How did the company manage to hold its own against established competitors and lay a solid foundation for the future? A very personal report by Judith Ajubita.

The main thing is independence: First considerations from 2005

When I founded my company, I had no idea how complex and multi-layered this process would be in Germany. I started full of confidence and carefree, without knowing the requirements of the authorities and institutions. Fortunately, I was able to count on strong partners right from the start who helped me to master the launch.

My concept of self-employment involved real independence. Our start-up budget was 150,000 euros, without bank loans, credit cards or a current account. Support from MTE Spain was not possible at the time. Due to the good economic situation in Germany and Europe since 2005, we were optimistic about the future and looked for a suitable location. But the downside of the good economic situation was that it was almost impossible to find suitable commercial real estate. We searched along the A3 freeway from Montabaur for around 100 kilometers in both directions and finally found a property in Buchholz/Westerwald that at least partially met our requirements.

METAV 2008: Little budget and no personnel

The biggest challenge, however, was our appearance at the METAV trade fair in Düsseldorf in March 2008. Until then, we had to hire a salesperson, set up a service department, create offer documents and brochures and organize the trade fair. With little money and no staff, this was an almost unimaginable task. But somehow we managed it in March: our first appearance on the market was a great success. From the METAV trade fair in March 2008 to October 2008, we sold an incredible 21 MTE Bed type milling machines / machines. Our next goal was to find and recruit staff. Among the most important people during this time were Claus Meirich, who took over the sales department in March 2008, and Holger Illner, who became our service manager in summer 2008. Without these two, MTE would not have existed in Germany since 2010.

The global economic crisis of 2009: surviving in difficult times

From October 2008 to November 2009, we did not receive a single new order. With six employees by then, we were fighting for survival in the hope that the market for milling machines would pick up again. The plant in Spain was also in a deep crisis, so no help could be expected from there. In the end, we made it thanks to our great customers, who gave us orders again in good time, and our small but great MTE team, who sacrificed and fought together to get our young company through the crisis.

The grandpa and the girl

Our chance lay in the fact that the competition underestimated us. People made fun of our small company and called us “the grandpa and the girl”, alluding to the age of Claus Meirich and myself. This arrogance unsettled us, but it also spurred us on. Today we know that “the grandpa and the girl” managed it quite well.

These experiences taught us that passion, courage, perseverance and sometimes also the ability to suffer and humility are the basis for success. Satisfied customers and a conservative, sustainable financial policy are other important ingredients that an entrepreneur must contribute himself. These factors guarantee long-term stability and crisis resistance. That is why the establishment and further development of the service department and financial equity is the most important task in our company. Today, we can proudly say that the MTE service is great and that we have also achieved independence from banks.

Successes in the early days

In the beginning, we only offered small Bed type milling machines / machines. The greatest success was that we were able to quickly develop these machines into a full range that met the needs of the German market. At the same time, we developed large traveling column machines, even though we were absolute newcomers in this crowded market with established competitors. Today, we already generate more than 50% of our turnover with these machines, despite the strong competition.

The new company building in Montabaur

We knew that we had to create a permanent “home” for our machines, employees and customers. This “home” should demonstrate our stability to the outside world and perfectly reflect the company processes. We made the decision to build our own new building at the end of 2011, shortly after the crisis, when my husband Gunther Borbonus joined the company. We developed the dimensions and the concept from 2012 onwards. The biggest hurdle was a financing concept, as we only had start-up capital of 150,000 euros after the 2008/2009 crisis. Today, we are proud that we managed this just four years after founding the company. Our main bank and others didn’t believe in our vision and put obstacles in our way. That’s why we changed banks. The only support we received was a state guarantee for one million euros, but this was linked to unlimited private liability. So we put all our eggs in one basket again.

Our new house bank, Sparkasse Westerwald-Sieg, supported us with an investment of around four million euros. After opening an account, submitting our business figures and our investment concept, we received the financing within a week. It’s still incredible today. Without this partner, we would not be this successful company today.

These experiences show that passion, courage and perseverance, coupled with the right support, can overcome even the greatest challenges.