Date: 27 November 2012
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He already knows the A+W software programs inside out from his time at Wolff + Meier and has been having a major hand in shaping and improving them; and the flat glass business has been the center of his professional activities since 1968 when he started an apprenticeship at Glaskontor Gießen.
What has he achieved for and with A+W then? The figures speak for themselves: From 1990 to 2000, the turnover of A+W increased under his direction from less than 5 million to over 30 million Euros. The full-blooded sales man pushed the expansion of A+W on the world markets and in 1997 got major contracts with Pilkington, Glaverbel, and Saint Gobain which has made A+W the partner of the biggest flat glass producing groups world-wide.
2003, Günter Befort was made CEO of the reorganized A+W AG. And after A+W had been acquired by Glaston in 2007, he did not only keep A+W on its successful path: thanks to his thorough knowledge of the industry, he quickly became a much sought-after contact and consultant within the Glaston management team to which he belonged as an EMG member and – since 2011 – as Senior Industrial Advisor in the EMG. Glaston CEO Arto Metsänen: “Günter Befort has created a large network and his know-how from the glass industry has been of great value to us. I want to thank him for his strong input and also for sharing his expertise with us”.
Colleagues, staff, customers, and partners do not only respect and like Günter Befort because of his convincing competence: His frank and warm manner and his personable personality have earned him lots of friends over the years.
Nearly a quarter of a century after joining A+W, the fifty-eight year old left ALBAT+WIRSAM Software GmbH on November 15, 2012. The A+W staff and colleagues held a small farewell reception for him. Dr. Uwe Schmid, Günter Befort’s successor as Managing Director, thanked his successor for the professional and successful hand-over and his successful work as a Senior Industrial Advisor. Perhaps Uwe Schmid’s most formative experience from joint customer visits with Günter Befort: „He is the best salesman I have ever seen!“
In an entertaining eulogy, Dr. Klaus Mühlhans gave an illustrated report of the past 24 years: Even the younger members of the A+W staff can now vividly imagine how Günter Befort in his mid-thirties suddenly found himself amongst a ‘bunch of academics’ whom he ‘stirred up properly’ and led them to success.
We are sure that Günter Befort is not going to confine himself to the proverbial growing of roses because on the one hand, his third grandchild has arrived only recently – and as usual, he meets this challenge with full force – and on the other hand, he is much too agile to turn his back to the world of flat glass. For the future, we wish Günter Befort and his family good health, success, and all the best!
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