A global reputation in confectionery Lambertz Group

is also improving the management, accounting and monitoring systems in the company. This has been facilitated by an implementation of a SAP system last year, which monitors every single operation ranging from purchasing of milk, through production, storage and sale of finished products. It is a highly modern and powerful programme which the cooperative’s management expects to bring significant benefits and allow even easier management of the cooperative.

Key clients and markets

The main customers of OSM Łowicz are international retail networks, to whom over half of the total production is supplied. Many products manufactured by the cooperative are also sold to foreign branches of retail networks operating in Poland. The majority of products supplied to international retail networks are produced by OSM Łowicz under the networks’ own brands. The rest of the production reaches the retail market via food and dairy wholesalers, as well as distributers

in the HORECA channel, in addition to B2B activities through the cooperative’s own nine wholesale units. Most of these operate close to the production facilities. The cooperative’s own branded products are also sold directly to retail customers through flagship OSM Łowicz shops.

Poland remains the key market of operations for the cooperative and the distribution covers the entire geographical area of the country. This does not, however, mean that OSM Łowicz neglects export markets; quite the contrary, there are some products in the cooperative’s portfolio of which 80 per cent of production is sold to foreign markets, such as dried whey or whey proteins. Such products are sold both across the EU, as well as to further-flung destinations, including China (of particular future interest to the cooperative) and Korea. Export activities are indeed very varied and range from sales of own-branded products to Slovakia, Czech Republic and Hungary, in addition to Russia (where last year sales of cheese products increased significantly), the UK, and the US.

Ongoing growth

The cooperative will continue optimising the production process, taking into account both the technical and technological back-up, as well as focusing on specialisation in individual production units. This will help OSM Łowicz to further increase its productivity, as well as bringing cost-saving benefits in all operational activities. In addition, with the approval of the cooperative’s board, the plan is to continue with the consolidation process with other cooperatives. The acquisitions of the production units in Toruń, Kutno and Konin enabled the factories to benefit from multi-million investments, which led to increased production and more employment. These effects would not have been possible to achieve without the cooperatives’ merger with OSM Łowicz. Last but not least, this type of growth continues to improve the company’s position in often challenging negotiations with leading retail networks. n

A GLOBAL REPUTATION IN CONFECTIONERY

The Lambertz Group is one of the leading German manufacturers of gingerbread, biscuits, tartlets and other traditional confectionery products. In the centuries since its establishment it has developed a solid reputation for combining its traditional, family values with constant innovation in its product lines.

Established in 1688 in Aachen, in the west of Germany, Lambertz has a strong reputation in the confectionery sector. Its brands, which include Lambertz, Kinkartz, Weiss and Haeberlein-Metzger, are known throughout the world for their high quality and unique flavour.

In 1820, Mr Henry Lambertz decided to add sugar to the company’s original biscuit mixture and then cut it into rectangular shapes. In doing so he created the company’s first range of ‘Printe’ – a traditional form of German pastry originating from the city of Aachen. Within a few years Printe were manufactured in a variety of forms that included coating in chocolate, almonds or marzipan.

What was a regional seasonal business is today a world market leader in seasonal baked products, as well as being one of the largest German year-round baked goods manufacturers. The group’s turnover for the fiscal year 2012–13 amounted to €562 million. In the first half of the fiscal year 2013–14, the group was able to increase its sales by 5.2 per cent.

Lambertz ‘Monday Night’

January 2014 saw the company celebrate its now-legendary annual ‘Monday Night’ event. This ‘chocolate and fashion show’ event gathered together some of the biggest names from show business, politics, sport and many more besides, including Catherine Deneuve, former Miss World Rosanna Davison and Hans Dietrich Genscher – Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs. This year’s event was particularly significant for the company as it marked its 325th anniversary.

In his speech at the event, host Dr Hermann Bühlbecker paid tribute to the company’s valuable partners and personnel: “The Lambertz ‘Monday Night’, originally intended as a thank you to our business partners, friends and employees who contribute to the success story of our company, has become over the years much more than that. It is a gathering of fascinating people from all over the world, here to enjoy the night with us and share our success.”

Diverse product range

The Lambertz Group may well have cornered the global market for traditional German bakery specialities as the largest manufacturer of seasonal autumn bakery products, but it has also extended and strengthened its position above and beyond that of the domestic market.

Its focus remains on the two pillars of growth – maintaining and defending its dominance of its home grown market to preserve the rich tradition of a family owned and centuries-old company, while at the same time acting as a dynamic and innovative confectioner that doesn’t rest on its laurels.

Today it remains at its ancestral home in Aachen, operating its subsidiaries Weiss – the southern German gingerbread manufacturer – Kinkartz and Haeberlein and Metzger, which incorporate the well-known brands of Ferdinand Wolf, Türmer, Heeman, Feinbackerei Otten and Otto Scharschmidt Marzipan.

The group’s offering is pretty comprehensive and includes everything from biscuits and fruity baked products to lightly baked puff pastries, soft sugar glazed doughnuts, marzipan and nougat pralines covered in milk chocolate, crispy mint flakes and Quark cakes with fruity fillings.

Major milestones

Over the years Lambertz has developed from a small niche supplier of gingerbread and ginger biscuits to one of Germany’s top bakery producers, which achieves 60 per cent of its annual revenue from sales of its year-round goods rather than its seasonal range.

Not only that but the company’s track record at innovating new bakery products sets something of an example for competitors to follow; in fact, today Lambertz