Issues 2011 Business News September 2011
Business News September 2011
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“A secure supply of energy at competitive costs”: The energy policy aims, initiatives and projects of the European Commission offered a lot of subject matter for discussion on 16 September in the Great Hall of the University of Vechta. Around 100 responsible persons from industry and politics in the Oldenburger Münsterland made use of the opportunity to exchange thoughts and opinions with the EU Commissioner for Energy, Günther Oettinger.
In his view Germany was once again faced with the decision whether it wanted to remain an industrial country. “And the decisive criteria are no longer labour costs but energy and raw materials costs.” When introducing the Oldenburger Münsterland in his words of welcome Rural District Mayor Hans Eveslage referred to a link "with all due respect" between things common to his region and the Swabian home of the guest from Brussels. As examples of this he cited “the distinct business dynamics, the industrial structure dominated by medium-sized companies and the pleasure of home ownership”. He mentioned how much he welcomed the opportunity to link up the visit to the Brussels talks of the Oldenburger Münsterland in 2009 and in this context it was logical for energy to be a topic: “As an industrial region we in the Oldenburger Münsterland are dependent on a secure energy supply at competitive costs.”Consequently there was a huge need for discussion in the talk moderated by the regional MEP Prof. Dr. Hans-Peter Mayer. The information visit of the EU Commissioner for Energy had commenced in EWE's centre "Zukunft" (future) in the ecopark. In the presence of Rural District Mayor Hans Eveslage, President of the Chamber of Commerce Gert Stuke, Member of the German Parliament Franz-Josef Holzenkamp and Member of the European Parliament Prof. Dr. Hans-Peter Mayer EWE, Chairman of the Board Dr. Werner Brinker presented answers to the challenges of future energy supply to the guest from Brussels. Afterwards the party visited the University of Vechta, where President Prof. Dr. Marianne Assenmacher welcomed the EU Commissioner. Information from: media team Daniel Meier, ++49 (0) 4441 859495, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
A unique development: There is worldwide demand for the products of the medium-sized company Erich Stallkamp ESTA GmbH of Dinklage. The range of products is varied and the technical know-how unique. Members of the small and medium-sized enterprise trip of the Oldenburger Münsterland network learnt this during a visit to the company. The company was founded in 1973 by Erich Stallkamp. Meanwhile it has more than 150 employees. According to Erich Stallkamp the secret of success lies in the high quality, durability and robustness of products made of rust-free stainless steel. Therefore he not only develops, constructs and manufactures stainless steel storage containers for agriculture but increasingly also waste water technology systems for industry and municipalities and also conveyor systems and gearbox engines, products connected to the areas of manure and waste water technology and even special production machines for his own requirements. In the meantime the construction of components for biogas systems constitute 18 percent of the turnover. In addition to municipalities, paper factories, breweries, chemical plants, airports and the food industry number amongst Stallkamp's key customers. The pig and poultry housing manufacturer Big Dutchman of Calveslage has been a major customer since the very early days. Not only does Stallkamp make drive systems for feeding, manure-removal and egg collection systems for this company – they also produce complete conveyor technologies for poultry housing. Only the electric core of the gearbox engines is bought in from an outside company – the well-qualified Stallkamp employees make everything else. Here the manufacturing volume has increased constantly: "We produce more than 50,000 gearbox engines every year" says Managing Director Thomas Pohler. Sales Manager Werner Obarowski reports that the necessary technical pre-requisites had been created at an early stage with the required working methods such as CAD and CNC. An agricultural region such as the Oldenburger Münsterland expects a company such as Stallkamp to face up consistently to the changing requirements of the market and react flexibly to these changes. “We have grown together with our farmers", says company founder Erich Stallkamp. In 1984 the increasing quantity of dung and manure led to specialisation in manure technology. Since then stirring works and pumps as well as manure containers of pure stainless steel have formed the second pillar of the company. High quality, durability and robustness of products are not only slogans in this company department but part of the corporate philosophy. This claim is realised by using rust-free stainless steels when