Author: Kloepfel

Mastering supplier audits on remote Visiting key suppliers on site should be a matter of course: Be it initially to select the right partner, for regular quality control or capacity checks prior to a new major order. In addition, many industries are currently showing how important good supplier relationships are for their own security of supply. Travel is only possible to a limited extent. So what can be done? Kloepfel Senior Partner Thomas Wandler reveals how the audit can be carried out on remote. Mr. Wandler, what are the occasions for supplier audits? During qualification and/or approval of a new…

Sonova acquires Consumer Electronics Audio specialist Sennheiser, known for its headphones, is divesting its consumer division. This division, called “Consumer Electronics” by the long-established company, is being taken over in its entirety by the Swiss hearing aid supplier Sonova. Der Spiegel and Handelsblatt report a purchase price of 200 million euros. Sennheiser had already announced in February that it would focus on the Professional segment in the future and look for a partner for the Consumer Electronics segment. Joint brand umbrella As Sennheiser’s press release states, the Sennheiser brand will remain. Thus, regarding the partnership with Sonova, Sennheiser writes: “Both…

German companies show strong competitiveness Anton F. Börner, President of the German Wholesale, Foreign Trade and Services Association (BGA), says that the situation of German foreign trade is at pre-crisis levels. He also emphasizes the strong competitiveness and flexibility in dealing with special circumstances that German companies have demonstrated by finding their footing again despite the special circumstances. According to the Federal Statistical Office, goods worth 126.5 billion euros were exported in March. Compared to the previous year, exports increased by 16.1 percent. German imports also rose by 15.5 percent year-on-year to 105.9 billion euros. With these figures, the foreign…

Traditional company achieves technological breakthrough The IT corporation IBM has succeeded in producing a 2-nanometer chip. Until now, it was considered impossible or simply too expensive to produce such a small chip. According to IBM, this chip will house up to 50 billion transistors on an area the size of a fingernail. Possible advantages of 2-nanometer chip technology The technology company cites an expected 45 percent increase in performance for the new chip compared to a 7-nanometer chip. In addition, energy consumption is expected to be 75 percent lower. In concrete terms, this means a possible quadrupling of the battery…

Against price increases and shortages! 1. Tip: Tap alternative suppliers 2. Tip: Use weaker phases for optimization 3. Tip: Maintain supplier relationships systematically 4. Tip: Probe hidden overcapacities in the market 5. Tip: Global sourcing is not equal to China sourcing 6. Tip: Competitive advantage through standardization 7. Tip: Use networks of associations and purchasing consultants In times of raw shortages sourcing is the number 1 topic for many buyers. While some suppliers can hardly save themselves from orders, others have lost reliable customers as a result of the crisis. Kloepfel partner and sourcing expert Thanh Duy Tran reveals how…

How companies are securing electronic components now German SMEs have been hit hard by the current shortage of raw materials, and electronic components are also at a peak in demand. We talked to Jörg Menkhaus, senior manager at Kloepfel Consulting, about the market situation, the causes of the price explosion, and short- and long-term strategies for securing supplies. What does the current market situation or supply situation look like for which electronical topics? Economic performance in Asia and the U.S. was surprising last year, with strong growth in Asia and at least not as weakened in the U.S. as it…

HWWI commodity price index rises moderately in March HWWI overall index increased by 3.2 % (US dollar basis) Crude oil prices rose by 5.8 % Nickel prices drop by 11 % (Hamburg, April 13, 2021) The HWWI Commodity Price Index rose by an average of 3.2 % in March compared to the previous month. The index thus exceeded its previous year’s value from March 2020, at the beginning of the first global lockdown, by 82 %. All three sub-indices for energy raw materials, industrial raw materials, as well as food and beverages continued to rise on average in March but…

Thanks to Chinese market, global economy experiences upswing The gross domestic product (GDP) of China clearly shows that the economy has almost overcome the effects of the Corona pandemic. In the first quarter of this year, a record growth of 18.3 percent, year-on-year, was recorded. This is the highest growth since measurements began 30 years ago. Thanks to China, the global economy is experiencing an upswing, as it did during the 2008 global financial crisis, and global companies operating in the Chinese market have recently seen high sales. Foreign trade strengthens most A large part of the growth was strengthened…

Purchase for nearly $20 billion Microsoft is buying Nuance Communications, a speech recognition and artificial intelligence (AI) specialist. In doing so, Microsoft says it is advancing its cloud strategy for healthcare. The purchase price cited in Microsoft’s press release is the sum of $19.7 billion, including net debt. Thus, it is the second largest acquisition in Microsoft’s history. About five years ago, the IT group paid $27 billion for the career network LinkedIn. The acquisition, announced Monday, is still subject to approval by competition authorities. Microsoft wants to complete the purchase process in the course of this year. After that,…

