Author: Kloepfel
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…
Interview with Theo Drepper, Head of purchasing at wissner-bosserhoff What were the goals of the project? Covid-19 has greatly increased the demand for hospital beds. In some cases, we even redesigned nursing beds for use in hospitals. It was clear to us at the beginning of the pandemic that we would have to prepare for a very high demand for a longer period. That is why we brought the necessary expertise and required digital tools on board early on with Kloepfel Consulting. Since our colleagues were also aware that we had to react quickly to the surge in demand, we…
HWWI commodity price index continues to rise at the beginning of the year HWWI overall index increased by 10.6% (US dollar basis) Crude oil prices rose by 10.2% Iron ore prices increased by 12.4% (Hamburg, February 17, 2021) In January, most prices on the international commodity markets increased. The HWWI commodity price index rose by an average of 10.6% month-on-month, exceeding the average value of January 2020 by 2%. Global vaccinations continued to raise hopes for a recovery in the global economy in January, driving up prices in energy and industrial commodity markets. Crude oil prices were also supported by…
Local hero or Champions League? Where does your purchasing department stand? How is your purchasing department doing in the Corona pandemic? Purchasing has certainly been challenged and put in the spotlight during the crisis. Organizational strengths as well as weaknesses stand out much more. Where exactly does your purchasing department stand in comparison with similar companies? Is it a local hero, or is it already playing in the Champions League? Dr. Stephan Hofstetter explains in this interview how Kloepfel Consulting helps its customers to find out where they stand. Dr. Hofstetter, location assessment in purchasing – what does that mean?…
Kloepfel Consulting and Onventis enter sales partnership On the road to even greater connectivity, Onventis has agreed a strategic sales partnership with award-winning procurement consultancy Kloepfel Consulting. The partnership between Kloepfel Consulting and Onventis is intended to promote the penetration of e-procurement solutions in German-speaking SMEs. The sales partnership includes the set-up and operation of a procurement platform. Kloepfel Consulting will provide first-level support for customer-based processes, implementation of Onventis’ e-procurement solutions optimized for medium-sized businesses, and seamless content integration. Founder and Managing Director Marc Kloepfel emphasizes: “Together we are working on a closer integration of our established solutions for…
Thomas Wandler and Marc Röver Working from home has significantly increased the prices and, in some cases, delivery times of notebooks, webcams and other computer hardware. The authors describe the problems and what companies can do about them through smart purchasing, ingenuity and shift work while working from home. They also address the vulnerability of working from home to corporate cybersecurity. Rising prices and delivery times Particularly in the service industry, where working from home is increasingly used, the supply bottlenecks of hardware products are noticeable. For example, employees in accounting, purchasing or order processing have in most cases used…
Progress in transformation of pharmaceuticals business Bayer reported progress in transforming its pharmaceuticals business at a conference last week. The virtual event, called Pharma Media Day, was themed “Transforming Healthcare. Transforming Bayer.” During the conference, the company explained how it is driving its strategy in cell and gene therapy, digital health and its development portfolio. Regarding its current transformation, the company wrote in the headline of its press release, “Bayer transforms pharma business with breakthrough innovations.” According to the company, the focus will be on innovations in healthcare for patients suffering from diseases that are currently difficult to treat. To…
AI technology to optimize the supply chain Retailer Douglas has decided to digitize its entire supply chain management. According to the press release, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven software from provider Relex Solutions will be used for this purpose. Broad field of application The digitization is to encompass the purchasing of all products from all suppliers. As a result, Douglas expects to improve merchandise availability and inventory in its online stores and stores. The company will also use AI to increase the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and optimize individual product placements in stores. Likewise, Douglas expects to use AI to improve workforce…
German economy shrinks by 5 percent in 2020 According to initial estimates by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), Germany’s price-adjusted gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 5 percent in 2020 compared to 2019. Regarding to this, the Federal Office writes: “After a ten-year growth phase, the German economy has thus fallen into a deep recession in the Corona crisis year 2020, similar to last time during the financial and economic crisis of 2008/2009.” However, the press release notes that according to preliminary calculations, the economic slump in 2020 was less severe than in 2009, when there was a 5.7 percent…
At the beginning of 2021 Marc Kloepfel and Duran Sarikaya, Managing Directors of Kloepfel Consulting, again took the time to review 2020 and recall the highs and lows of this special year for many companies. In doing so, they also talked about their goals and resolutions for the new year and gave purchasers in the midmarket important tips that are particularly relevant this year. What factors made 2020 particularly special for the Kloepfel Group? And what conclusion did you draw from it as an entrepreneur? The most formative event in 2020 was of course the Corona pandemic, which hit us…