Newsline 2/2000 - KSPG AG

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Newsline 14 REVIEW AND PROSPECTS: Discussions and deliberations during the second Rheinmetall management conference held on 20 January this year focused not only on the group’s operating and strategic perspectives particularly in the current business year and for the medium to long term future but also on a detailed review of the development of the Düsseldorf-based group since 1980, including the (preliminary) figures for 1999. Michael Deaver had been invited to speak as a guest to the approx. 300 top and middle level executives of the Rheinmetall group who had traveled to Düsseldorf, the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, from 15 different countries. Deaver was deputy chief of staff under President Ronald Reagan (1981 to 1989) and is now vice chairman of Edelman Public Relations Worldwide, one of the world’s top PR agencies. The photographic impressions on these two pages of Newsline underline once again that the new communication center of Rheinmetall AG is used as a platform for contacts and intensive discussion. Newsline 15
Newsline Dr. Hans U. Brauner and Dipl.-Math. Klaus Eberhardt : “We should all feel like entrepreneurs” Düsseldorf. Here are some impressions from Rheinmetall’s second management conference with translated excerpts from the speeches held by Dr. Hans U. Brauner, at that time chairman of the supervisory board of Rheinmetall AG, and Dipl.-Math. Klaus Eberhardt, chairman of the executive board of Rheinmetall AG. Dr. Hans U. Brauner: All of us executives at Rheinmetall should feel like entrepreneurs. If we don’t act accordingly, working in a partnership with one another, we will not be able to manage a group like Rheinmetall. ★ It is essential that the social competence of the management should grow as a role model. These are the emotional rules of conduct. Having confidence and having the courage to do what is necessary – as virtues. In recent days and weeks, we have all witnessed discussions on the question of trust in politics. The question of trust and courage is always topical. ★ The subject of loyalty as the willingness to follow others is self-explanatory. Yet the real question is: what is worth more? Should loyalty be put above the truth? I have no doubts whatsoever about this question: the truth should always have priority. It would be wrong to say one cannot tell the truth out of loyalty to others. It is just not right. ★ Legality as an obligation is self-evident. What is important is communication both inside and outside the group: we should deal decently with one another inside the group and communicate with each other, yet we should also communicate with others to the extent expedient, telling the truth to create transparency. ★ It is better to tell the truth earlier than too late. If something unpleasant needs saying quickly, this is still easier to “digest” than to push it aside and suppress it. ★ Besides, the integrative capability as the balance of power of centrifugal forces is obviously a point. It may sound very simple but we all know very well that centrifugal forces are also active in our group; this is perfectly normal. The business units don’t always want the same as the holding and the holding may think it is the hub of the world. Much like the spokes of a wheel. We have spokes everywhere. Obviously, there has to be a balance of power. We need excellent managers for our central departments but it is equally important to have good managers controlling the individual companies belonging to our group. All of this has to be held in an equilibrium. ★ What conclusions can we draw from the development of our management values? We have above-average, high- Dr. H. U. Brauner ly qualified and highly motivated managers, some 30 to 35 belonging to the top executive level and about 350 on the medium executive level, working as a team with a spearhead. ★ We manage our business with intelligence and feeling. We have 34,000 employees working for our group. We have a sense of responsibility for them and their families. ★ We have created exemplary management values and try to impart these inside and outside the group. ★ To sum up the development of our assets: our qualitative values have shown a very positive development over the last twenty years. Our flop rate was low, with only four percent. The only thing one might refer to as a flop was Mauser 16 Klaus Eberhardt Waldeck AG through which we lost over 100 million German marks. Yet compared to what we have achieved overall, that makes up for only 4 to 5 percent. Merger and acquisition bankers congratulate us on achieving a hit rate of 95 percent with our acquisitions. ★ We will not only maintain but will also increase these values in the coming years. Unfortunately, and this is something I personally find very disappointing, we have only partly managed to communicate this positive development to the outside world in terms of a positive impact on our market prices. ★ One important factor is that we should increasingly and openly focus on our three core sectors Automotive, Electronics and Defence. In doing this, we will make the development of Rheinmetall more transparent and give the market price greater momentum. ★ In terms of increased value, Heimann is presently our best horse. If we were ever to need money, Heimann would be the obvious candidate for the New Market to generate money. But we aren’t that far yet. What I am actually trying to say is that Heimann is presently the company generating the greatest profits. ★ In twenty years, we have achieved an increase in value of 2.3 billion German marks. ★ My legacy to my successors is that I genuinely hope my vision will come true: we should reach sales figures of between 15 and 20 billion German marks in the coming years, with 60 percent through acquisitions and 40 percent using our own resources. Dipl.-Math. Klaus Eberhardt I am increasingly fascinated by this group which has given me – and hopefully also you – the opportunity to unfold my entrepreneurial activities. The advancement of a company with a turnover of formerly 700 million German marks to the present-day level of 9 billion marks and the increase in the company value of 2.3 billion marks would have been inconceivable with the mentality of a simple employee. This is what Rheinmetall has to offer and I rate this highly every single day. The culture differs fundamentally from that of other companies I have worked for. ★ I am fascinated by the fact that we do (Continued on page 17)
Page 1 and 2: The latest news from the Rheinmetal
Page 3 and 4: Newsline Second Rheinmetall managem
Page 5 and 6: Newsline Technology from STN Atlas
Page 7 and 8: drupa: Jagenberg group at PrintCity
Page 9 and 10: Dr. rer. oec. Herbert Müller: Alwa
Page 11 and 12: Newsline ‘Milestones’ distincti
Page 13: Experts talking: Nicola Digiovinazz
Page 17 and 18: Newsline Successful market entry fo
Page 19 and 20: Rheinmetall DeTec AG and its subsid
Page 21 and 22: (Continued from page 21) lieu, Cana
Page 23 and 24: (Continued from page 23) simulation
Page 25 and 26: (Continued from page 25) success of
Page 27: Rheinmetall Defence Technologies Co

Newsline 2/2000 - KSPG AG

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?