When I look back on five decades of STAUFF Australia today, I really realise how important this location is for our company. Australia was never just a sales market for us. From the very beginning, it was a place where we wanted to show what STAUFF is all about: reliability, proximity to our customers, technical quality - but also courage and entrepreneurial spirit.

I still remember the many conversations with my father, Arnold Menshen, who was convinced early on that we could achieve a lot in Australia. His foresight has often accompanied me over the years. As the eldest son, I was closely involved in the early international expansion and was able to witness from Germany - and later directly on site - how STAUFF Australia developed step by step.

The decision to officially launch in Australia in 1976 was anything but a foregone conclusion. The distance was great, as were the challenges. But that's exactly what motivated us.

I can still remember the first conversations my father had with Alex Tkal in 1975. Alex was someone who could get things done. He had a feel for the market and was prepared to take risks. I was involved in some of these early steps - back then as a young man who was allowed to learn a lot.

We didn't just want to sell products. We wanted to build trust. And that meant being present, listening, being reliable. In a country like Australia, where distances work differently than in Europe, that was a real task. But that is exactly what characterised us.

A central theme of these early years was the significant expansion of the product range, and we worked closely with German manufacturers to make additional products available specifically for the Australian market. The aim was not to simply transfer existing products, but to find solutions that met the specific local requirements.

I didn't experience the very early years of STAUFF Australia myself. I know this chapter mainly from the stories of my father Arnold Menshen and Bill Seelis. Both of them often told me how much courage, pragmatism and personal commitment was needed to set up the site under the conditions at the time. It was about creating trust, building structures and establishing STAUFF in a market that had its very own requirements.

My own active time with STAUFF Australia began in 1988, when I was able to regularly accompany the site and increasingly help shape its content. I experienced this phase as very dynamic. The market continued to develop, the requirements became more complex - and so did our demands on the product range.

I remember many discussions, consultations and visits by Alex Tkal, Bill Seelis and others in Germany. This close interaction, despite the great distance, made it possible to successfully launch new products on the market and further develop STAUFF Australia's technology. It was a formative time for me, during which it became clear how important international cooperation is if you want to grow sustainably as a company.

Looking back, it was precisely this phase that was decisive for STAUFF Australia being built on such a broad and stable foundation today.

When I think of the people who have shaped STAUFF Australia, several names immediately come to mind.

It was Alex Tkal who laid the foundations. He stabilised the site in an early, challenging phase and supported the development with a great personal presence.

Bill Seelis also played a decisive role in the development of STAUFF Australia. Over many years, he not only shaped the operational and strategic direction, but also played a key role in driving the development of the individual locations in Australia. The creation and further development of the branches - and thus STAUFF's nationwide presence - is closely linked to his commitment, his negotiating skills and his clear vision for sustainable growth.

Peter Krohn later developed the site, modernised structures and led STAUFF Australia into a new phase. He rethought processes and placed the company on a more stable, future-proof foundation.

And of course I am thinking of the many employees. People who have worked at STAUFF Australia, in some cases for decades. They have carried the day-to-day business, built up customer relationships and filled our corporate culture with life. Their work has always impressed me and still fills me with great respect today.

2012 was a turning point. Australia is a country of distances. If you work in Perth, you need different logistics structures than someone in Brisbane. We knew that if we are serious about our service, we need partners who are just as reliable as we are.

This is how the Authorised Stockist Programme came about, on Peter Krohn's initiative. It wasn't just a strategic decision - it was a response to the geographical reality. I remember many conversations about how we can create proximity where physical proximity is difficult to realise. This programme was the solution.

The fact that it later became the STAUFF Line System Partner Programme for the entire Group makes me happy to this day. It shows that innovation often arises where the challenges are greatest.

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