constructing submersible motor pumps and submersible motor agitators. Information from: media team Daniel Meier, ++49 (0) 4441 859495, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Job Fair Oldenburger Münsterland: The 1st Oldenburger Münsterland Job Fair will be held on 18 and 19 November 2011 in Cloppenburg and is open on both days from 9.00 to 17.00. The organisers invite all companies, institutions, schools, universities and further training institutes from the region to participate. The need for skilled workers is especially acute in the Oldenburger Münsterland. In the Rural District of Vechta an unemployment rate of under four percent has been recorded – almost full employment. Skilled workers, especially craftsmen, are also sought urgently in the Rural District of Cloppenburg which has an unemployment rate of about 5 per cent. The strong medium-sized company sector with predominantly owner-managed family companies is the economic pillar of the region. And yet less and less trainees and skilled workers are available to the companies in view of the demographic change. The organisers would like to counter this dangerous trend on the job market with a new fair. The Oldenburger Münsterland Job Fair is dedicated to the topics of job offers and basic and further training. The Oldenburger Münsterland network has taken over the promotional support and thus underlines the interest of both Cloppenburg and Vechta rural districts in grappling with this topic. The Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber of Craftsmen, the Rural Craftsmen's Guild and the Employment Agency are also present as partners. Further information on the fair can be obtained tel. no. ++49 (0) 4478 95875-11 or www.jobmesse-om.de.
Ministerial visit to “Waskönig+Walter”: The family concern “Waskönig+Walter” has invested more than 25 million euros in the new hall in Ramsloh. Now the company was able to present the new production for the manufacture of very high tension cables to the Minister of Economics for Lower Saxony Jörg Bode (FDP). This production has led to the creation of 50 new jobs. The company produces 110-KV to 220-KV cables which are delivered on rolls with a weight of up to 50 tons. In the next few years a lot of electricity cable will be needed especially in North Germany, reported Minister Bode. The electricity from the newly created off-shore windparks will have to be transported to the interior of the country. "In addition, we want to think about appropriate energy storage devices", says Bode. A favourable situation for the company “Waskönig+Walter”. Dr. Peter Waskönig said that meanwhile the company had 550 employees. The family business was founded 136 years ago in Wuppertal. The cable experts came to Ramsloh "because there is a good infrastructure here", said Waskönig. We are, however, concerned at present that the basic principle of reasonably priced energy cannot be adhered to. In this context the company is hoping for an appropriate intervention from the political sphere. Information from: media team Daniel Meier, ++49 (0) 4441 859495, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
13 million euros invested: In August Big Dutchman opened its new main subsidiary in Araraquara in the most populous and economically most significant Brazilian federal state of São Paulo. The experts for feeding systems and chicken run equipment have invested around 13 million euros there. "We want to be a part of the effort to make Brazil successful in making its contribution to feeding the world population in a globalised world ", emphasised Bernd Meerpohl, Chairman of the Big Dutchman Board, who had travelled to Brazil with his Board colleague Kai Wehmeyer, to over 500 customers, suppliers and political representatives from the region. Stores and logistics and also state of the art exhibition halls in which Big Dutchman provides attractive evidence of its high technological standards have sufficient space on around 16,000 built-up square metres – this corresponds roughly to the area of three football pitches. The whole area of the new location comprises ten hectares and thus offers ample space for further investments. And Bernd Meerpohl sees a lot of scope for growth in Brazil. Information from: Andreas Böske, ++49 (0) 4447 801118, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Grimme is a "Hidden Champion": Biesalski & Company has done an exclusive search for WirtschaftsWoche for "The Secret Champions". The question was: How strong are the brands of German, medium-sized world market leaders? The ranking of the so-called "Hidden Champions 2011" provides answers. The "brand performance" is decisive - here brand awareness and the quality of the marketing activities are evaluated and also the "corporate performance" elements such as turnover, profitability, innovative power. 