Author: Kloepfel
Your partner for corporate transactions and corporate finance in SMEs As one of the main business units of the Kloepfel Group, Kloepfel Corporate Finance has specialised in the area of corporate finance advisory. Their focus is on mergers & acquisitions (M&A) in the SME segment. Kloepfel Corporate Finance successfully advises and supports national and international companies, family offices and private equity funds in their transaction matters, both on the sale and purchase side. Related financing issues are also the focus of their services. With more than 100 in-house experts of the Kloepfel Group in various industries and markets, the company…
Based on the success of Kloepfel in the German speaking regions and after establishing companies in several Eastern European countries, Kloepfel Consulting is now planning to broaden its European footprint by opening offices in the Benelux markets. Peter Smit, Manager at Kloepfel Benelux and spokesperson for the Benelux market is convinced that Benelux manufacturing companies could improve their procurement: “Many Benelux-based companies, just like their neighbours in Germany, miss out on valuable procurement savings. If the right measures are taken, these savings can be effectively turned into sustainable net profit.” Benelux customers will be able to benefit from the direct…
Interview with Egor Kozlov of GFE Solutions, and Philipp Jansen of LÜHR FILTER All over Europe we experience a shortage of skilled workers. Many companies work with outsourcing service providers in order to occupy their vacancies. But regional providers can be too expensive, especially for small and mid-sized companies. However, prices of Eastern European providers can be much cheaper while providing the same or even better quality. Egor Kozlov, CEO of the Ukrainian company GFE Solutions, and Philipp Jansen, CFO of LÜHR FILTER, talked to the Kloepfel Magazine about their joint project. What service does GFE Solutions provide for its…
Transaction background The individual enterprise of Arnd Brüning, founded in 1992 in Fischerhude near Bremen, presents itself today as the Brüning Group with the companies Brüning-Euromulch GmbH, Brüning-Megawatt GmbH, Brüning-Logistik GmbH, Brüning International GmbH and Gebrüder Meyer GmbH. Since then the group developed to a service enterprise operating European-wide and is established among other things as a market leader with the supply of biomass (heat) power stations. Positioned as a supply and disposal company, the Brüning Group structures and bundles the flow of mainly woody raw materials for thermal and material recycling (e.g. to energy producers, wood-processing industry, gardeners and…
Negotiations in purchasing and logistics Negotiation is one of the most used and decisive tools for buyers. A strategically successful negotiation can promise huge costs or welcomed savings. Savings in purchasing usually go hand in hand with a higher profit margin and a stronger competitive position. In the following guidebook article you can read about 7 effective tips that can make your next negotiation a great success. 1. Set negotiating goals and increase motivation Purchasing and procurement have a great potential to increase sales and profits of a company. For example, in the German automotive industry, one percent savings in…
Politics puts pressure on companies The grand coalition is making companies more committed to ensuring compliance with human rights in their supply chains. In the coalition agreement of 2018, it was agreed that it would be reviewed whether the current voluntary commitment would be honored or not. For this purpose, 1800 companies with more than 500 employees will be surveyed from August onwards. If less than 50 percent of the companies surveyed adhere to the standards along the supply chain, they want to introduce a new law. Change in questionnaire causes criticism A similar law already exists in France. Here,…
Ex-Topmanager from Audi Peter Hochholdinger leaves the US car manufacturer Tesla as head of production. The German car expert was regarded as a hopeful that the stagnating production could be set in motion. In the summer of 2016, he moved from Audi to the Elon Musk company to improve production. This was reported by the industry blog Electrek. Tesla has not yet commented, nor has Hochholdinger. He was responsible for the production of the A4, A5 and Q5 models at Audi in Ingolstadt for more than 20 years before joining the US-Americans. He is a trained tool inspector and materials…
Cooperation with Ericsson and Telefónica Car manufacturer Mercedes makes its plant in Sindelfingen fit for industry 4.0 and equips production with the latest 5G standard. For the implementation, the car manufacturer cooperates with Telefónica Germany and the network supplier Ericsson. The 5G technology will initially be used in a 20,000 square meter section of Factory 56 in the production area. The plant is one of the top 3 car factories in Germany. Here, the E- and S-class models come off the assembly line. Mercedes gets its own campus network Mercedes wants to use the 5G network to make production more…
OECD comparison of industrialized countries The tax burden in Germany is particularly high for employees. This is the result of the latest “taxing wages” study for 2018 published in April by the industrialized countries organization OECD. In an international comparison, Germany does not perform very well for employees: single people pay 49.5 percent of their income to the state in the form of taxes (including employer’s contribution / with an average income). For comparison: the average of the 36 OECD countries is 36.1 percent. This means that only Belgium is ahead of Germany (52.7 percent). Taxes are also high for…
Optimized insurance management not only saves costs, but also guarantees sustainable protection – and all this continuously at improved insurance conditions. Insurances are a daily business for Bernd Hendges, Head of Insurance Management at Kloepfel Consulting. In an interview with Kloepfel Magazine, he reports on how his everyday life in insurance management is structured, how optimization projects are carried out and what companies can do to realize advantages on their own. Which three tips would you give to companies that would like to optimize their insurance management? First and foremost, companies should of course examine their own insurance programs in…
HWWI raw material price index decreases for the first time this year HWWI total index falls by 2.7% (US dollar basis).
