Alumni in leadership
Family Entrepreneur Andreas Duschl
“We Offer People a Professional Base”
Gruppenbild vor IKOM-Fotowand:  v.l.n.r.: Marius Beller und Niclas-Alexander Mauss (IKOM/TUM), Susanne Duschl, Andreas Duschl, TUM-Kanzler Albert Berger, Mitarbeiter Stefanie Gschwendtner, Alexander von Schneyder und Michaela Erben, vorne Leni und Anian Duschl.
12. Jan 2019  |  
Reading time Min.

TUM Alumni and IKOM Award winner Andreas Duschl is offering a lot of freedom to his employees – and thus creates the foundation for his family business' success (Image: private).

High professional standards paired with freedom, Bavarian lifestyle and humanity – what Andreas Duschl valued in his studies at TUM is today the core philosophy of his family business.
Wedeling down an empty ski slope every Tuesday in winter season and instead going to the office on a Saturday with a fresh mind; going to the hairdresser on a Wednesday morning without a long wait or starting a work day at 2 p.m. and finishing it at night in return: all these are freedoms that Andreas Duschl grants the approximately 150 employees of his company ‘Duschl Ingenieure’. “Keeping people on a leash doesn’t work,” he is convinced. “As long as it is compatible with the projects, everyone can organize themselves according to their biorhythm, their personal circumstances or their interests.” So far, this trust in his employees has never been disappointed. “I have never felt exploited by anyone,” says the 44-year-old. On the contrary: “As a company, we also profit when an employee is in their power!”

Strong values as a foundation for success

For Andreas Duschl, a Christian believer, the strong focus on values is the basis for the success of his medium-sized company. “We have a high service standard and expect the same from our employees. I want people with poise, the ability to make sound judgements and to think outside the box. This also means that I perceive them and take them seriously in everything that makes them tick”. Whether someone is a single parent or is caring for a parent cannot be ignored in the workplace. “I try not to treat my employees the same, but always individually according to their specific situation.”

Andreas Duschl has virtually been born into the family business. His father Gerhard founded the Consulting Engineering Office for Technical Equipment and Energy Technology in 1971 and still, alongside his son, acts as managing director. Like his father Gerhard, Andreas Duschl decided to study Electrical Engineering at TUM after graduating from high school. For him, this was the right choice to this day. “The time at TUM has not only shaped me professionally, but also reaffirmed my values,” he says. “I experienced a lot of freedom and strongly felt being supported and challenged. It was an extremely high standard, but also a lot of Bavarian lifestyle and humanity.”

Focussing on the next generation

The medium-sized company owner sees it as an important responsibility to pass on his experience and values to the next generation. On average, his company has eight trainees in four professions, and Andreas Duschl also gives lectures at universities. For engineers in particular, it is of great importance to look beyond the main areas of study. “It is essential to approach technical and ethical questions openly and to understand people. It is not just about pure usefulness,” he emphasises.

“Sometimes it is important to swim against the current.“

Andreas Duschl

However, his most important advice to the next generation is: “Don’t believe anyone who has career advice for you. Instead feel inside yourself and find out what you really enjoy.” That could well mean having to swim against the current. “When I wanted to deepen my knowledge of Energy Engineering during my studies, everyone advised me against it. We were the smallest group of new students that ever existed – only 15 specialized in Energy Engineering,” says the entrepreneur. Yet this was exactly the right thing to do, because: “Many of our existential questions today revolve around energy”.
TUM Alumni Andreas Duschl.

Andreas Duschl (Image: private).

Andreas Duschl

Diploma Electrical and Computer Engineering 2001

 

Andreas Duschl was born in Rosenheim in 1975. In 2001 he completed his studies in Electrical Engineering with a focus on Energy Engineering at TUM and joined the family business in 2003.

In 2018, ‘Duschl Ingenieure’ won the ‘IKOM Award Zukunftsarbeitgeber’ (IKOM Award for Employers of the Future), which honours medium-sized companies for their particularly responsible management. In addition to Andreas Duschl and company founder Gerhard Duschl, also his brother Helmut and Andreas Duschl’s brother Hanns have studied Electrical Engineering at TUM.

The strong connection to his family is what the entrepreneur and father of two children draws the most strength from.