Research. Support. Leading the way

For almost two decades, Helmut Kaufmann has shaped AMAG’s development in Ranshofen as a member of the Management Board: the IPO in a challenging environment, a comprehensive expansion and modernization program, and the consistent strengthening of research, technology, and partnerships. In this interview with AluReport, he looks back and ahead and explains why, in the end, one thing matters most to him: people.

AluReport: Dr. Kaufmann, Arthur Schnitzler once wrote: “Parting always hurts, even when one has long been looking forward to it.” Now, after nearly 20 years on the AMAG Management Board, your retirement is approaching. How do you personally experience this transition phase: does anticipation dominate, or is there also a touch of wistfulness?

Helmut Kaufmann: To be honest: at the moment, I don’t feel any wistfulness yet. There is anticipation, because I will have time for things that simply weren’t possible before. I have plans and ideas, and just the possibility of actually putting them into practice feels good.

AluReport: What comes to your mind when you look back on your first days as a member of the AMAG Management Board?

Helmut Kaufmann: My first day on the AMAG Management Board wasn’t a “start from scratch,” but more of a second beginning, because AMAG had accompanied me in some form throughout my entire professional life. AMAG Research was my first long-term employer; afterwards I spent several years abroad. Later, I returned to Ranshofen, took over the Light Metals Competence Center (Leichtmetallkompetenzzentrum, LKR) and managed it as Managing Director for ten years. At that time, AMAG was LKR’s largest customer. I was literally working in the midst of the site and already knew a lot of people and many topics when I began my position at the Board in 2007. The role itself was, of course, new, and so were my colleagues on the Board.

AluReport: When a management team is completely reassembled, how can a reliable collaboration and leadership culture develop in a short time?

Helmut Kaufmann: I always believed that the person responsible, Dr. Hanno Bästlein, who put this team together, had a very good instinct for people. Although I didn’t know my two colleagues, Gerhard Falch (CEO) and Gerald Mayer (CFO), beforehand, our relationship was open and friendly from the very beginning. Soon it grew into a real friendship.What was essential though, is that we made a conscious effort early on to engage with the organization. For weeks, we held many personal conversations about the situation, about processes that worked well, about what needed improvement. We regularly brought these impressions together at Board level and discussed them collectively. That shaped our work from day one: open, constructive, and well-aligned.

AluReport: What did this phase make particularly clear to you for your later work on the Management Board?

Helmut Kaufmann: That every board member may have a portfolio, but always carries responsibility for the company as a whole. That requires open, timely communication and regular reconciliations. When the Board offices like ours are located next to each other, and you meet practically every day with the ability to settle matters "without diversions" decisions can be made quickly. Equally important is that employees can feel assured that the Board acts with one voice on key issues. Contradicting messages undermine trust, internally and externally. Consistency in communication is an essential element of leadership.

AluReport: What did this phase make particularly clear to you for your later work on the Management Board?

Helmut Kaufmann: That every board member may have a portfolio, but always carries responsibility for the company as a whole. That requires open, timely communication and regular reconciliations. When the Board offices like ours are located next to each other, and you meet practically every day with the ability to settle matters "without diversions" decisions can be made quickly. Equally important is that employees can feel assured that the Board acts with one voice on key issues. Contradicting messages undermine trust, internally and externally. Consistency in communication is an essential element of leadership.

AluReport: How does the Management Board team of the past differ from the one today?

Helmut Kaufmann: Back then, our CEO Gerhard Falch was 15 years older than I was. Today, it’s the other way around: I’m the CEO and roughly 15 years older than the others. That changes perceptions of roles. With age, I became increasingly aware of the level of responsibility I personally carry, for the company, for the employees, and for the entire region. My expectations for coordination and teamwork, however, have remained the same.

AluReport: If you had to condense your time on the Management Board into three defining chapters, which would they be?

Helmut Kaufmann: A particular highlight was, of course, the IPO. As the Board Member for Technology with a classic engineering background, I was used to thinking in terms of processes and products. Suddenly, it was also about presenting a complex industrial company in a clear and compelling way to a financial audience: drafting a prospectus, intensive cooperation with banks and legal experts, roadshows. The schedule was tight, one potential investor after another, and the same story had to be told consistently, clearly, and credibly every time. This period was professionally demanding, personally enriching, and brought us even closer together as a Board team.

AluReport: And which additional chapters would you add to your list of key milestones?

Helmut Kaufmann: Most definitely the expansion program with capacity increases and modernizations at the Ranshofen site. We realized that we were reaching capacity limits in several areas and needed to act. Our proposal was a significant expansion at the site with new product dimensions that AMAG had not previously been able to offer. The expansion was part of our strategy and the core of our IPO story. Our owners consistently supported these strategic steps and thus created the reliability needed not only to formulate a strategy but to actually implement it over many years.

AluReport: Projects of this scale require not only major investments but also foresight and determination over many years. Did this long-term responsibility ever cost any sleep?

