Transformation bei DEUTZ
Building the “Next DEUTZ”
161 years of DEUTZ are a story of 161 years of constant change. DEUTZ, the world’s oldest engine manufacturer, has evolved from a producer of conventional drives into a system provider of innovative and sustainable mobility and energy solutions. We are experienced in transformation, and this very agility is currently helping us to broaden the DEUTZ setup and thus make it future‑proof.
Breaking into new markets, new technologies and changing customer expectations calls for a company that makes decisions faster, sets clearer priorities and acts in a more market‑oriented way. The requirements for off‑highway applications are changing, while business fields in decentralized energy supply, alternative drive solutions, the defense sector and service are expanding and emerging. Our goal is to achieve profitable growth with relevant products and in service.
Structure follows strategy
With the Dual+ strategy, DEUTZ had already responded to market changes back in 2022. The aim from the outset was to tap into new growth areas while further strengthening the profitable core business. Since then, the markets have continued to change, in some cases at high speed. We feel this in different ways in our business development and have now organized DEUTZ so that we can operate optimally and grow with the future markets. Different business models require different approaches to the market, different management logics and decision‑making paths – the new Business Unit structure enables us to act quickly, flexibly and with maximum customer focus.
That is why, in 2025, we further developed our Dual+ strategy and translated it into a new organization. The DEUTZ transformation team developed, refined and prepared the new structure in 2025. In close coordination with the Board of Management, the Supervisory Board and the Works Council, a model was created with a significantly streamlined corporate center and five independent Business Units: Engines, Service, NewTech, Energy and Defense. Each Unit bears full profit responsibility for its business. Together with the Head of Strategy, Transformation and HR and the Board of Management, the heads of the five Business Units form an Executive Team that maintains close coordination.
The DEUTZ spirit
The restructuring was not devised in an ivory tower but was a joint effort: at the beginning, customer needs, strategic target pictures and market analyses were the focus. Regulatory conditions had to be clarified, clear responsibilities and new leadership models had to be developed. In the second half of the year, it was time for implementation: the Strategy and HR team defined roles, reshaped teams, relocated functions, adjusted processes and redefined interfaces. From summer onwards, employees in all regions and functions were informed and involved via various channels.
It became clear that even in such fundamental change processes, DEUTZ can rely on something very valuable: the commitment of the people who work for DEUTZ. Managers and employees in Germany and at our international locations have gone along with the process. We shaped the transformation; we did not impose it.
We think “Next DEUTZ”
This special DEUTZ spirit also characterized the first global Leadership Conference, held in 2025. 130 managers from all regions, Business Units and functions came together to discuss “Next DEUTZ”. Under the leadership purpose “We can do it”, the focus was on how we lead at DEUTZ and what we want to embody. Our 5Ts – Trust, Transparency, Truth, Team and Tenacity – continue to play a special role: they are our anchor of stability in times of change and the guardrails of our corporate culture.
To be able to respond quickly to developments and sentiment, we have converted the employee survey, previously conducted every two years, into a Pulse Check that takes place several times a year. This brings us even closer to the people who work at DEUTZ and allows us to make leadership more measurable and more targeted.
With the launch of the new Business Unit structure, our transformation is not complete. It is entering a new phase. The foundations have been laid.
INTERVIEW
What was the most important step in DEUTZ’s transformation in 2025?
Katharina Krüger, Head of Strategy, Transformation and Human Resources: Consistently translating the Dual+ strategy into the new Business Unit structure. This was a demanding but very consistent process.
How does the restructuring support the Dual+ strategy?
Katharina Krüger: The new structure grew out of the Dual+ strategy. In 2022, Dual+ initially created the three areas Classic, Green and Service. From this, a diversified portfolio of five independent Business Units has now emerged. Here we are clearly following the principle of “structure follows strategy”.
What does the Business Unit structure signal to the outside world?
Katharina Krüger: It makes visible what DEUTZ is today: a solution and system provider with very different business models under one strong roof.
How did employees react to the restructuring?
Christian Michael Quast, Head of Human Resources Germany: Overall very constructively. They have understood that this transformation is important – and they are going along with it. This is also due to the strong identification, affection and attachment that employees feel for DEUTZ. That creates the willingness to give their best.
What are your plans for 2026?
Katharina Krüger: After the reorganization into Business Units, we will further sharpen our brand. The key question that will occupy us in 2026 is: how do we shape “Next DEUTZ”? The positive DEUTZ spirit will help us. Our clear ambition is: together we are shaping a future‑proof DEUTZ – this is also expressed in our leadership purpose: We can do it!
The goals for 2030 are ambitious. What makes you confident?
Katharina Krüger: We can do it! Why? Because we work well together, because we pull in the same direction and because we roll up our sleeves. Do we always do everything 160% perfectly? No! Do we do it well enough? Yes! In view of our agility and speed, I am absolutely convinced that our goals for 2030 are achievable. I see what we are capable of.
Jil Mahlke, Senior Manager Strategy & Transformation: To add to that: Yes, We can do it! But we ourselves are responsible for it and have to work for it. Each of us can have an impact, if we want to. This transformation gives us an enormous amount of scope to shape and implement things at high speed through what we do every day.