We're delighted to announce that we've worked with the organisers at Meet the Mittelstand to offer Made in the Midlands manufacturing members free entry (usually £180) to this superb event at JCB.
If you would like to attend contact us today for your unique entry code that will give you access to the event for free.
The mainstay of Germanys economy, the Mittelstand is the biggest group of privately owned, manufacturing and technology focused companies in the world. We often refer to them but how did they grow to be so successful?
How do they work with the German education system to supply the pipeline of skilled people they need? How do they develop products proficiently, using universities and other intermediaries? Do their export strategies differ to ours?
This conference, hosted at the five star JCB Visitor Centre, will provide UK companies with an insight into the German model and provide some potential business opportunities via liaison with German Industry UK, the branch of the BDI (Germanys CBI) in Britain.
A representative from German Industry UK (www.gi-uk.co.uk) will be available to talk to you about potential supplier opportunities with German companies and you can also explore the fantastic JCB Museum, completed in 2011, over lunch and coffee breaks.
What can Britain learn from the success of Germany's Mittelstand companies?
What is the Mittelstand?
This powerful economic band of companies from German-speaking countries are normally privately-owned; technology focused; experts in niche markets; export centric and large compared with British companies often over Eu1 billion turnover. Mittelstand companies tend to grow consistently over time, leveraging their technical capability and export expertise.
What is the secret to their success?
The Mittelstand of Germany, Austria and Switzerland contains the highest number of hidden champions in Europe. These companies are:
- Privately-owned
- Often technology focused
- Expert in niche markets
- Export-centric
- Often very big over Eu1 billion turnover
British companies often refer to the success of the Mittelstand, but what does Britain know about them and the German model? How has the Mittelstand evolved?
How do these companies organise themselves? How do they interact with schools and colleges to acquire the talented people they need? Who do they partner with to accelerate technology access and product development? How do they access capital? Does their company structure and legal status promote investment and growth, or does family-ownership provide different challenges to a shareholder model?
Meet the Mittelstand is a new conference programme that brings successful German companies to Britain for UK companies to hear first-hand about their strategies for success. The conference provides an overview of five characteristics of the Mittelstand:
- Technology Access
- Education and Professional Development
- Corporate Structure and the Stakeholder Model
- Going Global: Export Strategy
- Stewardship