Around the world in 45 years with TIGER
The story of Helmut Demmelmayr
Metallic Production Manager Helmut Demmelmayr is almost a fixture at TIGER. In 1977, he was the first person to pass the final chemistry apprenticeship exam at our company. In the years that followed, he worked his way up to become a shift manager in our DIY wet paint production - one of his many stops within TIGERs ranks. As a manager, Helmut has been and still is working in various positions around the globe.
The leap to America
"Helmut, would you like to restructure our metallic production in the USA?" With this question, Helmut was approached by his manager in 1999. It didn't take long for him to answer. Shortly afterwards, our colleague sat on a plane, crossed the big pond and did a great job. Within just four months, the metallic production volume at TIGER's site in Reading, Pennsylvania tripled. This did not go unnoticed by TIGER Canada - and so Helmut crossed the American border again in 2001 and once more achieved outstanding results for metallic production in Guelph.
"It was damn cold in Canada. The electrician and the locksmith were out in their shorts, and I was sitting there in an anorak and a bobble hat."
Next stop: Asia
In the same year of his stay in Canada, Clemens Steiner approached Helmut. At the time, our CEO was responsible for setting up TIGER Drylac® production in China and asked for support with this project. The plan was to set up fast, train the team efficiently, and fly back quickly. Helmut agrees - but things turned out different than expected. Problems with the plant management prompted our colleague to take over TIGER China as General Manager on short notice.
Fascinated by the country and its people, Helmut quickly felt at home in Taicang and met his future wife during Chinese New Year. In April of the following year, our colleague also participated in the establishment of TIGER's production facility in Vietnam. In addition to approving the equipment, he focused primarily on training the personnel.
"I was particularly impressed by the hospitality in Asia. The local government in Taicang was also very supportive. I would like to see the same kind of helpfulness towards foreigners in Europe."
A trip to Africa
Our TIGER is not only on the road in Asia and North America, however. His professional career also took him to the African continent. In order to share our production know-how with a partner in Egypt, Helmut conducted on-site training courses with the employees.
Back home
Because of good education opportunities in his home country, Helmut, his wife and their two children moved back to Austria in 2014. Today, he is responsible for metallic production at TIGER's main site in Wels. In addition to day-to-day business, the training of his ambitious successor Johanna Arnold is particularly important to him. The number of TIGERs Helmut has trained over the past decades makes him proud, he says. It gives him greater satisfaction than his personal successes.
In hindsight, would Helmut have done anything differently? "A thousand things!", he jokes. "That I didn't build my management skills at a young age is something I really regret. Many of the tools currently used in this area would have allowed me to be even more successful."
Do you aspire an international career like Helmut’s? Then don't hesitate any longer, come to the TIGER's territory and discover your possibilities!
Back to overview