RECKLI turns 50: THE FALL OF THE WALL AND NEW EXPERIENCES

In the 1990s RECKLI restructures itself to be able to further develop its business. Meanwhile, the construction projects take on new dimensions.

“Tear down this wall,” US president Ronald Reagan called out during his visit to Berlin in 1987, aimed at Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev. Two years later, the Cold War really was over and on the night of the 9th of November East and West Germans danced together on the Berlin Wall. With the fall of the wall, the German economy faced a huge challenge: the former Eastern regions had to be integrated economically, questions of ownership needed to be clarified, and liquidations were enforced.

Right after the fall of the wall, Western construction companies and suppliers such as RECKLI were confronted with the challenge of providing arduous reconstruction work in an economically turbulent region. RECKLI recruited two employees straightaway, who established contacts with the regional construction sector. However, the new federal citizen’s money was spent on consumer goods rather than on infrastructure.

The company from Herne reacted patiently to the political and economic changes in East Germany – Hans-Jürgen Wiemer and Franz Ernst, themselves, knew that structural changes lead to great upheaval. In 1988 the company founders decided to sell RECKLI to the holding company which operates under the name Innotec TSS AG today. The RECKLI KG took on a new legal form and became a GmbH. Wiemers and Ernst retired from active management and handed it over to Horst Kosijak, an employee of many years.

This step consciously broke with the business strategy up until then: Wiemers and Ernst had always kept RECKLI in safe waters, based on high-risk aversion and a constant need for safety. But they also realized that company growth increased more slowly than necessary. Greater growth only went hand-in-hand with greater risk-taking. Wiemers and Ernst stepped aside so that a new management could lead RECKLI into a new era. 

The company continued to adhere to its fundamental principles of quality and sustainability. Nevertheless, under the aegis of the parent company, new price battles were fought so that RECKLI could grow and expand into new markets. The medium-sized business from Herne pushed forward into as yet unknown territory: contracts worth millions.

The Car Park Medina in Saudi Arabia became the first milestone. A parking garage was constructed for the annual flocks of pilgrims. The architect desired ceilings which resembled the suspended fabric ceilings of desert tents. To achieve such an effect with concrete, RECKLI created molds with a size of 2.5 x 24 meters. The Indian architect, Dutch hydraulic specialists, a steel mold supplier from Malaysia, and the German RECKLI specialists implemented a successful test construction in Malaysia. After the test, the contract was negotiated in London. At first, the signs leaned towards rejection: during the ongoing round of negotiations Horst Kosjak received a call from the German RECKLI head of negotiations because the client was criticizing the price. One week later, the renewed courage was rewarded: RECKLI was granted the contract and started production preparations. After a total of one and a half years from planning to completion, RECKLI concluded the project with a volume of order of DM 1.4 million.

Further large-scale projects with technical challenges followed such as in the case of the finial at Cologne’s cathedral square or the construction of the Offenbach City Tunnel. The architects envisioned vaulted ceilings for the subway stations, which were supposed to be covered with a coarse surface pattern, just like the walls. In order to be able to work budget-friendly and efficiently regarding time, the pattern was to be molded directly in the fresh concrete, which is why the architects selected to employ RECKLI molds. It was the first time that such case molds were used in a tunnel, and on a curved surface at that. The RECKLI formliners passed with flying colors. Shortly before the dawn of the new millennium, the Herner company had positioned itself looking forward, ready to take on new challenges with its characteristic spirit of innovation and its very own perseverance.