Helmut Kaufmann: I never had sleepless nights, I sleep well [laughs]. Above all because I was convinced that the path we chose was the right one. We were always aware of the magnitude of our decisions. Expanding a plant along the entire process chain from recycling to casting, rolling, and packaging shapes, a site for decades. Leadership philosophies and strategies can change quickly; buildings and production equipment, on the other hand, remain (much longer).In Ranshofen, we succeeded in building a new plant while simultaneously modernizing the existing one. This combination is what makes the site one of the most modern worldwide today.But investment alone is not enough. Which brings me to the third chapter that I consider especially important: people. Even the most advanced equipment only delivers its full value when qualified and committed specialists master the processes and implement them excellently day after day. Over nearly two decades, an exceptionally strong team has grown together with a network of university partners and that is ultimately the foundation for Ranshofen’s development into a significant site in the international aluminium industry. I am proud of that, because deeper understanding is a form of value creation as well.

AluReport: You received your habilitation at RWTH Aachen, hold an honorary professorship at Technical University Leoben (Montanuniversität Leoben), and have experienced research from different perspectives. How has your view of research in companies changed based on your experiences?

Helmut Kaufmann: As head of LKR, I was able to successfully apply for funding within the Austrian competence center program: in 1998, the Light Metals Competence Center Ranshofen (LKR) became one of the first three competence centers in Austria. The basic idea was the close integration of science and industry with a clear application focus. As Managing Director of LKR, I learned how effective a well balanced triangle between industry, applied research, and university-based basic research can be. When these partners collaborate as equals, a fertile ground for innovation emerges. This experience proved extremely valuable later on the AMAG Management Board. It shaped my firm belief that competence and technological know how can only grow where companies invest consistently and earnestly in research. And in my Board role, I also had the leverage to put this conviction into practice.

AluReport: Besides money, what does it take for a collaboration between industry, research institutions, and universities to truly succeed?

Helmut Kaufmann: Openness and genuine partnership. If a company withholds information due to a misguided understanding of confidentiality or fails to make essential interrelationships transparent, research partners cannot contribute meaningfully, and in the end, no convincing result can emerge. And companies need experts who can discuss technical matters at eye level with external specialists. Research cannot simply be outsourced; it is a dialogue driven process. From my experience at LKR, the most successful projects were those in which the commissioning companies continuously engaged partner with the research projects and actively maintained regular exchange.

AluReport: Was this also the idea behind the establishment of AMAG’s Scientific and Technological Advisory Board?

Helmut Kaufmann: Yes, that was exactly the intention. We established the Scientific and Technological Advisory Board early on to incorporate scientific expertise along the entire process chain, working with professors and institutes from different fields of specialization, who together provide a complete picture of our processes. Our aim was to base materials and process decisions not only on experience, but on sound, knowledge based foundations. In addition, we wanted to attract qualified young talent to the company through dissertation projects.

AluReport: Are there research projects that have remained particularly memorable for you?

Helmut Kaufmann: I don’t think I focused so much on individual projects, but rather on the sum of all competencies that grow with every new project. Each project should contribute to the overarching vision: being a globally leading premium supplier. I am still pleased about every successful qualification of a new product with a customer, regardless of the application. Successful product qualification confirms AMAG’s competence and opens a new door to a sales market.I also consider it a remarkable achievement that we are certified in Japan under the Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) and in India under the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). For a European plant, this is a sign of exceptional technological competence and market capability.

AluReport: The economic environment is particularly challenging at present: high energy and labor costs in Central Europe, intense global competition, cyclical uncertainties, and structural changes. On which fundamental pillars must a business model like AMAG’s rest to remain successful in the long term?

Helmut Kaufmann: For an industrial company in high cost Central Europe, I see only one long term path: specialization, technological expertise, and genuine innovative strength. We cannot compete with the cost structures of other world regions, so we must excel where specialization matters: with sophisticated products, tailored solutions, and a deep understanding of our own processes and products.Over many years, AMAG has built a reputation as an innovative, reliable development partner. Markets evolve, requirements shift, therefore, continuous investment in research, development, and technology is essential. Even if a product appears unchanged, the conditions of its production often change: CO₂ requirements, energy efficiency, recycled content, or other customer specific expectations. In substantive terms, AMAG will continue on its chosen path: with strong recycling competence, efficient primary metal supply, ideally based on low CO₂ electricity such as hydropower, and, overall, sustainable and resource efficient production. Short term economic down­turns do not change this. What matters is staying true to the strategic course even in difficult times.

AluReport: We spoke earlier about the plant expansion. The projects were not only technically impressive, they were also implemented with high architectural standards, largely at your initiative. Do you see a connection between aesthetics, technical rationality, and corporate culture?

Helmut Kaufmann: For me, aesthetics has never been the opposite of rationality. A modern, friendly environment fosters employee motivation and creativity and we need creative solutions in industry every day. A bright, clear environment also shapes the way we think. That applies not only to buildings but also to outdoor spaces.If we position ourselves as a sustainable and quality oriented company, people should sense that the moment they enter the premises. Flowering meadows, shrubs, and trees credibly convey that the environment is not being damaged by emissions. Many years ago, the works council told me that my nickname in the company was the “Architectural Digest” Board Member. The name stemmed mainly from the fact that I literally brought color into the company, because whether surfaces are painted dull grey or bright colours costs the same, but it changes the atmosphere. I’m said to have a particular fondness for magenta, the signal color that marks moving parts in AMAG’s plant equipment. I have always taken my nickname as a compliment, because behind it lies a conviction: respect for the people who work here and the aspiration to create a workplace where people genuinely like to be.