Interview

EU Tariffs on Chinese EVs: Protective Measure or Double-Edged Sword?

Exploring Potential Impacts and Market Dynamics: An Expert Interview with Christian Zeller

The decision is final: as of late October, the EU has imposed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. The reasoning? Excessive subsidies and unfair competition from China. Brussels has taken decisive action, despite strong warnings from the German automotive industry.Will the sector now face significant price increases and potential retaliatory measures from China? Could the demand for EVs be further suppressed due to these tariffs? And what impact might these measures have on Germany’s capacity for innovation? In this expert interview, we explore the scenarios currently under discussion in the German automotive and supplier industries.

Strategy & Corporate Performance

Soft landing instead of free fall: A rip cord of facts, figures and data

What’s more the crisis mountain of supply chain stoppages, material and personnel shortages continues to grow: high energy and material costs are looming. "A toxic cocktail," is how Uwe Köstens, founding partner of enomyc, sums up the situation. Crisis is his business: he has been advising on SME issues for more than 22 years. But how can companies manage a less bumpy landing in the new reality called "crisis"?

Strategy & Corporate Performance

Operational supply chain optimization: Recommendations for medium-sized companies

The disruption of global supply chains was seen as a short- to medium-term problem when the Corona pandemic struck home. Since the outbreak of the Ukraine war at the latest we now know things will never be the same again. This makes initiating a few key measures at operational level all the more urgent. These are simple to implement, but vital for dealing more flexibly with the new uncertainty.

Careers

Why we rely on reverse mentoring

Mentorship seems to be on everyone's lips at the moment, despite it being basically nothing new. And indeed, one mentorship model is disrupting the classic old-teach-young method. It's known as "reverse mentoring" and with this the Golf generation learns from the zoomers, the boomers from the millennials - vice versa and across departments. At companies like Microsoft, the CTOs learn from the next generation, they say.

Strategy & Corporate Performance

From dealer contract to agency model: Why car dealers don't lose out

Material shortages, delivery stoppages, rising energy costs. Sustainability targets, digitalization and electromobility: the automotive industry is under pressure to transform like almost no other. There is no choice in this. It is compelled to transform itself, must reinvent itself, must question the tried and tested - such as network structures, contracts and sales systems - and it is doing so. A conversation with Jan Brandt, interim manager and expert for turnaround and new business models.

Strategy & Corporate Performance

Leadership tool? Dashboard!

Are your scrap levels too high? The machines all running at optimal capacity? Have customers paid on time? Controlling your company based on defined KPIs can be a challenge without a dashboard. Senior Consultant Nantwin Apffelstaedt reported on this in detail in Part 1 of our "Dashboards" series. But how do you turn a dashboard into one that brings true impact to your company?

Strategy & Corporate Performance

Taking advantage of the crisis before it's too late: How to boost your performance

The Corona pandemic and its consequences, including disruption of important supply chains and shortages of materials, have plunged many companies into a crisis that threatens their very existence. Small and medium-sized companies in particular are having to contend with double-digit falls in sales and earnings. Companies that failed to prepare for the crisis in good times have been hit particularly hard. So it's high time to tackle the issue of preventive restructuring now.

News

365 new days, 365 new chances

We would like to express our sincere thanks to you, dear readers, dear business partners and, above all, to our experts and colleagues for your continued support and the consistently high level of interest in our interviews, technical articles and podcasts. The year 2021 brought further challenges, but also many opportunities. Let us also make the best possible use of the year 2022: 365 new days, 365 new chances!

Strategy & Corporate Performance

Change of leadership in the family - without the Prince Charles Syndrome

90 percent of German companies are family businesses. Often with a long tradition and several management changes from generation to generation. These handover processes are often complex. "A family-internal company handover is of great importance for all family members," finds Bessie Fischer-Bohn. The economist, psychotherapist and executive consultant has been accompanying families through the leadership transition for many years. Why do those who don't normally sit at the conference table also have to come to the table? How can the Prince Charles Syndrome be avoided? And what do families typically ignore?

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