Author Topic: TROUBLE IN PLAYMOLAND  (Read 3005 times)

Offline Richard

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TROUBLE IN PLAYMOLAND
« on: March 18, 2016, 13:16:29 »
TROUBLE IN PLAYMOLAND

From infranken.de 03 March 2016

Unedited English translation:

Brandstätter overthrew a dispute over the future course of the Franconian toy manufacturer in a leadership crisis. Under the proposed realignment of the Group, the former Brandstätter confidante Judith Weingart now had to pack their bags, the application behind the brands Playmobil and Lechuza company Geobra Brandstätter group said on Thursday.

The reason the company called on Thursday on request "different ideas" in the planned realignment of the company. "This path is not without conflict," it said in a statement. The current three-member board of Geobra Brandstätter Unternehmensstiftung still belong to the charge of Personnel and Finance René Benker and Technical Director Robert Benker. Both are like Weingart veteran Playmobil employees.

For personal reasons resigned
Weingart was with the company for more than 20 years; in June 2015, the former head of communications of the pawns manufacturer had who succeeded as its successor in Company Director Andrea Schauer. This was eliminated shortly after the death Brandstätters personal reasons from the company.

In a statement the company management announced a fundamental realignment of Playmobil and the members of the group planter manufacturers Lechuza. "To continue the success story of the brands Playmobil and Lechuza, we create structures at all sites critical to the test and initiate the necessary processes of change a" stressed further the company's management.

As we can hear from the corporate environment, the death of Horst Brandstätter has led in June 2015 a leadership crisis and the uncertainty in the world's more than 4100 employees. Although Brandstätter had converted the company into a corporate foundation before his death, which is headed by a three-member board and controls a higher level in the company advisory.

Armed with IG Metall
Since the board members are but equal , " and everyone watching that the other is not too strong -profiled" , the company had been paralyzed in recent months , it is in the corporate environment . One problem it was also recently been that leaders have not learned after decades of working under the leadership of Patriarch Horst Brandstätter , on their own responsibilities .

For headlines , the group had recently caused a dispute with IG Metall . The union had the Federal Labour Court challenged the council election of 2014 and get right; the election must now be repeated . Then leaflets had appeared in the operation , which showed a sailing under the flag IG Metall sinking corporate ship . The company management had distanced itself from the defamatory pamphlet .

Original Deutsch ...
von DPA
Gut eineinhalb Jahre nach dem Tod des Playmobil-Alleineigentümers Horst Brandstätter hat ein Streit über den künftigen Kurs den fränkische Spielwarenhersteller in eine Führungskrise gestürzt. Im Zuge der geplanten Neuausrichtung der Unternehmensgruppe musste nun die frühere Brandstätter-Vertraute Judith Weingart ihren Hut nehmen, teilte die hinter den Marken Playmobil und Lechuza stehende Unternehmensgruppe Geobra Brandstätter am Donnerstag mit.

Als Grund nannte das Unternehmen am Donnerstag auf Anfrage "unterschiedliche Vorstellungen" bei der geplanten Neuausrichtung des Unternehmens. "Dieser Weg bleibt nicht ohne Konflikte", heißt es in einer Stellungnahme. Dem bislang dreiköpfigen Vorstand der Geobra Brandstätter Unternehmensstiftung gehören noch der für Personal und Finanzen zuständige René Benker und der Technische Leiter Robert Benker an. Beide sind wie Weingart altgediente Playmobil-Mitarbeiter.

Aus privaten Gründen ausgeschieden

Weingart gehörte dem Unternehmen seit mehr als 20 Jahren an; im Juni 2015 hatte die frühere Kommunikationschefin des Spielfiguren-Herstellers die Nachfolge als Nachfolgerin der früheren Firmenchefin Andrea Schauer angetreten. Diese war kurz nach dem Tod Brandstätters aus privaten Gründen aus dem Unternehmen ausgeschieden.


In einer Mitteilung kündigte die Unternehmensführung eine grundlegende Neuausrichtung von Playmobil und dem zur Gruppe gehörenden Pflanzengefäß-Hersteller Lechuza an. "Um die Erfolgsgeschichte der Marken Playmobil und Lechuza fortzuschreiben, stellen wir die Strukturen an allen Standorten kritisch auf den Prüfstand und leiten notwendige Veränderungsprozesse ein", betonte die Unternehmensführung weiter.

