Liang Wengen
CEO SANY GROUP Co., Ltd.
Dear Dr. Katrin Schlecht,
Dear Dr. Philipp Bocks,Dear Dr. Uwe Dyk,
I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my long-time mentor, senior colleague, and old friend, Mr. Karl Schlecht.
Mr. Schlecht was a globally recognized great entrepreneur in the construction industry. He founded and led Putzmeister to become the hidden champion of the global concrete machinery industry, making tremendous contributions towards “building a world where housing and infrastructure are affordable and sustainable,” for which the general public greatly respects him.
Even 30 years ago, his and Putzmeister's success inspired SANY, located 9,000 kilometers away, to vigorously embark on its second entrepreneurial journey and formally enter the construction machinery field. The high-quality products that he and Putzmeister developed have long been a model for every SANY employee to study and emulate.
Furthermore, the corporate culture and values he shaped at Putzmeister, such as the principles of “upholding integrity” and “being a good person before doing good work,” have transcended the continents of Asia and Europe and bridged the cultural differences between East and West, resonating with the values that SANY has been committed to all the time and allowing us to become a true union and family in 2012.
At Aichtal, Mr. Schlecht personally handed me the torch of this endeavor and bestowed me his cherished watch—a gift from his wife 25 years ago—symbolizing his commitment to our cooperation, which touched me deeply and filled me with immense gratitude.
When Mr. Schlecht came to China, he generously shared his valuable experience in business management with us and invited us to his 80th birthday celebration, where he welcomed us into his joy and happiness like family. This left me with wonderful memories.
Over the past 12 years, with his assistance, SANY and Putzmeister have respected and closely cooperated with each other, further solidifying our leading position in the global market. Today, nearly half of the world's concrete is pumped by equipment from SANY and Putzmeister. Putzmeister's business has also successfully expanded into other products in the construction machinery field, with revenues nearly doubling.
To this day, our story is not only a beautiful tale of sincere cooperation and continuous development between two founding teams but also a remarkable example of Sino-German enterprise collaboration, jointly participating in global construction.
An enterprise is the extension of an entrepreneur's life. Although Mr. Schlecht has left us, his thoughts and vision will not only continue at Putzmeister but also live on at SANY. Just like the watch he gave me, SANY and Putzmeister will continue, second by second, tirelessly contributing to a better world!
In this difficult time, I extend my sincere condolences to Mr. Schlecht’s family and colleagues at the KSG Foundation. May you all stay strong.
With deep sorrow,
Liang, Wengen
SANY Group Co., Ltd.