125 experts from sector and subject associations, institutes, the specialist press and decision-makers in the companies as well as editors of business reports were questioned for the study. German world market leaders whose turnover (year taken into account 2009) was between 50 million and one billion euros and which the owner manages and /or owns a majority of the shares were considered. From the Oldenburger Münsterland the company Grimme managed to get into the ranking. The Damme company occupies place 9 in the current ranking. Grimme Landmaschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG is a family concern which produces machines for the agricultural sector. With a turnover of 192 million euros, a brand performance of 62.3 points and a corporate performance of 64.8 points the company achieved a hidden champions index of 127.1 points. http://www.wiwo.de/unternehmen-maerkte/die-weltmarktfuehrer-im-mittelstand-478013/
WELTEC computer optimises biogas systems online: WELTEC BIOPOWER makes it possible for operators of biogas systems and investors to check the efficiency of their systems with a new online computer. The calculator processes the data input completely independently of the manufacturer. On www.weltec-biopower.de the users can find out immediately how efficiently their system works and how the energy yield can be increased by putting a few indices into a mask. The data input in the fields is standardised and the graphic assessment is carried out quickly, neutrally and free of charge. In the case of wrong information the user is immediately requested to make corrections. On the basis of the results a free consultation can be requested. After the data have been entered a graphic evaluation shows how the system can be optimised. It is possible on request to archive the figures anonymously in order to make a data comparison easier at a later point in time. Users can enter data daily via an operating log book on the biology or on running times of the system. In addition, the instrument creates a connection with the WELTEC Service, so that the staff constantly have an up-to-date image of the system and possible problems in the running of the system. There is also a demand for WELTEC's know-how in the Czech Republic. Thus the Vechta company already built its fifth system in the Czech Republic in the summer. The construction of the agricultural biogas system in Prilozany, in the south of the Czech Republic, was completed in four months. Information from: Thomas Wilkens, ++49 (0) 4441 99978220, T. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Michael Thanheiser elected successor to Dr. Eduard Möhlmann: In the coming year there will be a change in the composition of the Board of the Landessparkasse. Landessparkasse Director Dr. Eduard Möhlmann, who has been a member of the Board since 18 April 1995, requested the Administrative Board of the Landessparkasse in February 2011 for personal reasons not to extend the contract of employment which expires on 17 April 2012. The Administrative Board has accepted this decision with great regret. In this context the members of the body praised the excellent achievements of Dr. Möhlmann. This applies particularly to the private customer business which developed very successfully under his leadership and also to the working relationship which was always co-operative and harmonious. Irrespective of this personal decision, Dr. Möhlmann will continue to perform his duties in the Board of the Landessparkasse in the established way until April 2012. According to information from Rural Council Mayor Hans Eveslage, Chairman of the Administrative Board, the committees of the Landessparkasse elected Michael Thanheiser on 25 August 2011 to become a member of the Board and successor to Dr. Möhlmann. Information from: Johannes Reichelt, ++49 (0) 441 2303600, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Minister visits Kartzfehn: On 17 August 2011 the Minister for Economics, Employment and Transport Jörg Bode, together with a delegation, visited Kartzfehn moor farm. After a short presentation of the farm by Marketing Manager Thorsten Mahlstedt there were speeches by Thomas Storck, Federal Chairman of the Association of German Turkey Producers, and by Wilhelm Hoffrogge, Regional President of the Lower Saxony Poultry Trade. The topic of the speeches was the significance of poultry production in Germany and in Lower Saxony in particular, and the current discussion concerning animal welfare. In addition, Ewald Drebing, Chairman of the Board in Kartzfehn and Chairman of the Oldenburger Münsterland Agriculture and Nutrition Forum, gave a talk on the status of the nutrition sector in the North West. Here he compared the significance of the agricultural sector with that of the car industry in the North West metropolitan region. Dr. Florian Matter also gave some brief information on the current status of the discussion about “Indoor Fish Farming”. After that the group visited a turkey breeder in Bösel in order to get an on-the-spot impression of modern turkey farming. Information from: Thorsten Mahlstedt, ++49 (0) 4494 88-342, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Promotion