“We’ve got to tackle things now if we want to achieve anything.”
The port of Emden is Europe’s third-largest transhipment hub for cars, and the Brons Group has always been based here. In addition to his position in the Brons Group, for three years Claas Mauritz Brons worked part-time as head of the port development association to ensure that the port continues to move forward. But the young manager, who has been running one of the town’s best known companies with his father since 2018, has much more extensive plans for his home town and for the company group.
Just a few months before standing down as head of the port development association Emden, Claas Mauritz Brons had some more good news to report. At the end of 2022, it became known that the number of cars im- and exported through the seaport in the preceding twelve months exceeded the one million mark again, thus surpassing the symbolic million threshold once more. The other major transhipment statistics for the port of Emden were also on a good level.
For years, Emden has been competing with the port of Antwerp in Europe for third place in the European car transhipment business. Bremerhaven and Zeebrugge are well ahead in the lead, with the pursuers neck and neck behind them. “We want the port of Emden to hold third place at least”, says Claas Mauritz Brons. The businessman was chair of the port development association for three years. In 2023, he handed over the task of lobbying for Emden port to Reinhard Hegewald.
Always looking for creative solutions
Brons’ memories of his early days with the port development association are not all good ones. Barely in office, he was confronted with Covid-19. “It’s awful when there is nothing happening in the port – all the more so because no-one knew in the beginning how things would turn out”, he emphasises in retrospect. Fortunately, the local companies acted swiftly with a pragmatic approach to taking the necessary safety and hygiene measures. Claas Mauritz Brons isn’t afraid of difficult situations. He is always looking for creative solutions and is never one to stay clear of new things or challenges. Furthermore
his family has had close links with the maritime industry in Emden for nearly 200 years.
The roots go back to 1826, when Ysaac Brons, a merchant’s son, set up his own business trading in grain. Twelve years later, his brother Bernhard joint the company that now operated as “Y. & B. Brons”. They soon extended their business to shipping. Among others, they founded the shipping company “Ems-Dampfschiffahrtsgesellschaft Concordia” in 1843 and operated private ferry services between Emden and Delfzijl and between Emden and Leer. In years to come, their ships also sailed all the way to China, and crossed the Atlantic to bring migrants to North America. The company was the predecessor for AG Ems, which has around 500 employees today. The following generations constantly expanded the business. The Group’s portfolio today includes maritime services as well as port handling and trading. The company is still owned by the company and is run by Dr Claas T. H. Brons and his son, Claas Mauritz Brons.
Cyprus, India and Singapore
Claas Mauritz meanwhile represents the sixth generation of the Brons family and has been the boss since 2018. Immediately after leaving school, he studied law, just like his two older brothers. “But I soon realised that I felt more drawn to business, so I went on to do a Master’s degree in transportation and maritime management at the University of Antwerp”, he says. That was the perfect combination for him and his life plan. And: “This turned out to be my professional passion.”
After graduating, Brons went to Hamburg and spent eighteen months gaining experience in shipping and ship financing with the auditing and consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. After graduating, Brons went to Hamburg and spent eighteen months gaining experience in shipping and ship financing with the auditing and consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. His subsequent move to the shipping company Bernhard Schulte not only gave him an opportunity to get involved in developing the corporate strategy but also allowed him to put his skills to the test on an international scale. Among others, this involved stays in Cyprus, India and Singapore. This was an “exciting and instructive” time, where he came to know the entire range of the maritime business. He still benefits from the contacts he made back then. The strategy department allowed Claas Mauritz Brons to gain a wealth of experience in the highly diversified company, that has more than 30 offices throughout the world and a workforce of around 22,000 employees.
Despite the great appeal of Singapore, where he lived for about twelve months, he still had no inclination to stay in the Lion City for good. “In the end, I just love my home too much”. So he came back to Emden. After all these years spent learning and travelling, he now felt mature enough to join the family company and take over running the firm in a team with his father.
Hydrogen as perspective for the future
Can that work? “Everyone asks me that”, says the younger team member, before clarifying: “We work together extremely well. And I’m grateful for every day that my father is still at my side.” Claas Mauritz appreciates the huge wealth of experience and skills that his father offers and consults him gladly and frequently. At the same time, Claas Brons Sr. also leaves Claas Brons Jr. great scope when it comes to taking corporate decisions. “We’ve both got our own minds, but we aim to agree on things together”, he says, as a positive summary of the roughly four years they have spent working together.
As the father of three children and now in his mid-30s, Claas Mauritz Brons knows that the future is still in the making. A process that will probably never end. He wants to get involved.
He feels deeply affected by issues such as the environment, the climate and energy. “We’ve got to tackle things now if we want to achieve anything.” Together with two partners, he has founded the company H2Nord GmbH & Co. KG. The aim is to generate and save hydrogen from renewable energy by electrolysis from 2024 onwards. The three companies are currently working with Energiepark Emden GmbH & Co. KG to plan the largest photovoltaic park in Lower Saxony with output of 94 MW. Theoretically, this should provide more than 27,300 households with green energy, supplied by around 170,000 photovoltaic modules.
Six public fuel stations in Ostfriesland are initially planned for the corresponding sales. with sites in Leer, Aurich, Georgsheil, Norden, Borkum and of course Emden. More should follow. Refuelling takes just a few minutes. A fuel cell in the vehicle then converts the hydrogen into electricity that drives an electric motor. No harmful emissions. Guaranteed clean driving.
Brons: “We want to set up a totally green hydrogen infrastructure that will be available to everyone.” Buzz phrase: from the coast in the car. The concept is so promising that a number of additional partners have got involved in H2Nord.
Work – more of a love than a burden
When he talks about the possibilities of using hydrogen, he can’t hide his enthusiasm. Brons is not just an inventor and visionary: he’s also someone who makes every personal effort to promote issues close to his heart. He avoids diversions and prefers the direct approach.
What keeps him going? “What motivates me is that I really enjoy my work and all the many varied projects”, he says. “Work for me is more of a love than a burden.” He doesn’t think in “nine to five” terms: the boundaries between his private and working life tend to be fuzzy.
He also draws strength from his wife and the children. Life at home revolves around the three children. “As a huntsman, I used to think nothing of travelling 700 km and more to get to hunting grounds. I don’t do that anymore”; he admits. His priorities have changed. But his love of travelling is still on the list. “That’s my other great passion”. His focus is on city tours. The last trip was to Oporto with the family. “You see the old folk sitting around the plazas playing backgammon. I love that kind of atmosphere on holiday.”
Company boss, family man, travel enthusiast: so how come he’s still got time for another job with the port development association? Claas Mauritz Brons looks serious at first and then grins: “Of course, I’m always looking to move on, to move forwards.” There’s no stopping developments, there’s never a final state – neither in the port, nor in the company or the family. The word “standstill” simply isn’t in his vocabulary.
