Caroline Walleter-Plersch and her father had already been running the business together since 2017 at KTI-Plersch Kältetechnik GmbH based in Balzheim close to Ulm. Rupert Plersch, founder of this company operating at an international level, has now entered into retirement after 34 years of activity and will only be available to KTI in a consulting role. Caroline Walleter-Plersch has thus taken over as sole managing director of the company, which in 1986 began manufacturing cooling systems for the market sectors of fish and food refrigeration, concrete cooling and heating, mine cooling and special systems, amongst others.

Caroline Walleter-Plersch laid the foundation for the later takeover of the family business through her studies in chemical and industrial engineering with a special focus on strategy and managerial responsibilities. “After graduating, I decided to engage in an international business consultancy,” says Walleter-Plersch. “In the course of supporting well-known system and mechanical engineering firms, I was able to gain valuable insights into the industry’s requirements, whilst at the same time honing my strategic skills.”

Focus on international markets

In 2016, Walleter-Plersch entered the family business and in her first year was mainly involved with the management control system and strategic orientation of the company. All commercial departments, such as purchasing, export, and accountancy, were subsequently added to this during her time as joint managing director with Rupert Plersch. The last step was to get to know sales and engineering, her father’s main responsibilities, so that a smooth transfer was assured in these areas as well.

The generation change in this company from Baden-Württemberg, Germany heralds a stronger focus on international markets. For Caroline Walleter-Plersch, the main emphasis will be on continuous diversification of their product range as well as cross-sector presence with innovative, custom-made solutions in refrigeration engineering.