The Baust Group is setting the course for the next generation

Langenfeld, December 2025 – There are moments in an entrepreneur's life that transcend numbers, balance sheets, or market share. For Franz Baust, who shaped the fortunes of the Baust Group for over three decades, that moment has arrived. After 35 years with the company, 30 of them as Managing Director, he is handing over the reins of the family business to new leadership. Not to family members, but to two entrepreneurs who share Baust's values: Felix Lütkebomk and Daniel Morent.

What at first glance sounds like a classic succession plan is in reality an example of lived responsibility: towards employees, customers and the location.

Because Baust is representative of many German medium-sized companies that face the same question: How can a company remain independent, innovative and humane when the family is not seeking succession?

A family business reinvents itself without losing its soul.

The Baust Group has developed into a hidden champion of intralogistics over the past decades.

Their pallet changers are now considered the benchmark in the pharmaceutical and food industries: wherever hygiene, precision, and reliability are crucial. This specialization was no accident, but the result of clear decisions. Franz Baust has continuously modernized the company, driven technical innovations, and transformed it into a stable, independent, medium-sized enterprise.

But eventually, the question of the future arose. "There was no one in the family who wanted to take over," Baust says frankly. "It was important to me that the company not be sold, but rather continued responsibly – with people who understand what makes Baust what it is."

The perfect match: two entrepreneurs with a passion for technology and small and medium-sized enterprises

After a selection process lasting several years, Felix Lütkebomk and Daniel Morent were chosen as two personalities whose experience ideally complements each other.

Lütkebomk, an engineer and digitalization expert, represents technological depth, systems thinking, and a future-oriented approach. Morent brings decades of experience in sales, market development, and customer relations in intralogistics. "What unites us is our respect for what has been created here – and the desire to develop it further," says Lütkebomk. Through a management buy-in (MBI), the two entrepreneurs will assume responsibility for the newly founded Baust Pallet Handling GmbH on January 1, 2026. Felix Lütkebomk will take on the role of Managing Director, while Daniel Morent will be responsible for building the business development and strategic sales division.

Franz Baust will initially remain with the company in an operational capacity and later in an advisory role – as a bridge between the past and the future.

A new chapter: Digital, human, independent

The vision of the new owners is clear: Baust will remain what it is: an independent, value-oriented medium-sized company with a focus on technology, quality and reliability.

But at the same time, a new phase begins:

• Digitalization and AI In the future, Baust's products and processes should be further strengthened.
• Profitability and stability remain above rapid growth,
• and the long-term independence This remains the stated goal.

“We don’t want to change Baust, but rather develop it,” Morent explains. “The company’s DNA: Technical excellence, integrity, and a partnership-based approach are our foundation. That’s what we’re building on.”

More than just a business transfer – a signal for medium-sized businesses

At a time when many medium-sized businesses are being sold to investors or broken up, this step is a counter-model:

A successful family business remains privately owned , independent and regionally rooted – but with a fresh entrepreneurial spirit.

For Franz Baust, this is more than just a conclusion: “I am grateful that we have found a solution that is fair to the company, the employees and the region. It is a good feeling to let go – knowing that the future is in good hands.”

Background: Baust Group

The Baust Group, headquartered in Langenfeld, is a leading provider of pallet changers and pallet handling solutions for the pharmaceutical, food, and logistics industries. Founded in 1958, the company has established itself over time as a technological market leader through its high degree of specialization.

Baust Stanztechnologie GmbH, previously part of the group, will remain under the management of Franz Baust for the time being and will continue to operate independently or separately from MBI in the field of rotary stamping technologies.