HAMBURG (dpa-AFX) – The head of the technology group Körber, Stephan Seifert, sees the German export model under threat. “Our long-term prosperity comes largely from exports, but we will not be able to maintain our position and our prosperity if we continue as before,” said Seifert in an interview with the German Press Agency.
The German export model is generally understood to be a growth strategy based on the export of high-quality goods. Seifert mentioned the keywords “innovation leadership, inventiveness and entrepreneurship”.
“Germany’s business model has to reinvent itself,” Seifert continued. It is important to have access to leading technologies of the 21st century such as artificial intelligence. To this end, the CEO recommends partnerships with companies abroad – especially the USA and Asia. The technology group Siemens is an example of this.
According to information, Körber works with companies abroad and buys them in order to gain access to technologies and markets.
Competition from China is affecting medium-sized businesses
Medium-sized businesses – Seifert includes Körber among them – face competition primarily from China. Seifert said: “The competition is becoming more visible and more virulent every day.” Germany is losing relative competitiveness every day.
The term medium-sized businesses is not uniformly defined: the development bank KfW defines it as companies with no more than 500 employees and an annual turnover of 50 million euros. Others define the term based on the ownership structure. Körber, for example, is a foundation company that donates part of its profits to the non-profit Körber Foundation.
Expectations of government have not been fulfilled
Seifert was disappointed with the black-red federal government. “I was very hopeful the day after the federal election. Today I have to say that many announcements have not been implemented.”
Seifert expects more consistency from the government. He cited the EU Commission’s planned partial move away from the so-called combustion engine ban – the federal government supports the Commission’s course – as an example. This will not strengthen investments in new technologies such as battery cells. Reliable industrial and economic policy has been lost over the past 20 years.
From a pure mechanical engineer to a technology group
Körber’s origins go back to 1946. As a mechanical engineering company, the company primarily supplied the tobacco industry, later adding areas such as paper and grinding technology. According to his own statement, between the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017, Seifert initiated a restructuring that had been announced years earlier: Körber gave up several conventional business areas and made acquisitions elsewhere – for example in the software sector.
Körber is now divided into the areas of pharmaceuticals, supply chain and technologies (German: Supply Chain and Technologies). Körber primarily offers machines, systems and software. According to its website, the group has around 13,000 employees at more than 100 locations worldwide. The unlisted company does not provide the exact annual net profit./lkm/DP/zb
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