Overview
- Dr. Joachim Hess, born in 1925, still comes to his office in Neustadt an der Donau each weekday from 8 a.m. to read emails, take calls and advise on technical and management matters.
- He founded Intertec-Hess in 1965 to make robust protective housings for sensitive electronics and the company now employs about 220 people in Germany and roughly 330 worldwide.
- Day-to-day leadership is shared with his son Martin Hess, 69, who serves as co-managing director and describes their working relationship as a complementary, experienced team.
- Hess credits fixed habits—morning exercise, healthy meals, a short midday nap and a daily glass of sparkling wine—for his vigor, and he has adapted to recent limits by stopping driving because of worsening eyesight and joining vintage car rallies as a passenger.
- The story illustrates a common Mittelstand pattern of multi-generational, founder-led firms where a founder’s continued presence sustains company culture and advice, even as formal operations and succession plans remain unchanged.