Partnership with Qingling Motors German automotive supplier Bosch has established the joint venture Bosch Hydrogen Powertrain Systems with Chinese commercial vehicle manufacturer Qingling Motors. The new company will develop, assemble, and market fuel cell systems, known as fuel cell power modules, for the Chinese market. With this partnership, Bosch and Qingling Motors intend to combine their technology and market expertise. To this end, the Bosch press release states the goal of contributing to the development of the fuel cell market in the country and to the transformation of the automotive industry there. As early as this year, there will be…

The manufacturing industry contributes 30% to the German economy. This is considerably more than the European average of 13% and an even bigger difference with the Netherlands where the contribution is no more than 12% (EZK: Vision for the future of the industry in the Netherlands). There is no doubt that we can learn from our German colleagues when it comes to purchasing on behalf of industrial production. However, it is striking to see how little attention we tend to pay to the German purchasing community compared to our interest in procurement in countries like the UK or Sweden. Unjustified.…

How you can steamroll exploding air and ocean freight costs Are you also affected by the explosion in air and ocean freight costs? In the wake of the pandemic, freight forwarders severely limited their capacities, and in some cases even sold off means of transport. Now they are ramping up again, but capacity remains limited, existing customers are being given preference – for everyone else, there is still downtime and profiteering. What can you do as a willing new customer? Sebastian Krings, partner and logistics expert at Kloepfel Consulting, on price and negotiation levers in the ocean and air freight…

The “Best Consultants” award recognizes the best management consultancies in Germany every year. Kloepfel Consulting has now been awarded the recognized industry seal for the sixth time in a row. Every year, the business magazine brand eins and the statistics portal Statista announce the winners of the “Best Consultants” award. Recommendations from consultants and customers are used to decide which companies receive the award. Thus, in the first part of a survey, consultants are approached as industry representatives, and in the second part, customers are questioned as company representatives. To be able to make a representative judgment, more than 1,800…

Cybercrime has been on the rise for years, but since the beginning of the Corona crisis, attacks by criminal hackers on IT landscapes have also been increasing in medium-sized businesses. In Germany, cybercrime remains one of the top 3 business risks, along with business interruption (including supply chain disruption) and pandemic outbreak, according to Allianz’s latest Risk Barometer. Companies are therefore well advised to look for alternative methods to mitigate cyber risks. In this regard, buyers can assist in sourcing professional services. One of the strategic sourcing approaches is the bug bounty method, which has not yet been popularly known.…

HWWI commodity price index continues to rise in February HWWI overall index increased by 7.4 % (US dollar basis) Crude oil prices rose by 12 % Strong price growth of over 20 % on the tin market (Hamburg, March 5, 2021) The HWWI commodity price index rose by an average of 7.4 % in February compared to the previous month, exceeding the average value of March 2020 by 24 %. All three sub-indices for energy, industrial raw materials, as well as food and beverages recorded average price increases in February compared to the previous month. Prices for crude oil rose…

Corrected figures with lower growth rate than expected. This Tuesday, Japan’s government presented corrected gross domestic product (GDP) figures for the fourth quarter of 2020. According to these figures, the Japanese economy grew in the three months, but not as strongly as expected. In the period, GDP increased by 11.7 percent when extrapolated for the entire year. In the preliminary figures previously cited, growth of 12.7 percent had been expected. Compared with the previous quarter, Japan’s GDP grew by 2.8 percent in the period from October to December. An increase of 3 percent has previously been assumed here. Japan’s economy…

The symbol of a new beginning EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed in a telephone conversation to refrain from imposing punitive tariffs for the time being. The reason for the punitive tariffs was a dispute concerning special levies imposed on aircraft construction subsidies. This agreement is initially valid for the next four months. The decision is intended as a symbol of the new beginning between the U.S. and the EU. The dispute in detail In the detail the controversy concerns subsidies for the European airline company Airbus as well as its competitor the…

Oil prices up sharply after oil cartel meeting OPEC+, which consists of OPEC and other allies, is keeping its oil production constant at a lower level. Thus, the production cuts already in place will be extended until April. This was decided by the oil cartel at a meeting on Thursday. It was also decided that thereafter production will not be increased immediately, but gradually. Oil prices at highest level in almost 14 months After the decision, oil prices for Brent and WTI rose sharply. As reported by the Reuters news agency, they are currently at their highest level in almost…