Hardly anyone knows it and yet it is an important material. Boron nitride is used in many industrial processes and, due to its specific properties, can be found in numerous applications. Henze Boron Nitride Products AG from Lauben in the Allgäu region supplies its customers with precision components made of sintered boron nitride as well as suspensions, sprays and lubricant additives - all in first-class quality.
"One of our great strengths is advising our customers," says Christoph Henze, CEO of Henze Boron Nitride Products AG together with his brother Matthias. "This is important because we want our customers to get exactly the product they need to solve their problem. Added to this is the quality we offer, a fair price and our product-related service." Boron nitride is usually used as an intermediate product in industrial manufacturing processes and can be used at temperatures of up to 900°C, and even up to 2,000°C in an inert gas atmosphere. The spectrum of applications is broad and ranges from aluminium extrusion, aluminium and metal casting, the construction of high-temperature furnaces and the production of thermally conductive plastics to PVD and plasma systems, sintering technology, powder metallurgy, solar technology and photovoltaics through to welding and soldering technology as well as lubricant and forming technology.
Versatile in use
"We obtain boron nitride as a powder," explains Christoph Henze. "We use the powder to produce suspensions, which are similar in consistency to wall paint and are used, for example, to coat casting channels. We also have sprays produced according to our formulations, which are used, for example, as a release spray for welding. Our other activities include the purchase and manufacture of sintered bodies that consist of pressurised boron nitride powder. We manufacture machine components from these sintered bodies by sawing, turning and milling. Boron nitride is always used when other materials fail. Our customers include manufacturers of machinery and equipment as well as automotive suppliers and industrial companies. We supply wherever something is produced, where there are sintering ovens and coating systems, for example." Most customers are located within the European Union, but occasionally there are also orders from Asia or the USA.
AG in family hands
In 1993, Peter Henze, the father of the two current board members Matthias and Christoph Henze, founded the company in his own home. "Back then, our father not only had the courage to take the step into self-employment, but also the patience to endure lean periods with a low turnover”, emphasises Christoph Henze. In 2004, the first own products were developed, in 2012 the two sons joined the management and in 2014 the company moved into its own company building, which today has an area of around 3,500 m². The most recent investment is the purchase of a hot press, which is used to produce customised materials. The company shares which are organised as a public limited company with 57 employees and an annual turnover of EUR 14 million, are all in family hands: 25% belong to founder Peter Henze and 15% each to his wife and four children. "It was important to us that the siblings who are not in the management also have the same company shares and that nobody feels disadvantaged," emphasises Christoph Henze.
Consultancy-intensive products
Specialist advice for customers plays a very important role in sales. Christoph Henze: "We have products that are not available everywhere and require a lot of consultation. We nurture and care for our customers and use our extensive expertise to offer them different qualities for different areas of application." As this is a very specialised market segment, prospective customers also approach the company on their own initiative, some after recommendations from satisfied existing customers. Henze Boron Nitride Products AG also presents itself via its website, on social media such as Instagram and LinkedIn and through adverts in trade journals. The family-run company also has a stand at the ceramitec trade fair in Munich and other trade fairs.
Sustainable and social
Henze Boron Nitride Products has been increasingly focusing on digitalisation and New Work for years. "Our employees can access our servers from anywhere and all relevant data can also be called up directly on our machines," explains the CEO. "We have also developed a cockpit solution for a business intelligence system together with Kempten University of Applied Sciences." The company's managers are also devoting a great deal of attention to the topic of sustainability in a comprehensive sense. This includes ecological, economic and social sustainability as well as the common good with values such as human dignity, solidarity, justice and transparency. With this in mind, a five-year plan has been developed in which various future scenarios are analysed to form the basis for decisions on products, markets and personnel management. The overriding premise however is to maintain the social character of the company in the future.