Further deletions after 2020 Ford is currently undergoing Group restructuring in Germany. Due to the changes in the automotive industry, German boss Hermann ordered a long-term savings program. Even after the ongoing restructuring measures have been completed, personnel will continue to be reduced. The current savings are “the first level to ensure a minimum profitability and to be in the black – and over the years there will certainly be further changes”, says Gunnar Herrmann, CEO of Ford Germany. Ford needs fewer employees for e-cars The reason is the switch from combustion engines to alternative drives, since fewer people are…
Digitalization is a challenge According to a Bitkom study, logisticians must be more proactive in the field of digitalization and more open to new technologies. 79 percent of the companies stated that they see digitalization as a challenge. In addition, the majority of companies are reluctant to invest or undertake further training. Nevertheless, logistics companies consider the opportunities offered by digitalization to be promising. Here, 92 percent cited the acceleration of transport, 85 percent the long-term reduction in logistics costs and 79 percent the advantages of less susceptible transport chains. Although many companies have already established digital technologies such as…
Cooperation with Northvolt Wolfsburg-based Volkswagen continues to invest heavily in electric mobility. The car manufacturer is providing 900 million euros for a collaboration with the Swedish company Northvolt. The money is to flow into the construction of a European battery cell factory in Salzgitter. In return, Volkswagen will receive 20 percent of Northvolt’s shares. However, it is not known how much the investment will cost the carmakers. The Swedes announced that they had generated only one billion dollars in investor money. This also includes BMW, the VW competitor. The battery cell factory in Salzgitter is to start operation in 2024…
First Aldi-Süd store in Shanghai According to the company, Aldi will start its expansion in China in the coming days. According to a spokesman, the discounter plans to open two pilot stores there next week. There were no further details. Previously, the newspapers “Lebensmittel Zeitung” and “manager magazin” reported on the opening of a branch in the metropolis of Shanghai. The latter stated that the opening should take place on June 7. In addition to the usual Aldi products, the flagship store will also sell fresh fish at the counter. Competition for Lidl “This is a further step in the…
European Court of Justice passes judgement The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has decided: Employers in the European Union must now systematically record employees’ working hours. The working time directive and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union oblige employers to do this. This is the only way to check correctly whether the permissible working times have been exceeded and thus the only way to guarantee the employees’ rights in accordance with EU directives and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. Deutsche Bank now had to reckon with a lawsuit from Spain. The usual recording of only overtime…
David and Goliath – Clever procurement beats monopolists “The supplier has increased the prices in his updated offer, that’s outrageous,” the purchaser complains to his sales colleague at lunch. “Then find an alternative supplier and re-tender the component,” he replies. “That’s exactly where the problem lies. No one else has been able to supply the component yet, we’re dealing with a monopolist,” the buyer replies with dismay. This is a typical situation that many purchasing departments suffer from on a regular basis. In addition to high prices and poor delivery conditions, this puts pressure on employee motivation. Doesn’t the challenge…
The Silk Road is myth, reality and vision at the same time: Once a trade route for silk, this network of trade routes from China to the rest of the world is awakening from a long sleep. The Chinese government wants to revive the “new” Silk Road. In fact, the Silk Road is not a single road, but a whole network of old trade links that reach from the Middle Kingdom to Europe. Opened in 115 B.C., it was initially mainly used for trading silk. In the 15th century it lost its importance. However, the new old Silk Road has…