Author: Kloepfel
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…
The HWWI Commodity Price Index rose once again HWWI total index rose by 3.9 % (US dollar basis) Crude oil price increased by 7.4 % The index for food and beverages fell once again (Hamburg) In April, the HWWI commodity price index rose by an average of 3.9 % (in euros: +4.5 %) over the previous month. The HWWI commodity price index rose to 123.8 points (in euros: 122.2 points) and was thus 3.6% (in euros: +5.3%) lower (in euros: higher) than in April of last year. The index for energy resources rose once again in April, rising by 4.4…
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…
Investments in climate protection and air quality Automotive supplier Bosch wants to be the first major climate-neutral industrial company by 2020. Billions are to be invested in climate protection and air quality. “Climate change is not science fiction. It’s happening in real life,” says Bosch CEO Volkmar Denner. If the Paris climate agreement is to be taken seriously, climate protection must not just be a long-term long-term goal, but must be implemented in the short term. Bosch wants to become an innovation leader and answer technical questions on ecological issues. “We are taking responsibility for climate protection and are therefore…
Over 30 billion euros The diesel scandal continues to affect VW years later. More than 60,000 proceedings are currently underway against the car manufacturer and its associated companies in Germany. These are mainly claims for damages or the return of cars from buyers. Now the costs for the exhaust manipulation cracked the border of 30 billion euro. Above all costs for attorneys, achieved settlements and the still running procedures affect in the balance sheet. And the costs could continue to rise, according to Volkswagen CFO Frank Witter. VW surprises with sales growth This makes it all the more surprising that…
Team spirit instead of skepticism Aschaffenburg/Düsseldorf, 24.04.2019 – The automotive supplier Waldaschaff, based in Aschaffenburg in Lower Franconia, has recently optimized its purchasing. Purchasing manager Ludovic Montécot obtained support from the purchasing consultancy Kloepfel Consulting for the profound six-month project. Montécot explains: “We optimized our purchasing activities together with a purchasing consultancy because we were experiencing too many personnel bottlenecks on our own. It was important to me that the consultants were team players and that they settle their accounts according to success and not according to daily rates. After an inventory, Waldaschaff Automotive has put many series materials out…
Today, cooperative strategies are a common term in the supply chain. These can be vertical or horizontal and support the supply, disposal and recycling functions within the supply chain. The difference between vertical and horizontal strategies is based on the integrated stages of the value chain: this is how vertical cooperation strategies with upstream or downstream value chain partner’s work. Upstream value-added partners refer to supplier integration, downstream partners to customer loyalty. Horizontal cooperation strategies exist between competing partners in the same value chain, usually in the form of strategic alliances. This guide article deals with both strategies and specific…