Gap year in Germany changed Andrew Wheeler's trajectory

Then I got hired after college by Peter von Möller [of MöllerWerke], and I moved back to Germany after college. The idea was that I was going to work for him for two years and learn the business. His intention was to send me to London to open a sales office for MöllerWerke's products and build up the U.K. market. However, it did not work out with the London thing. He decided not to do that. 

I decided to come back to the United States, and about a week before I came back, a guy called me and introduced himself as Walter Steinbeck. He said, “I’m on the board of directors of MöllerWerke. We had a board meeting last week, and your boss thinks pretty highly of you and recommended that I talk to you. What are you doing when you go back to the United States?” 

He was the CEO of Windmöller & Hölscher. Then I met with Jim Feeney, who was the then-president of W&H Corp. They did not have any position for me at that moment. However, two months later, he called me back, and he offered me a job as a product sales manager in a product line that really didn’t have any sales yet. He said, “I can either find somebody who knows what they’re doing and pay them a lot of money, or I can invest in a young guy who I think might build this and not pay him a lot of money.” I figured I was the second guy.

That new business was extrusion, and I grew the business. My first year, the sales were zero, and the second year, $200,000 because we sold a calibrating cage and part of a haul-off. Last year, we did $150 million in the U.S. in that product line. I am incredibly proud of that accomplishment because it really feels like something that I had a direct impact on. I think it was a combination of having a very good product line, very good backup support in Germany and a ton of effort. 

How did your experience living in Germany after high school affect your career decisions? 

Wheeler: I was in Germany for just a year, but it certainly changed my entire trajectory. I never would have gone into international business. When I went to college after living in Germany, I thought that I would get into the diplomatic corps. I was not thinking that I would get into business. That’s just the way it bounced. 

What was your career path at W&H and when did you become president?

Wheeler: I started in 1988 as product sales manager – extrusion systems. In 2002, I became vice president and took over as president in 2014. 

What type of growth has W&H seen over the past decade since you became president?

Wheeler: We have more than doubled sales since 2014. 

What are your responsibilities as president of W&H Corp.? 

Wheeler: I’m still trying to figure that out. No, but, obviously, I run the North American division of a company that is represented in over 100 countries. The North American division is the largest of all [the divisions] in the W&H Group. Asia Pacific has more people, but in terms of turnover and market share and market dominance, North America is our biggest one. 

W&H last year announced an expansion of its North American facility. Could you give us an update on the expansion? 

Wheeler: We’ve been selling in North America since 1901, but we were represented through various agencies until 1977, when we incorporated and we built our North American headquarters here [in Lincoln, R.I.]. We haven’t changed the building since. We've given it a couple of facelifts, and we’ve renovated it a bit, but the footprint has never changed. 

For years, we’ve been bursting at the seams. We started looking into expanding about two to three years before COVID, but various interruptions stopped the project. This has been quite a few years coming, but we are essentially doubling the office space and doubling our warehouse space. That is a direct response to the booming parts and support business that we have. We needed additional space. This is our commitment to the North American market. 

We’ll be moving into the warehouse within the next few weeks. We’re expecting the new office building to be completed in mid-summer, and at that point, the renovation of our existing office will go full bore. The entire project is scheduled to be done in Quarter 4. 

What trends are you seeing in the plastics industry, especially in North America? 

Wheeler: We are seeing sustainability trends toward more mono-materials, eliminating polyester. Our business has boomed in terms of MDO [machine direction orientation] technology which allows people to have similar results with PE that they previously needed PET for, such as in the pouch business. The mono-material business is booming. 

The use of PCR is very active but does pose challenges, such as lower output and requiring more cleaning. Even the best PCR can have 30 percent fluctuations in density from lot to lot.

For running these materials, W&H is leading the way technologically. As a family-owned company, our leadership decided many years ago that 8 percent of our annual turnover would be put into R&D every year. At $1.2 billion, that means we’re investing over $100 million into R&D every year.

President Trump has proposed tariffs on imported goods of up to 25 percent. How would that affect W&H? 

Wheeler: It could be huge. During Trump’s first administration, he got into a little argument with Angela Merkel, chancellor of Germany, and he made a comment to the press about slapping 25 percent tariffs on products coming from Germany. Honestly, I almost had a heart attack. 

The duty rates in extrusion and printing have never changed during my career. In 40 years, they’ve never changed. It’s 3.1 percent duty on extrusion equipment and 2.2 percent on printing.

The uncertainty around tariffs right now is on everyone’s radar. The story changes multiple times per week, so it will be interesting to see where things will be when this interview is published. 

It affects both Canadians thinking about exporting their products into the U.S. and us thinking about machinery coming in. In this polarized world of politics right now, it seems no one wants these tariffs. 

Might tariffs result in bringing some manufacturing to the United States?

Wheeler: No, not in our branch. If someone decided that they were going to take advantage of this and build a U.S. machinery shop, the amount of time it would take them to do that would be years. 

What have you found most rewarding about your career?

Wheeler: The relationships that have been built over decades have led to much new business. I am also extremely proud of the team that we have in place and that so many people spend their entire careers with us. 

In your early years in business, who was your mentor and why?

Wheeler: Jim Feeney, first president of W&H. He taught me what I believe to be the right way to do business and to never forsake it. Ask yourself: What’s the right thing to do in a situation and for a customer regardless of the cost? That’s the right thing to do for business. 

What are your hobbies?  

Wheeler: Sports mostly. I played soccer and lacrosse in college and have been an active athlete my whole life. I also am a “late learner” in music and started playing bass when I was 45. 

How would you like to be remembered? What legacy do you want to leave behind?

Wheeler: That I was always a fair partner, a good friend, an excellent boss and collaborator, and someone who added to the already sterling reputation of our company.