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"?

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.

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.

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?

About 20 years ago, the first dashboards made their way into German companies. Today, these visualizations are considered indispensable for efficient corporate management, as they promise nothing less than comprehensive transparency at a glance. But in practice, it is often not that simple.

Casting from China and assembly from Eastern Europe were yesterday's news. Pandemics, lockdowns and a stuck freighter in the Suez Canal have taught us otherwise. What must the logistics of the future look like? How can Germany's economy become more independent and less vulnerable? How to adapt its logistics to climate targets? An outlook with Dr. Stefan Frings, partner at enomyc.

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.

Today's expectations of companies are unprecedented in their social and political dimensions, says our director Wolfram W. Hackbarth. Decision-makers in companies need to act quickly, but with deliberation and a clear concept.

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?

Long-successful companies repeatedly demonstrate resilience in crises. Christoph Scholl and Stefan Renken say tradition does not always equate to inflexibility.

The Corona pandemic has undoubtedly given digitization in Germany a major boost. But the momentum did not happen voluntarily everywhere. While young companies, in particular those with fluid structures and processes, are finding it easy to go digital, the comprehensive digitization of business processes is still meeting with resistance in many long-established companies.