Newsline 2/2000 - KSPG AG

(Continued from page 3)
time. Addressing the subject of “Values
in the Rheinmetall group: creating, imparting,
sustaining and growing”, Brauner
held a very personal review of the
last two decades of developments at
Rheinmetall. He pointed out that this
had been his “personal legacy”.
Brauner stated that the quantitative
value of the group as such and of its
assets had developed very positively
over the last twenty years. Broken down
into the individual business sectors
and management holdings, the group
has achieved an overall rise in value
since 1980 of some 2.3 billion German
marks. Moreover, sales have grown
from 700 million marks in 1979 to nearly
nine billion in the year 1999. To quote
Brauner: “We have achieved a clear
positive development of our quantitative
values. And we will not only maintain
these in the coming decade but
will increase them even further.”
In the wake of the recent concentration
on the core business areas Automotive,
Electronics and Defence, Brauner
remarked that the aim will be to
make the development of Rheinmetall
(even more) transparent and to give
the rather reticent market price greater
momentum. A point to note in this
connection: according to a recent shareholder
value study by the internationally
renowned accountants Arthur
Andersen of the top 500 shares in Europe,
Rheinmetall is ranked 5th among
the European conglomerates, 11th
among the German companies included
in the Euro-500 and holds 96th
position among the Euro-500.
In the opinion of Brauner, the qualitative
management values of the
group have likewise shown a marked
improvement over the last twenty
years. He remarked that “the technical
competence has progressed enormously
on all management levels. We
have (today) a highly qualified and also
highly motivated team of managers
working as teams or as a team with a
head.” Addressing the skills, knowhow
and intelligence of the well over
6000 employees with an academic
background, Brauner emphasized the
high technical competence and outstanding
level of qualification throughout
the group. “Training and qualifica-
Newsline
Second Rheinmetall management conference in Düsseldorf
Growth abroad remains essential
tion activities are continuing and importance
is attached to promoting junior
members on the staff.” Brauner
added that management values, rules
of conduct and model patterns had
been established, setting new standards
inside and outside the group.
As his (quasi) personal legacy to the
executive board of the group’s holding,
Brauner once more outlined the planned
goals for the group. Rheinmetall
intends to boost sales and earnings
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
in million €
4129
2107
4513 4465
2544
2022 1969
1998 actual 1999 forecast 2000 planned 2001 planned 2002 planned
Focus on internationalization: the share of foreign sales by
the Rheinmetall group will continue to rise distinctly in future.
even further – a fact which had already
been presented to financial analysts
and business journalists during informatory
talks held in December last year
(see last issue of Newsline) – and has
its targets set on sales of some 20 billion
German marks for the year 2010. Of
this, Automotive is to generate ten billion
marks with Electronics and Defence
each contributing five billion marks.
As an experienced politician with extensive
experience in US and international
politics, Michael Deaver – acting
as the guest speaker at the conference
– addressed his speech entitled “American
politics looking to 2000” to aspects
of successful management as
fundamentally viewed from his stand-
More than forty years of experience in US
and international politics: Michael Deaver.
4
2582
1883
4718
2801
1917
point. Deaver – formerly deputy chief
of staff under US President Ronald Reagan
and now vice chairman of one of
the world’s largest and most renowned
public relations agencies – is of the
opinion that to succeed in management
one must know exactly who one
is, yet know equally well one’s strengths
and weaknesses. He stated that it is
important to have and also announce
simple messages, these management
qualities being essential not only for
politics but also for
the economic and
5082
3032
2050
1998-2002: +44%
1998-2002: +1%
foreign
domestic
business community.
Regarding the
domestic developments
in the
world’s largest industrial
nation, also
with a view to
the forthcoming
presidential elections
this fall, Deaver
stated that he
expects a change in government, pointing
out that the USA are better off
than ever before and voters in the US
are very satisfied. There is no conflict
and no war anywhere in the world in
which the USA are involved. Indeed,
the United States now have a generation
of young voters who have never experienced
a conflict, have never heard
of economic recession and who have
never suffered from the repercussions
of such situations. Despite important
social issues – for instance, concerning
the health system, national insurance
and the educational system –
the determining subject (of the election)
will be the character, the personality.
Deaver therefore believes that
the Republicans will move into the
White House, that the Senate will remain
in the hands of the Republicans
and that the House of Representatives
will go to the Democrats with a slim
majority. In other words, the USA will
probably have a divided government
again. As to the prospects for foreign
policy after the forthcoming 43rd presidential
elections, Deaver expressed
the hope that there would be a leadership
for which the more than 40 years of
close ties to Nato would continue to
form the basis of US foreign policy in
future, too (see pages 14 to 17).