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Approximately four in ten Swiss industrial companies see great potential for a greater efficiency in the production process. But they also see many opportunities for greater efficiency and additional customer benefit in other areas, too, such as procurement, sales and distribution, logistics or research and development. This is the outcome of a study by the Staufen AG consultancy on the consequences for the Swiss industry of the revaluation of the Swiss Franc. 86 companies were questioned for this survey.

75 percent of industrial companies complain about too many parallel innovation projects. A major problem is a massive investment in activities that after a long advanced development phase prove little suitable for the market. On the other hand, there is often a lack of capacities for really promising innovations: Almost every other company has not enough qualified staff with the skills and expertise to advance innovations. This is what the Staufen Management Consultancy found in its 2015 Innovation Study. More than 150 German industrial enterprises were surveyed about this.

Until now, research and development activities of German engineering companies tended to focus mainly on the home market. But these companies are in the process of changing their thinking – and China, in particular, comes to the fore. Thirteen percent of companies are already planning the establishment of new research, development and construction departments in that country, while only 9 per cent of companies want to establish further R+D capacities in Germany. These are the results of a study by the Staufen AG consultancy together with the German Engineering Association (VDMA). The survey involved 138 companies in this industry.

Nine out of ten industrial enterprises feel under pressure to increase the number of new products and to shorten their development times. In practice, however, the requirements for this are still lacking. For instance, work on innovations mostly takes place during overtime hours or after work for almost one in three companies. In addition to this, good ideas are rewarded too rarely, especially in large enterprises. Here, employees at one in five businesses even expect to make a fool of themselves when contributing creative ideas. This is what the Staufen Management Consultancy found in its 2015 Innovation Study. More than 150 German industrial enterprises were surveyed about this.

German industry reports that there is plenty of room for improvement when it comes to sales and distribution. In a recent study by Staufen Management Consultancy, companies rated the quality of their sales and distribution only as satisfactory. The reason for this sobering self-assessment: Whilst sales representatives give outstanding service, it is let down massively by internal sales processes. For the study, 110 German industrial companies from different sectors were interviewed.

German industry and especially mechanical engineering must establish themselves more globally in the future. It is also necessary for them to focus on the risks and opportunities of digitalisation and streamline their own processes in parallel. If you currently consider yourself safe thanks to past successes, you’re risking your own competitive ability and thus your future. This was the central message on “BestPractice Day 2015” of Staufen Management Consultancy.

German industry is increasing in speed in Industry 4.0: Thus, the number of companies intelligently interweaving their production with the most up-and-coming information and communication technology had more than doubled in less than a year. The proportion of firms which are either working fully as Smart Factories or at least with 4.0 single projects has increased from 15 to 35 per cent since last summer.

The years ahead will increasingly see the German aviation industry outsource its capacities in development and production to the Far East. Plant closures loom – especially among the larger corporations in this sector. These are the results published in the Aviation Study 2015. The consulting firm Staufen, together with the German Aerospace Industries Association (“BDLI”), surveyed more than 100 aviation industry enterprises in Germany for this study.

More than 90 percent of German industrial companies now apply Lean Management methods. However, to date only one in five companies has really made their entire value creation chain efficient. This is the result of a current study of 180 companies by the Staufen AG consultancy. How companies successfully manage the transition to Industry 4.0 with the aid of Lean Management is one of the central topics at the BestPractice Day 2015 from 8 to 10 June.