IN THEIR OWN WORDS:

You were five years old when the
Second World War broke out.
What were your memories of the
war? Helmut: “They tovk all the
kids out of Nuremberg into safer
places. We wouic cond up for six
weeks with a ‘amily in the coun-
wryside and another six weeks up in
a forested area. Finally they took
us to the Alps to a children’s
camp. I don’t think we as kids ever
saw the war as being a frightening
thing, where adults saw it more as
a threat. We saw it as excitement,
an adventure. Being away from the
city, we weren't subjected to the
same things. As a matter of fact
we were the heroes of our family
because we would work for the
American soldiers and take the
cigarettes and chocolates they gave
us and trade them for bread and
butter and meat. We brought it
home and we werc so sinail that
our knapsacks would hang down
to our heels.””

What does Ebco stand for? Hugo:
“We used to be called Eppich and
Burger Manufacturing Company
but we changed the name after one
year because we had too many
guys calling us ‘‘Eppich and Ham-
burger.’”

How have you managed to survive
for 34 years? Helmut: ‘‘Because
we are so diversified. You don’t
find companies like us casily —
even in the East it’s hard to
find...We are an industry which
can show that manufacturing of
different products can actually
take place here in B.C.”"

You were awarded the Project
Management of the Year Award
this week. Why? Helmut: ‘We
received it for the work we did on
the TRIUMF cyclotron. It was a
very scientifically interesting pro-
ject where a lot of different people
had to come together...For exam-
ple, there is a classic model how
the Americans work. They have
the researchers, the developers, the
manufacturing processors and the
people who make the product. It is
all kept quite separate. In Japan,
they would put the researchers, the
developers and the manufacturing
engineers all together, and find the
best way to build the factory, and
then they would give it to
manufacturing and they would
make the goods. What we did was
go a step further (in building the
cyclotron). We put all those things
together including manufacturing.
The only way you can do this is if
you get the manufacturers together
with the scientists and the
engineers, so that they can design
the cyclotron in such a way that it
will fit your capabilities, your
tools, your machines. And we also
had the customer very close by.
We feel that this is the fastest way
you can build the prototype and
bring it to the commerical market
— faster than even the Japanese
market...It was important to have
something like this happen and
show it as a model that it can be
done in B.C. of all places... You
would not look for this kind of
capability in Vancouver. It’s just
not done here. That’s what cre-
ators know, that's what British
Columbians knew, that's what the
whole world knows. But, lo and
behold, we did it."

How are working relations be-
tween you? Helmut: ‘‘We have no
alternative but to get along.’’
Hugo: ‘‘We've been together 34
years and we know whatl’s good
for us. We enhance each other and
stimulate cach other in certain
areas where maybe one doesn’t
look at it the right way. We get
more honest answers from each
other than we would from out-

AFFLUENCE]
ey

siders, because outsiders tend to be
too friendly. They don’t want to
rock the boat or say things that
might hurt your feelings. We, on
the other hand, just say it. We find

EBCO CHAIRMAN and CEO, Helmut Eppich’s (above)
— which stresses respect for all

corporate value system
employees — is attracting

community. Hugo Eppich (right) says ‘‘1’m surprised myself
at what we can do if we have to.”’

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that if we get into any problems
it’s usually outsiders who get us in-
to them.”’

On being identical twins: Hugo:

= INFLUENCE

55 - Sunday, May 20, 1990 - North Shore News

The Eppich

“Twins have a more special rela-
tionship than brothers. Twins are
always together — we were always
together as kids, we grew up
together, went to school together.

Brothers

Somehow we got back together in
business, despite wanting to have
our own shops. But somehow, we
complemented cach other, and it
was better for us to be one.”"

aS.

attention from the business

NEWS photos Paul McGrath

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