Strategy white paper: A plan even for times when planning is unpredictable
November 8, 2022
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Global news,
News Germany
Supply chains under severe strain and exploding energy costs are putting many entrepreneurial plans to the test. Nonetheless, professional strategy development and implementation are more critical than ever. You can only chart the right course in stormy times if you have defined clear goals, carefully analyzed options, and consistently involved your employees. The new Staufen white paper “Strategy Excellence” reveals how to achieve this and which mistakes you need to avoid.
“As the world changes, management is called upon to provide orientation,” says Uwe Vogel, a partner at Staufen AG. Consequently, owners and managers who over the years have been strategically dealing with political and social changes, along with ever-shorter technology cycles, are clearly at an advantage at the moment. “Irrespective of current crises, products and services usually decrease in value for customers after a few years,” says Vogel. “A good vision and mission express the basic philosophy of management while ensuring success in the long term.”
However, a company’s unique selling proposition can only evolve if the strategy behind it remains free of short-lived trends: “This requires both consistency and, often, staying power,” says the strategy expert. In truth, he adds, many companies have a hard time implementing the strategy they define. “Top management often does not have the necessary energy to implement, employees are insufficiently involved, and any incorrect assumptions are just recognized too late as such,” says Staufen consultant Vogel, listing the key causes.
Uwe Vogel is a machine builder with many years of international experience. After studying factory business operations and laser technology at the TU Stuttgart, he initially worked as a project engineer for international system projects at Trumpf Systemtechnik for 5 years. Later he took over the department for automated sheet metal processing systems in a leading position. The consistent implementation of Lean principles at Trumpf (SYNCRO) and the design of lean processes in sales and project planning of customer-specific projects in the field of mechanical engineering belong to his core competencies. During the eight years as Managing Director for Trumpf Asia Pacific, he was able to gain profound knowledge of the growth regions of Asia and achieve sustainable sales success by establishing sales, service and training competence in the region. Since 2011 he is a consultant at Staufen AG. As a partner, he leads the Mechanical Engineering / Sales Excellence team.
The Staufen AG strategy approach is structured in two phases and has been designed to help companies implement excellent strategy development and unfolding processes: The first phase describes which procedures should be used to realize the company’s image of the future. Uwe Vogel: “Only if you have a clearly defined and powerful image of the future, you can map out the way to get there.” The second phase covers the unfolding of the strategy, i.e., managing deviations, learning from experience, and readjusting as necessary.
providing valid analyses for a sustainable alignment of the company,
selecting suitable projects as drivers to achieve the defined objectives, and
introducing leading indicators in order to measure whether the objectives are being achieved.
“It’s about the future of the company”
The ERNST Umformtechnik example shows how a long-term improvement in the company’s competitive position was achieved with the help of a professional strategy process. The precision components specialist with its main customers in the automotive industry had this process in mind when it brought the consultants from Staufen AG on board. “I can only strongly recommend that every medium-sized company be supported in its strategy process,” emphasizes Matthias Ernst, the company’s CEO. “When it comes to the company’s future, you can’t do anything half-heartedly. You need to take the time to discuss issues and ask uncomfortable question.”
Read more about the strategy process at ERNST Umformtechnik in the new Staufen Magazine.
In times of ongoing challenges and increasing uncertainty, it is essential that we position our companies so that they can respond to change and perform effectively. This requires the strength of the entire workforce. Markus Franz, Senior Partner at Staufen AG, explains in an interview the particular importance of leaders in this context.
General Motors symbolizes the American way of life as much as the American way of doing business. This includes regular reports, number-heavy business forecasts and detailed activity reports. But how can such detailed insight and outlook succeed in an agile startup? The Chinese subsidiary of the US car giant – General Motors Premium Import – which is currently being set up, uses a Hoshin Kanri methodology specially adapted for GM by Staufen AG.
The transformation of the automotive industry is also impacting producers such as ERNST Umformtechnik GmbH. Managing Directors Matthias Ernst and Herbert Gieringer explain why they turned to Staufen AG for support in further developing the company’s strategy.
