing flagship stores on the large Shopee and Lazada end customer platforms – which are like the South-East Asian equivalent of Amazon in Europe and the US.

Another of Stephan Lenz's tasks is to ensure that lubricant dealers stock FUCHS products. The man from Group HQ also supports his colleagues here: "I show them how to present the FUCHS brand correctly. This can already be a tough task in Germany, but is even more difficult here, as the end customers are scarcely even aware of the brand." The fact that FUCHS is a family business, despite its global size, plays a special role in this regard. "Many of our customers run a family business themselves, such as a small car dealership or workshop. So if we can get across to them that we share the same values, this helps us establish a strong connection."

How things work elsewhere in the world 

Stephan Lenz was not always crazy about the idea of living and working overseas. After completing his 'Abitur' school leaving exams in Mannheim, Germany, he began a cooperative study program in business studies with an employment contract at FUCHS. Working at the company gave him the opportunity to develop. This included a deployment to Sales in Düsseldorf, where he supported the dealership and repair shop business. He was eventually promoted to Automotive Lubricants Direct Sales Team Lead in Germany and was happy with both his job and his team. But he could somehow sense that this was not enough.

To be able to develop in a global corporate group like FUCHS, he felt as though he needed to know how things work elsewhere in the world. He was then offered this change of perspective after being put forward for the so-called "Global Talent Program" at FUCHS. Here, he got to know colleagues who were already working in China and South-East Asia – and the idea of working for FUCHS in this region was born. He got actively involved and worked hard to find a position in South-East Asia. One day, the right job then became available. Having refreshed his business English, Stephan Lenz was ready to jump in at the deep end.

Although the business language is actually English, he still attends a Thai language course every Wednesday morning. After all, this undoubtedly helps secure a closer relationship with both the customers and employees in Thailand. Besides, he has always aspired to do more than just survive in the culture that offered him such a warm welcome. "This really makes my life here much easier," he comments, also referring to his work in the team. "People don't communicate quite so directly when things go wrong – particularly to someone like me, who comes from Group HQ and is responsible for the entire South-East Asia region. However, I try to use my open and friendly manner to break this up and create a less hierarchical atmosphere. I think this works really well."

Happy to stay for longer 

All of the time and effort that Stephan and his team have invested in the region is really paying off. South-East Asia is one of the world's growth regions, also for automotive lubricants. "We see massive potential for FUCHS here. In fact, we recorded double-digit growth over the last two years despite all of the issues surrounding COVID-19. Things are also looking really good for the next five years." As Stephan Lenz is keen to stress, you really get a sense of this dynamic on the streets: "There are so many young people, and everyone is eager to get involved and really make a difference."

So does he think that relocating to Bangkok has changed him? "Definitely. I'm more open-minded and outgoing now. I've also matured as a person, found a partner, and enjoy having a large circle of friends. Even just living life in a foreign language is rewarding, but I'm also being challenged in more areas professionally. Although I'm responsible more for selling & distribution and less for marketing in my role as Business Development Manager, I still need to focus on purchasing, networking the individual units, as well as logistics and eShops in some cases. In my old job, I simply never would have experienced the things I've learned here in the last two years."

Stephan Lenz is also eager to spend more time in the land that has offered him such great opportunities and experiences. "I have an open contract. The first two years already flew by, so I'd be more than happy to stay for another two or three years if this makes sense for the business. Possibly even longer."

Short interview

People are the key to success

Employees are considered a company's most important resource. How important are they for FUCHS? A short interview with Christine Vornbäumen, Vice President HR.

About 6,000 people around the world work for FUCHS. Is there anything that connects them all? 

Christine Vornbäumen: FUCHS is a highly relationship-oriented company. Reliability and a sense of responsibility are the main focuses for the employees. This is almost certainly down to the informal, family-run nature of the company. Unlike firms run by private equity, we focus not only on the figures. In fact, many things rely on personal relationships and emotions, also at the operational level. But there's also another important factor: once you're in, you're part of the family. We have a kind of "go-getter" mentality, a team spirit that you're unlikely to find in large, anonymous corporate groups. You can really feel this at FUCHS across the globe. 

What role do the employees play for the FUCHS Group?

Christine Vornbäumen: With their expertise, experience, ideas, and customer relations, the employees are the key to success. As our company has grown, we have recognized that we still need to strengthen the elements we share and that connect us. This is why we created our mission statement: "Act Global". This applies more than ever during times of uncertainty and in light of the many challenges we'll all be facing in future. Cross-border and interdepartmental cooperation therefore sits right at the heart of our corporate culture. 

How important are overseas placements for employees, yet also for the Group? 

Christine Vornbäumen: At a company that prides itself on instilling a global perspective, it's simply not enough to stay in contact now and then via video call. It's really important to broaden your horizons and experience different working practices up close and personal. We're keen to fill our key positions with individuals that have done precisely this - not only for the aforementioned reasons but also because experiences like this help them grow on a personal level. This is why we have included willingness to relocate overseas as the core requirement of our newly launched "Global Talent Program". In fact, this is the only way that participants can aspire to assuming a key role in future. 

Have you yourself ever worked overseas? If so, what wisdom did you learn for your own life?

Christine Vornbäumen: I spent a total of six years living and working in Canada, Ireland, and Switzerland - initially during my degree and later for work. I also assumed regional and later global responsibility early on in my career. This taught me that the only way to truly develop intercultural understanding and expertise is by living as a "foreigner" yourself and leaving your own comfort zone. You learn how to communicate constructively with colleagues from other countries, as well as how to work both successfully and responsibly with them.