Wie aus dem Firmenumfeld zu erfahren ist, hat der Tod von Horst Brandstätter im Juni 2015 zu einer Führungskrise und zur Verunsicherung bei den weltweit mehr als 4100 Mitarbeitern geführt. Zwar hatte Brandstätter die Firma noch vor seinem Tod in eine Firmenstiftung überführt, die von einem dreiköpfigen Vorstand geleitet und einem darüber stehenden Firmenbeirat kontrolliert wird.


Streit mit IG Metall

Da die Vorstandsmitglieder aber gleichberechtigt sind, "und jeder aufpasst, dass sich der andere nicht zu stark profiliert", sei das Unternehmen in den vergangenen Monaten gelähmt worden, heißt es im Unternehmensumfeld. Ein Problem sei es auch zuletzt gewesen, dass Führungskräfte nach jahrzehntelanger Arbeit unter der Führung des Patriarchen Horst Brandstätter nicht gelernt hätten, eigenverantwortlich zu handeln.

Für Schlagzeilen hatte die Unternehmensgruppe zuletzt mit einem Streit mit der IG Metall gesorgt. Die Gewerkschaft hatte beim Bundesarbeitsgericht die Betriebsratswahl von 2014 angefochten und recht bekommen; die Wahl muss jetzt wiederholt werden. Daraufhin waren im Betrieb Flugblätter aufgetaucht, die ein unter der IG Metallflagge segelndes sinkendes Unternehmens-Schiff zeigten. Die Firmenleitung hatte sich von dem Schmähflugblatt distanziert.

Offline bonniebeth

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Re: TROUBLE IN PLAYMOLAND
« Reply #1 on: March 18, 2016, 15:52:26 »
Can a German-speaking member provide a better translation?
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Offline tonguello

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Re: TROUBLE IN PLAYMOLAND
« Reply #2 on: March 18, 2016, 16:12:00 »
Yes please!!
I don't understand a word!  :'(
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Offline Baron Marshall

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Re: TROUBLE IN PLAYMOLAND
« Reply #3 on: March 18, 2016, 17:17:23 »
Here is an edited translation...Hope this helps until someone better can take a look at it  :wave:


A good half year after the death of Playmobil sole owner Horst Brandstätter, a dispute over the future course of the company has plunged the Franconian toy manufacturer into a leadership crisis. Under the proposed realignment of the Group, the former Brandstätter confidante Judith Weingart is out, the spokesperson behind the brands Playmobil and Lechuza company Geobra Brandstätter group said on Thursday.

The company sited on Thursday "different ideas" in the planned realignment of the company. "This path is not without conflict," it said in a statement. Personnel and Finance René Benker and Technical Director Robert Benker remain on the three-member board of Geobra Brandstätter. Both are, like Weingart, veteran Playmobil employees.

Resigned for Personal Reasons

(This part is a bit fuzzy)
Weingart was with the company for more than 20 years; in June 2015, the former head of communications of the manufacturer succeeded former Company Director Andrea Schauer. She left the company shortly after the death Brandstätter for personal reasons.


In a statement, company management announced a fundamental realignment of the Playmobil and Lechuza manufacturing groups. The company's management further stressed that "To continue the success story of the brands Playmobil and Lechuza, we will create protocols at all sites to test and initiate the necessary processes of change."

As rumblings in the corporate environment indicate, the death of Horst Brandstätter in June 2015 has resulted in a leadership crisis, and the uncertainty for the company's 4100 employees worldwide despite the fact Brandstätter had converted the company into a corporate foundation before his death, headed by a three-member advisory board from higher levels in the company.


The Dispute with IG Metall

Since the board members are co-equal, "with everyone watching that the other is not too powerful", the company has been paralyzed in recent months, in the corporate environment. One problem recently has been that leaders have not learned their own responsibilities learned through decades of working under the leadership of Patriarch Horst Brandstätter.

The group was recently in the headlines after a dispute with IG Metall. The union challenged the council election of 2014 in the Federal Labour Court; and now the election must now be repeated. Leaflets appeared in the company which showed a sinking corporate ship sailing under the flag marked IG Metall. Company management has distanced itself from the defamatory pamphlet.