prize of the Cultural Foundation of the Öffentliche Versicherungen Oldenburg announced: The Cultural Foundation of the Öffentliche Versicherungen Oldenburg is offering its 8,000 euro promotion prize for photography for the year 2012. All young artists in the region (up to 35 years of age) may enter. They can be in training or at the beginning of an independent artistic career. The deadline for entries is 9 December 2011. An independent expert jury will decide on the prize winner. A CD-Rom giving information about current work must be submitted and also documentation material/catalogues and information about their artistic career including curriculum vitae. The applicants must live or have been born in the business area of the Öffentliche Versicherungen Oldenburg, i.e. the former Rural District of Oldenburg. An individual exhibition plus documentation in Oldenburg Municipal Museum in spring 2012 is linked to the prize. The promotion prize of the Cultural Foundation of the Öffentliche Versicherungen Oldenburg is the only one of its kind and scope in the Oldenburger Land. It is offered annually and alternates between the disciplines of photography, painting and sculpture/installation art. The aim of the prize is above all to encourage local artists to work in an innovative way. A secondary aim is to strengthen the artistic profile of the region. Competition entries should be addressed to Geschäftsführung der Kulturstiftung der Öffentlichen Versicherungen Oldenburg, Staugraben 11, 26122 Oldenburg. Further information in the internet at: http://kulturstiftung.oevo.de. Information from: Jörg Heiduk, ++49 (0) 441 2228228, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Great precision by hole distributor DosiMat LVX: Hugo Vogelsang Maschinenbau GmbH, a well-established special supplier of pumping, disintegration, distribution and spreading technology for the agricultural and biogas sectors, industry and municipalities, extended its range of products by the hole distributor series DosiMat LVX on 1 August 2011. Integrated into the Vogelsang dribble bar systems, the distribution and dosage technology makes it possible to spread dung in a very precise and thus more efficient way. "The optimised, 3D-lasered, cutting parts are positioned on the inner side of the distributor in the new version. Thus better cutting results are achieved and the already high distribution precision of the manure is further increased", declares Managing Director Harald Vogelsang. Information from: Holger Eggert, ++49 (0) 5434 83231, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
New construction of a logistics and tyre store at Abraham Schinken in Harkebrügge: As a specialist and market leader for smoked and air-dried raw ham Abraham Schinken has a special responsibility for this product category. Top quality forms the foundation for the high level of acceptance of the raw ham specialities which meet the expectations of the consumers. This is supported by traditional manufacture by craftsmen with the help of very modern packaging technology. The plant in Harkebrügge is the largest location within the Abraham group and is especially significant as a slice and logistics centre. For this reason the company is thinking intensively about optimising processes and sequences. In 2010 Abraham was able to increase its sales volume considerably and as a result the costs for transport and storage have risen. With a market share of around 25 per cent Abraham Schinken is one of the largest producers of raw ham in Germany and has a prominent position in Europe. With 650 employees at 6 production locations in Germany, Belgium and Spain the company has set a goal for itself this year of exceeding the 200 million euro turnover mark for the first time. Information from: Stephan Holst, ++49 (0) 40 768005327, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Good half-year results according to IFRS: With its result for the first half year of 2011 the Bremer Landesbank once again provides evidence of its stable and good operative revenue-earning power. The bank achieved a pre-tax result amounting to 113.9 million euros on 30.06.11 (vis à vis 26.9 million euros on 30.06.10). This means an increase in the result of 87 million euros. Whereas the result for the previous year contained 64.1 million euros valuation adjustments from the interbank portfolio, the burdens in 2011 normalised to 6 million euros. At the same time the half-year result for 2011 was influenced by sales of the shares in the Deka-Bank to the tune of +19.5 million euros. If one eliminates these special effects, in the first half year the bank achieved an operating result amounting to around 100 million euros (in comparison to 30.06.10: 91 million euros) ; this corresponds to an increase in the result of almost 10 per cent and shows the operative revenue-earning power of the Bremer Landesbank. Information from: Ina Malinowski, ++49 (0) 421 332-2540, ina.malinowski@ bremerlandesbank.de.
