100 years – One team: Big celebration on WISKA centenary

Like the entire anniversary year, the evening was held under the motto “100 Years – One Team”, placing the focus of attention on those who have made the company successful: its customers, partners and employees.

‘I am delighted that so many guests have come to celebrate our centenary together with us in our founding city of Hamburg. On this evening we would like to thank all our business customers, partners, and current and former employees. We have achieved a lot together and stuck together through thick and thin. That has made our bonds strong. We are proud of these good relationships. You appreciate them when everything goes smoothly – and even more when a problem arises.’, said Ronald Hoppmann, who is the third generation of the family to run the company together with his sister Tanja Hoppmann. And also some of Hamburg´s celebrities and guests from industry´s associations took the chance to congratulate the company, among them, Michael Ziesemer, President of ZVEI German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers´ Association, Bernd Aufderheide, President and CEO of Hamburg Messe + Congress GmbH, Marcell Jansen, President of the Hamburger SV, and Ian Karan, Hamburg Entrepreneur and former senator for economic affairs. Karan was, together with the Schotstek foundation, donation partners for WISKA, to allow for investments into the next generations rather than gifts to the company. The Karan foundation emphasizes on language training for migrant children. “We are very proud, that with our guests of only this evening, we managed to collect over 20 thousand Euro for both foundations.”, Tanja Hoppmann added.

In keeping with the team spirit, there was a special highlight for the guests: puppets up to five metres tall comprising a net of fibres and light, which were brought to life by the puppeteer ensemble “Dundu”, walked through the hall and interacted with the guests. Each puppet requires five puppeteers to move it. This symbolises the fact that individuals are always a part of a whole.

Even the site itself, the Hamburg Fischauktionshalle, is a very meaningful location for WISKA: with a direct view on the Blohm+Voss shipyard. The shipyard in which the founder of the company Wilhelm Hoppmann worked as a designing engineer before he set up his own business with his friend Hermann Mulsow in 1919. The two founded a special factory in Hamburg producing ship installation material made of brass. At that time, most probably neither of them suspected that 100 years later WISKA would be an internationally successful company with a total of six subsidiaries worldwide.