WE WANT TO GROW QUALITATIVELY AND QUANTITATIVELY

INTERVIEW WITH FOKKE FELS |
CEO OF L.I.T. AG WE WANT TO GROW QUALITATIVELY AND QUANTITATIVELY

INTERVIEW WITH FOKKE FELS | CEO OF L.I.T. AG

WE WANT TO GROW QUALITATIVELY
AND QUANTITATIVELY

IN 2018, L.I.T. CELEBRATED ITS 30TH ANNIVERSARY. REASON ENOUGH TO ASK FOKKE FELS ABOUT THE BEGINNINGS AND DEVELOPMENT OF L.I.T. Gruppe

The goal was to be independent in order to achieve something in the logistics sector. Above all, I was striving for freedom. At the beginning, there were three of us: Dieter Lauschke, Roland Schiefke, and myself. Roland Schiefke was our IT specialist, representing the »I« in the company name. Each founder represented a letter with their role. I took over the logistics part and Lauschke the transport, and that is how L.I.T. came about. From the very beginning, we were full of euphoria and successful, even though we entered a completely saturated market. The German reunification gave us an incredible push and reorganized the market – which played into our hands. I have never really regretted it so far – occasionally in the evening, but in the morning it is different again (laughs). The feeling of freedom always outweighs any doubts.

For me, I see it in the ambition not to want to stand still and to grow both qualitatively and quantitatively. For me, standing still means being left behind. If we orient ourselves towards this approach, we are also innovative. Innovation can be very diverse – we must also be »change managers« at times. However, we also want to be a good and reliable employer. If we want to achieve this seriously, we must always be at the forefront, which means creating new jobs through innovations.

Where do you see L.I.T. in ten years?

We want to be free and independent, not driven. 15 to 20 years ago, the credo was: The successful freight forwarder is the one who does not have their own trucks; one should act »asset-light«. We deliberately did not do that. Safety is our top priority. Therefore, we have taken a different path and will continue to do so. When we face the decision »make or buy«, we tend towards »make«. Always with the underlying thought that we want to achieve security – hence the expansion of our business areas, such as in the field of Personnel Logistics. Yield optimization and specialization are good when things are going well; when they are not, they are a drama. We want to be broadly positioned. The underlying thought is independence. Through our growth in the last five years, we have built up a good buffer so that we can continue to swim at the front and the sharks in the industry cannot reach us so easily. Should the market change due to a recession, mergers could change the situation abruptly. We must keep up the pace and continue to do things that suit us. The market will become more manageable in ten years, so I say: In ten years, we will be a leading, medium-sized transport and logistics company in Europe, no longer just in Germany.

Are there competitors from whom we can learn something?

We must constantly look out for good ideas that we can use for ourselves. We should never be so arrogant as to rest on our laurels. There is always someone who comes along with new approaches. We then check to what extent they could also be something for us.

What are your three most important personal values?

Reliability, frugality, innovative strength. I essentially associate frugality with spending money correctly. For me, it is a conscious way of handling money. The frugality that we must live in the company can also mean spending 1,000 euros more if the long-term return or yield is given.