News

On September 10th more than 200 international and Chinese sourcing and supply chain professionals and experts met at the 7th BME China Sourcing Conference in Shanghai. This year’s conference under the topic “adjust to new circumstances, manage long distances, discover new strategies” offered the ideal framework for discussions and workshops to expand knowledge about the current trends and challenges in Greater China and network with suppliers, professionals and advisers.

The German Chamber of Commerce in China (Shanghai) has been providing workshops / working groups for interested managers with a special background for many years. Those workshops usually take place 4-6 times a year. Now the new working group “Production & Logistics” has been established.

Shenyang, even being a 8 million city and growing to a 23 million metropolis area very soon, still does not have a German Chamber of Commerce. So where to bundle the networking activities of the economic heavyweights in the heart of Dongbei? Bars are not suitable, outdoor is not a favorite pastime in Northeast China…but we have the European Union. Shenyang with its two Megafactories from France and Bavaria, Michelin and BMW, is an ideal spot for a small but active European Chamber. Sierra Wang leads it since many years and the presidency is changing frequently from Johnson Controls to Michelin and BMW-Brilliance. 38 firms are the members of this relatively new EU Chamber in China.

Der deutsche Mittelstand ist für chinesische Unternehmen und Investoren äußerst attraktiv. Darin sind sich Cangron Ma, ehemaliger chinesischer Botschafter, Prof. Dr. Helmut Haussmann, Wirtschaftsminister a.D., und Norbert Scheuch, CEO von Putzmeister und Vorstand der Sany Group, einig. Die drei Chinaexperten trafen sich Mitte September zum Fachdialog bei der Staufen AG in Köngen/Stuttgart. Das Credo des Abends: Die KMU in der Bundesrepublik werden nicht darum herumkommen, sich mit dem Reich der Mitte auseinanderzusetzen.

Since 1st July 2012, Eckhard Gatawis has been directing the Staufen AG’s Business Unit Automotive. The excellent Lean Expert consciously changed from the automotive supply industry to the consultancy business in order to assist more companies with his expertise. With a degree in mechanical engineering, he has – due to his practical knowledge of more than twenty years – experience in the development and roll-out of production systems, the set-up and restructuring of plants and in the design of a global manufacturing footprints. In particular the implementation, communication and training of Lean principles, including the appropriate introduction of KPIs, are among his strengths, as well as international project management skills in multicultural structures. “My goal is to further establish the Business Unit Automotive at Staufen and to drive our customers from Lean Production to a Lean Enterprise, “said Gatawis. “Furthermore, we plan to advance the internationalisation of the business unit according to the needs of the OEMs and suppliers of the automotive industry.”

We are pleased to announce that RECARO Aircraft Seating is new BestPractice Partner for Staufen Polska. Built up in 2006, Świebodzin in Poland is the “youngest” plant of RECARO Aircraft Seating. There, since 2007, RECARO Aircraft Seating has manufactured aircraft seats for the Economy Class in the European market. Around 70 employees work in assembly, certification and in-time delivery at a 2.200 m² site. Currently a completely new production facility with 8.000 m² is built up, where the plant will move in from August 2012.

Reduction of growth rates, increasing wages and energy prices mean more and more negative headlines regarding China’s economic situation. According to the European Chamber of Commerce, a fifth of all companies are already reconsidering their investments in China.

Anche quando si tratta di consegnare in tempi brevi e a costi ragionevoli prodotti realizzati su specifica del cliente è possibile riorganizzare i processi in senso “Lean” , eliminando sprechi e ottimizzando le risorse. Attraverso un’azione coordinata su livelli di standardizzazione del prodotto, creazione di punti di disaccoppiamento,  spostamento a valle delle attività di personalizzazione, logiche pull di gestione dei materiali, ecc., lo stabilimento di Brembate di Sopra (BG) è stato progressivamente riorganizzato con il supporto di Staufen Italia.

Lean-Management-Beratung mit Preis der Wirtschaftswoche ausgezeichnet „Best of Consulting“ – Beste Berater für den Mittelstand: Mit dieser Auszeichnung der Wirtschaftswoche und der Wissenschaftlichen Gesellschaft für Management und Beratung darf sich die Staufen AG aus Köngen seit dieser Woche schmücken.