1. Dethleffs GmbH Isny (1968 bis 1978)

Riedle comes from Ulm. His father was an architect. His mother was the daughter of Isnyer manufacturing family Dethleffs. Her brother, Arist Dethleffs, was the pioneer of the caravan in Germany. Riedle examined already during his studies - first in Tübingen and then in Munich - for his uncle the German caravan market. After graduation, he wanted to do a doctorate. His uncle, who had no son and successor, but said: " Saving time when you take over the company Dethleffs, you do not need a PhD." Riedle accepted the proposal and began the career as an assistant to his uncle. It was not easy: Arist Dethleffs was blind. The company was not doing well; even if we did not show it.

Two years after joining Dethleffs opened him his aunt for a museum visit on the way back to Isny ​​by the way: " We have sold the company Dethleffs." After this disappointment did not console the offer: The buyers were looking for the new Dethleffs CEO. They wanted to collaborate with Riedle. Who took over the task to examine himself. Maybe he really was not suitable for guiding the company his great-grandfather? One consolation for the loss of confidence in Arist, Fridel and Ursula Dethleffs was the offer but do not.

From 1970-1978 Riedle was alone responsible CEO of Dethleffs. After 10 years at Dethleffs his staff handed him a goodbye, leather-bound chronicle of his work. On the first page the dedication for Bernd Riedle is -look the photo. 

As Riedle Dethleffs taken, 86 employees achieved a turnover of DM 6 million in the year before his resignation was in the turnover -. 450 employees at that time - rose to DM 80 million. In the recently expanded, the new plant 600 employees were employed. Riedle had achieved his goal: Dethleffs was the first caravan manufacturer Germany- he had again become one of the best.

Together with the new owners, Wolfgang Thrun and Jakob Eicker, much has been achieved: Dethleffs was in the development of the semi-trailing arm axle with Prof. Dr. Kirchgässner the first; the new plant took advantage of all opportunities to improve quality; the leadership of the staff already in 1970 based on the wage model BOSCH introduced in 2015 for his employees: common objectives, instead of singular self-interest. The work was hard, but without the trusting collaboration with the team of the company that would not be successful.

After the 10th year at Dethleffs him the guidance of the great caravan and motor caravan Tabbert plant was of Burmah Oil Ltd, UK, plotted GmbH. Riedle accepted the offer: he had been a small business out in the SME sector. Now he could learn from Burmah Oil the lead in a group. Riedle accepted the offer.

2. Tabbert GmbH Bad Kissingen, eine Tochter der Burmah-Oil Ltd GB (1978 bis 1980)

Burmah Castrol was with, etc. Veedol an international company, the oil eg also promoted in Persia itself and processed worldwide in its subsidiaries and sold. In Tabbert secretly was the motto: money play at Burmah allegedly not matter. Therefore, the costs (especially the staff) were significantly higher than for the companies in the sector. Riedle's job as manager was to reduce costs and to build the new plant planned for Burmah for caravans and motorhomes. (RA Arnold Zeller, Supervisory Board at Tabbert, Dethleffs had visited during the inauguration of the plant in Isny. Zeller and Riedle had not met at the inauguration.)
The fulfillment of the objectives of Burmah at Tabbert brought many problems. The new wage policy was opposed by the employees: to high personnel costs could be reduced only by the change from metal to wood Employers' Association.
Recognition Riedle had found it at the parent company Burmah, but not among the employees of Tabbert. That was understandable. On the other hand the construction of the new factory of Burmah was approved and has begun - the jobs had become safer. Riedle ended the tension: Burmah and Riedle parted amicably. Nevertheless, the separation was bitterly - The success of the costs was not visible to outsiders. Only later stated Bernd Riedle that two years had been the best preparation for its next task in the international group.

3. CMC-Thrun-Hymer und Eicker GmbH & Co KG (1980 bis 1990)

The entrepreneur Wolfgang Thrun and Jakob Eicker, including also owner of Dethleffs GmbH were, reached an agreement with Erwin Hymer, their previously separate companies in the caravan and motorhome industry to unite. The group "CMC Thrun-Hymer and Eickermann GmbH & amp; Co KG "was founded in the companies:

Thrun-Eickermann GmbH, TE-Vertriebs-GmbH, Dethleffs GmbH + Hymer GmbH, Hymer France SA.

Wolfgang Thrun phoned Bernd Riedle and asked if he wanted to take over the leadership of the group as a central manager. Bernd Riedle gladly told him. With great optimism, the CMC launched in their future: all subsidiaries should be performed independently. First, only the reporting in the Group was unified. Incipient problems should be recognized in the subsidiaries themselves and resolved at an early stage. In the second step the material economy was intertwined: the number of the same parts has been increased - without compromising the authenticity of the cars. The joint purchasing was introduced - each company has been responsible for one of the areas of material. 1982 interrupted the economic crisis in Europe and the growth of the CMC: The AEG-Telefunken became insolvent. The unemployment rate rose to almost 9%. In the GDR, the first time women could be called up for military service. The Cold War escalated. The fear of the future unsettled prospects of caravans and motor caravans strong. Could you still travel with recreational vehicles in the future? Sales plummeted. The consequences: a manufacturing company of CMC in the Ruhr region with another 300 employees were stillge-sets - without bankruptcy. The few high-quality caravans for the brand TEC were then produced in Dethleffs in Isny, cheap cars were built by Trigano France on behalf of CMC
The CMC collapsed under the impact of the economic crisis almost together. The majority shareholder announced its CMC participation. A minority shareholder had also resign from the CMC due to economic problems. Mr. Erwin Hymer fought with Bernd Riedle to the reorganization of the group. 1985 was Mr. Hymer buy the shares of the two retired shareholder he = thus became no longer a minority shareholder, but the sole owner of the CMC.
From 1985 to 1990 it was possible to lead the CMC in constant stress again to success. Riedle drove without a driver at night - to save money and time - to the local subsidiaries. First, to solve the big financial problems with the banks; while it often accompanied Mr. Erwin Hymer. Later it went during the visits all about early detection of new opportunities or problem directly with the person in charge of the subsidiaries. Around 1990 appeared in MANAGER an investigation into major medium-sized companies in Germany. The CMC has confirmed the fourth place at the top. Since no figures for the Group were published by the CMC itself, remained unknown, who had passed the numbers. The first majority shareholder of CMC, Wolfgang Thrun had never published successes of the group. In Thrun not CMC appeared at press conferences, but only the subsidiaries. With the indiscretion
was next to the surprising result of the CMC also announced that the CMC was of almost all now become the largest group of European leisure vehicles unnoticed with its subsidiaries in 1980 had sales of CMC be 220 million. in the economic crisis in Europe, he dropped to 177 million By 1990 revenues from the sale are then increased to 540 million.