He has his children compete publicly for the company's succession, demonizes entrepreneurs who produce abroad, and now this: in 2022, the Trigema boss will be working entirely without a computer. From the digital business magazine Business Insider took him through his everyday office life.

Butlers and thatched-roof estates in Swabia, bespoke suits and company helicopters - the lifestyle that Wolfgang Grupp likes to present to media representatives is a talking point. His succession plan is causing even more controversy. When asked by DIE ZEIT whether Bonita or Wolfgang Jr. will take over, the 80-year-old replied that his children's choice of partner will be the main deciding factor.

Old-fashioned? Out of date? Who is Wolfgang Grupp?

The man to whom we owe the advertisement with the chimpanzee during prime time before the news has been running the textile manufacturer Trigema in Burladingen, Swabia, since 1969. The company employs around 1,200 people and produces exclusively in Germany. He guarantees the children of his employees an apprenticeship. Solidarity and justice, not power and market share, says Grupp.

Lists, folders and employees who note down every decision

Grupp does not use a computer. His cell phone is also switched off in the cupboard when he is at work. Instead, he uses the telephone and intercom. His day starts before nine o'clock in an open-plan office that he shares with his children, his wife and other employees. E-mails are printed out and presented to him in a gray folder. He dictates the answers to his employee. Dispatch lists pile up on his desk. Together with his wife and his production manager, the company boss discusses the upcoming collection. The ladies make a note of every decision: Which product will stay, which will be discarded. On the other side of the desk, Grupp goes through his lists with a ballpoint pen. After 4 p.m., the boss no longer attends appointments. He prefers to take a tour of his company and check on his pilot, the warehouse and the dispatch department.