« Last Edit: March 18, 2016, 17:49:39 by Baron Marshall »
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Offline Tiermann

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Re: TROUBLE IN PLAYMOLAND
« Reply #4 on: March 18, 2016, 17:46:03 »
There's a thread over at Klickywelt about this that's been going a while. The replacement was announced earlier this month, also someone who has been with the company a long time. From what I have gotten out of the Klickywelt thread the underlying problem is that the company is now run by a board of three people who each have equal power, if there is a a disagreement then nothing gets done. There seems to have been much frustration on the part of lower staff about the lack of decision making coming out of the board.
They seem to be having some trouble going from a format with one person (HOB) making all final decisions to making decisions by committee. Hopefully they will get themselves reorganized at the board level such that they can get the decision making streamlined soon.

I was fortunate to get to spend some time with Judith Weingart when the PCC was first being set up and she was a very nice person. I am sorry to hear that she has left the company, as I think she was a genuine friend to the collectors. I have not met the woman taking her place, nor the other two board members, so I don't know where we stand these days as far as having friends at the top most level in the company.

I also have to wonder if the mess here in the US with no print catalog coming out until July (!!) and parts of the usual basic themes like Farm being delayed in release is somehow related to this. It could be because of their transition to the new shipping center, and something going wrong there of course, which could in turn relate back to the problems at the top.

Offline StJohn

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Re: TROUBLE IN PLAYMOLAND
« Reply #5 on: March 18, 2016, 19:52:46 »
Thank you, Tim, for the summary.

The new member of the triumvirate is Silke Heinrich, and the following is the most revealing passage from a recent newspaper report:

"Heinrich has been working at Geobra Brandstätter for the last 28 years. The graduate in business management previously directed the company's enterprises in Poland, Switzerland and Austria. "We want to open up new sales potential and expand our business structure to achieve this goal," she announced. She furthermore stated an interest in developing new licensing business and digital products aimed at a young audience. Here, Heinrich see herself "in the footsteps" of the late owner Brandstätter."

(My translation is a little free but I think captures the spirit of the original: Heinrich arbeitet bereits seit 28 Jahren bei Geobra Brandstätter. Die gelernte Industriekauffrau habe in der Vergangenheit etwa den Vertrieb in Polen, der Schweiz und Österreich erfolgreich gesteuert. "Wir wollen neue Umsatzpotenziale erschließen und werden dafür unsere Vertriebsstruktur weiter ausbauen", kündigte sie an. Auch das Lizenzgeschäft und neue digitale Angebote für die junge Zielgruppe wolle sie entwickeln. Dabei sehe sich Heinrich "klar in der Tradition" des verstorbenen Inhabers Brandstätter.)

There has been quite a bit of divination going on at Klichywelt to understand what to expect from the Lizenzgeschäft and neue digitale Angebote, but I guess we just have to wait and see. The one striking thing, as I see it, is that another internal candidate is pushed to the front. I suppose what the business really needs is a talented outsider to bring matters at a new level, but I'm very happy not to be the one to make such decisions.

Go, Playmobil, flourish!

Best wishes
StJohn

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Re: TROUBLE IN PLAYMOLAND
« Reply #6 on: March 18, 2016, 20:17:02 »
I think it was Henry Ford who said that all committees should have an odd number of members and that three was too many.
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Offline Klickteryx

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Re: TROUBLE IN PLAYMOLAND
« Reply #7 on: March 19, 2016, 02:25:47 »
Our Green Party has two co-leaders, I shudder to think what would happen if they ever got into power. Anything needs a single ultimate decision maker. It's the old joke, a camel is a horse designed by committee.

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Re: TROUBLE IN PLAYMOLAND
« Reply #8 on: March 19, 2016, 02:31:44 »
 :o
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Offline bonniebeth

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Re: TROUBLE IN PLAYMOLAND
« Reply #9 on: March 19, 2016, 11:38:48 »
I think it was Henry Ford who said that all committees should have an odd number of members and that three was too many.

 :lol: So true!

I'm sorry to hear of this crisis, though. Really worrisome as to the future of playmobil. I'm always afraid they're going to do something like Littlest Pet Shop or Polly Pocket and just completely change the look of the whole brand. However, those companies were a lot newer when they made those changes.

Thanks so much for the translation, Baron Marshall!
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