Translation

Audio 1

Herbert Walter: I was born here and this is my family home. After thirteen years abroad I simply felt attracted back to my home town. After the death of my father I rebuilt it in the way it is now - that is, into our R&D mechanics unit. Mechanical and electronic design are located here. We invest most of our profits back into R&D. This makes us the market leader with our products. Our customers know that; and they respect that.

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Heinz Gauss: The working atmosphere was very good right from the start. We all came from the surrounding area and knew each other. We always got on well with our boss. We encouraged team spirit. So after work, we had many a party. We had a staff outing every year. We had a Christmas do, where we really got into partying. And we have been able to keep that going until today, thank God. And we therefore still have a very good atmosphere in the company, given its size.

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Interviewer: How would you describe your company? What kind of working atmosphere would you like to create?
Herbert Walter: Well, as co-operative as possible. And I've managed that. In our plant where the equipment is being manufactured as well as here in the R&D unit we have a fantastic working atmosphere.

Audio 2

Gotz Klusman: One of the weaknesses of our company is without doubt its size. We are a small company. Financially we're not as strong as big businesses, which can overcome difficult periods without problems. We must therefore ensure that we work efficiently and profitably.

Gotz Klusman: Our strength is our flexibility, the short line of command, the ability to decide quickly and to respond to the wishes of our customers and to solve the problems that our customers bring to us. We are much more flexible and adaptable than the larger companies.

Gotz Klusman: The different roles of myself and Mr Walter could be described like this: I try to be the head of the company and Mr Walter is the heart. In a good company - in a well run company - both functions have to be filled. If you have two heads - it's bad. And if you have two hearts - it's also bad.

Audio 3

Interviewer: Do you think that a company like yours works better as a state-owned enterprise or a private business.
Klaus Oschatz: In our sector as a private business, certainly. A state-owned business means external funding: external funding means a certain degree of regulation. Regulation always means some limitations on what's possible. In this sector you really can't afford that.

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Interviewer: Mr Boden, what has changed with the privatisation of your business?
Dr Boden: As a first step after reunification we had to make massive staffing reductions. That was not easy and let to a deterioration of the whole working atmosphere.
Interviewer:You used to have two and a half thousand workers - and today ?
Dr Boden: Today, the same amount of work is done by 920 people. However, we have invested heavily in new technologies, much of the work on the production line is now done by robots.
Interviewer: Are there any positive aspects, that came about through the privatisation?
Dr Boden: Yes sure, less regulation, more flexibility. Today we can react much more quickly to the wishes of our customers. And obtaining capital for future investments is much easier today.
Interviewer: And what are the plans for the future of your enterprise?
Dr Boden: Over the next couple of years we intend to expand production and to open a subsidiary company in Poland, provided our turnover is as high as over the last two years.