New members elected to the Supervisory Board: At the Annual Meeting of Shareholders the shareholders of Deutsche Biogas AG decided on the new composition of the Supervisory Board. The shareholders confirmed all other points on the agenda with a large majority. Dr. Thomas A. Lange, Dipl. -Ing. Andreas Bünger and Dipl. - Kaufmann Benedikt Buhl were elected as new members of the Supervisory Board. The incumbent chairman Dr. Joachim Meier zu Uphausen is to continue to chair Supervisory Board. Dr. Thomas A. Lange is Chairman of the Board of the National Bank, which has its head office in Essen. Dipl. -Ing. Andreas Bünger is Managing Director of the Stadtwerke Eutin GmbH and Dipl. -Kaufmann Benedikt Buhl was Spokesperson of the Board of the Oldenburgische Landesbank AG. Information from: Katharina Berges, ++49 (0) 4491 9395930, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
OLFRY Ziegelwerke exhibit at NordBau in Neumünster: The NordBau fair in Neumünster is increasingly develping into the leading fair for the construction industry in North Germany. Thus the fair counted 75,000 visitors this year, corresponding to an increase of 10%. The OLFRY Ziegelwerke presented their programme at a fair stand which had been newly designed by interior architect Johannes Schewe of Dinklage. On the stand 44 interlinked boards showed OLFRY's wide range of products. Here the newly developed dark-coloured brick facings such as Glasgow or Dublin were a special point of attraction as were the rustic hand moulded bricks of the 1707 antique series. Information from: Maria Olberding, ++49 (0) 4441 9590, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Family business celebrates its 125th anniversary: Everything began with the founding of a coal trading company in the year 1886. Since this day the Friedrich Diekgerdes Landhandels GmbH has grown from generation to generation and has now been in existence for 125 years. By manufacturing high-quality products and providing reliable customer care it has been possible to extend the customer core continuously, thus ensuring a constant upswing. Today 37 staff are employed in the Hemmelt company which generates an annual turnover of more than 30 million euros. The company, which is managed by Fritz Diekgerdes, operates at two locations in Hemmelte and Molbergen and produces over 120,000 tons of mixed feed per year. Over 30,000 tons of cereals from local agriculture are stored every year and over 5,000 tons of fertiliser are marketed. Pland fertilisers and seeds for over 5,000 hectares are supplied and an optimum concept and "solutions to problems" are drawn up for all areas of animal production and plant growing. Information from: Lisa Diekgerdes, ++49 (0) 4477 949419, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Austing Mischfutterwerk in Oldorf celebrates its centenary: The Mischfutterwerk Austing (Austing Mixed Feed Works) can look back this year over a hundred-year-old history. This happy occasion was celebrated appropriately in the context of the anniversary celebrations at the beginning of September. For this purpose the mixed feed plant opened its gates for an open day on 11 September. Numerous visitors used the opportunity to take part in a guided tour of the plant and to view the modern production systems. Information from: Bernhard gr. Austing, ++49 (0) 5491 979720, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
25-year anniversary at "Fleming und Wendeln": The company "Fleming und Wendeln" from Garrel recently celebrated its 25th anniversary with 1300 guests. The company was formed from the co-operation of two independent companies. Through constant investment “Fleming und Wendeln” has experienced an enormous development over the last 25 years. Today the company is the twelfth largest feedstuffs company in Germany. In addition to many customers, suppliers and friends, members of the Lower Saxony state parliament Clemens gr. Macke and Karl-Heinz Bley, rural district mayor Hans Eveslage, Garrel's mayor Andreas Bartels, rural district farmer Hubertus Berges and the clergymen Paul Horst and Pastor Holger Ossowski accepted the company's invitation. Information from: ++49 (0) 4474 89070, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Oldenburger Münsterland Business News is published by the Verbund Oldenburger Münsterland e. V.. Managing Director is Rudi Hockmann, ++49 (0) 4441 9565-10, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . The Business News is published monthly and addresses business journalists, politicians, business associations, universities and business representations of many countries. Please send any press releases, topic proposals and changes of address directly to: Medienteam Daniel Meier, im Hause Verbund Oldenburger Münsterland, Oldenburger Straße 246, D-49377 Vechta, tel. ++49 (0) 4441 859495, mobile ++49 (0) 1632885688, e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , www.medienteam.info.
