Federal Minister of Economics Altmaier visits KRAH group

The Federal Minister of Economics, Peter Altmaier, visited the KRAH group headquarters in Drolshagen on Friday, 30 August 2019. This meeting was part of a tour of small and medium-sized enterprises during which Federal Minister Altmaier is discussing measures to improve the competitiveness of German small and medium-sized enterprises with representatives of selected companies. The talks are based on the key points of the SME strategy "Value Creation – Strengthening – Relief" presented on 29 August.

During his three-day trip, Federal Minister Altmaier is visiting family-owned businesses, craft enterprises, and global market leaders in Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saxony-Anhalt to talk about the current SME strategy with representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises. Dr. Matthias Heider (MdB), Mr Jochen Ritter (MdL), Mr Ullrich Berghof, mayor of the town of Drolshagen, as well as Mr Felix Hensel, president of the IHK Siegen, came to Drolshagen for the discussion with the management of KRAH group on Friday. First, the guests visited the highly automated production facility at the Drolshagen site, followed by an exchange on the key points of the new SME strategy.

Subjects for small and medium-sized enterprises

According to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, small and medium-sized enterprises in general are facing many changes and challenges. International markets are changing and in rural areas, and demographic change in particular plays a major role. KRAH exclusively produces products for the automotive industry at its Drolshagen site. “E-mobility” is a major subject for the future there. KRAH has already been able to place specially developed products in this new market segment. Here, too, the strategy is to provide support by strengthening the innovative power of small and medium-sized enterprises in a targeted manner. Structural framework conditions also are to be improved and SME-specific funding is to be made available.

“We welcome the decision of Federal Minister Altmaier to discuss the key points of his SME strategy with representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises,” says Theodor Hermann, managing director and founder of KRAH Group. “As a globally active group, we compete internationally, and not only with companies in Europe. We are, therefore, mostly interested in improving the framework conditions that will make Germany more competitive as a business location overall. We are also interested in issues relating to international trade relations, for example with China or the USA. We now expect the measures presented to be implemented soon.”

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The visit of Federal Minister of Economics Altmaier and his delegation has taken place and gone perfectly smoothly. All employees represented KRAH in an exemplary manner.

Minister Altmaier and his delegation got a good impression of the company and are going to remember it as a powerful, internationally positioned group with products in areas ranging from the Märklin railway to the ICE and from wind turbines to e-mobility.

To the press article: Bundeswirtschaftsminister Altmaier machte auf Mittelstandsreise Station ind Drolshagen