Open for change
Tradition and sustainability play a major role for Julia Wogart at Rud. Kanzow
The office in the former conference room of Rud. Kanzow (GmbH & Co.) KG looks somewhat improvised. However, the fact that the long conference table is now a workplace is part of the long-term planning at the long-established Hamburg fish import and trading company. Managing partner Julia Wogart had it set up for her nephew Moritz Fischer. "There was just no other room available," she laughs - with just under 40 employees, the premises, which were only occupied six years ago, are already at the limit of their capacity. Julia Wogart has made room for good reason: Even though she herself is still far from retirement age, she is preparing the next generation to work at the top of the company. "After all, this is about the preservation and long-term future security of a family business founded in 1890," emphasizes the entrepreneur.
Specialist in frozen seafood delicacies - Particular strength in the sushi sector
Nothing is as constant as change - as in many other industries, this also applies to the small and medium-sized, often owner-managed companies in the fishing industry. In addition to the challenge of a timely generation change, which is typical for medium-sized companies, there are always necessary changes in the product range and the company organization. The Hamburg import and trading company is a good example of both. When it was founded by Rudolf Kanzow 132 years ago, the focus was on trading in salted fish and canned goods. The shelf life of the products has remained an important aspect - but with a contemporary twist. Today, Kanzow trades in frozen fish products and sea delicacies from all over the world. The portfolio ranges from common sea and freshwater fish to crustaceans, mussels and molluscs, as well as salmon and convenience products such as finger food and skewers.
One of the few suppliers with special bearing for super freeze area
A large part of the traded goods is brought to Hamburg in sea containers from all over the world. For the past six years, the company has been based in a modern cold storage complex on the edge of Hamburg's Altenwerder container terminal. In addition to the location, the technology used there is an important factor for the future of the company. In addition to the classic temperature-controlled cold storage facility, Rud. Kanzow is one of the few suppliers in Germany to operate a super-freeze area cooled to - 60°C. This is where, for example, particularly sensitive goods are stored. Among other things, particularly sensitive tuna for sushi products is stored there, which would lose its optical quality at only slightly higher temperatures. Over the years, Kanzow has built up special expertise in importing such products. For Julia Wogart, evolving with the market is an important part of the company's strategy: "We now also have a growing proportion of vegan alternatives to fish products in our range," she names one example.
Fundamental change through entry into the company
Anyone who runs such a trading house with around 1,800 different products in the "catalog" must have a profound basic knowledge. "When you grow up in a family that deals in fish, you are taught the basics practically day by day," laughs Julia Wogart. Nevertheless, joining the company and the management meant a fundamental change for her: "I'm a teacher by background and hadn't actually thought about going into business," she admits open-heartedly, and then also lets it be known that the decision wasn't difficult for her in the end: "Ultimately, it was a question of whether we wanted to keep the company in the family or not." Her grandfather Heinz Wogart had taken a similarly courageous step - he took over the company from the childless founder also with the aim of maintaining and expanding the work created by his friend. Julia Wogart's father Dirk proves how close the family ties are - at the age of 81, he continues to support his daughter with advice and support.
Before she took the helm at the company, Julia Wogart first took a careful look around: "There was still a lot for me to learn. Who does what, how and where? Why is it done that way? Only once the existing processes are understood can the question be addressed: Does it have to be this way, or can it be done differently? The change in management came at the right time for the search for answers to such questions: "The IFS certification was just around the corner, so we had to look at and review all the processes anyway," Julia Wogart recalls.
Certification process and personal impressions as a basis for realignment
With the new structures gradually introduced in the company, Julia Wogart followed the internal findings from the certification process and her personal impressions. There were other external motivations: The customers are among the particularly demanding buyers. The company supplies cruise lines as well as processors in the fish industry, catering companies, and food wholesalers and retailers. As diverse as the total of around 1,100 customers are, they rely on two factors at Kanzow: "Our core competencies lie in the quality of the goods we supply and in our flexibility to respond to short-term or unusual customer requests," says Julia Wogart.
Reliable delivery is another part of the company's claim. Recently, the family-owned company has been facing particular challenges in this regard. Kanzow sources its goods from partners in more than 35 countries around the world: "Accordingly, we are also feeling the effects of the ongoing disruptions to international trade routes," reports the managing director. Now it is paying off that the company has long relied on a high level of stockpiling - in combination with the digitalization of internal and external processes in recent years, Kanzow is thus also well positioned for the current situation. To ensure that this remains the case in the coming years, she is now setting the course - and with Moritz Fischer, she is introducing the next generation to the management of the company in the long term.
