Munich Composites production line
Dossier

Dossier

Innovative SME sector

The German economy needs new ideas to stay competitive in the future. In our dossier, we present SMEs that are investing time and money in improving their products, their organisation, and their customer relationships.

Image-Reference

On our website, pictures taken, among others, by the following photographers/photo agencies are used:

Agentur photothek.net, Deutsche Messe Hannover, Andreas Arnold, Jörg Böthling, Dominik Butzmann, Carsten Costard, Susanne Esche, Charlie Fawell, Rendel Freude, Torsten George, Gaby Gerster, David Greedy, Peter Himsel, Barbara Högner, Frank Homann, Fred Hoogervorst, Steffen Jagenburg (BRANSCH EUROPE), Thomas Klewar, Studio Kohlmeier , Florian Kopp, Georg Lopata, Jürgen Lösel, Kirsten Milhahn, Rüdiger Nehmzow, Rolf Obertreis, Rubén Arnaldo Farina Ortiz, Holger Peters, Joachim Röttgers, Mika Schmidt, Bernhard Schurian, Jens Steingässer, Pietro Sutera, Uwe Tölle, Jan Zappner.

Fotolia.com: amandare, Yuri Arcurs, Kitch Bain, Ingo Bartussek, Sergio Donà, drizzd, Dmitry Ersler, eyewave, Zoltán Futó, Eric Gevaert, Fotolia XXV, Friedberg, goodluz, Dirk Hoffmann, imageteam, Christian Jung, Abdelhamid Kalai, Sergej Khakimullin, Vladimir Kolobov, krizz7, Kzenon, lumen-digital, marog-pixcells, Mindwalker, Miredi, mirpic, Nebuto, Tino Neitz, Christian Pedant, Franz Pfluegl, prognone, Gina Sanders, Henry Schmitt, spree berlin, SVLuma, Kheng Guan Toh, tom, Torbz, typomaniac, VRD, Joachim Wendler, Sreedhar Yedlapati.

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Antje von Dewitz, managing director of Vaude

”There's still a long way to go to reach the top“

Vaude, a company that produces mountain sports equipment, was named Germany's most sustainable brand in 2015. For managing director Antje von Dewitz, this distinction is an important milestone – but nowhere near the end of the road.

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Carbon fibres close-up at Munich Composites

Sophisticated braiding technique

The company Munich Composites makes hollow plastic components. What makes them unique: the parts are shaped by braiding carbon fibres. The production line for series production came into existence with the help of private investors and KfW.

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Julia and Rolf Schnitzler of Strassburger Filter

”From the beginning, my father felt I was capable“

Julia Schnitzler is the managing director of Strassburger Filter in the fourth generation. The process engineer explains how she holds her own as a woman in this male-dominated industry and what she does differently from her father.

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Clean water at fair prices

Frank Jacobs and his team at Cologne company mft developed an innovative water treatment plant for a Columbian village in La Guajira.

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German Desk in Peru

A worldwide bridge

The German Desk helps German SMEs sell their production goods in new markets abroad. Often this support goes far beyond financing since cultural and language barriers must be removed as well.

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Successful IPO

High-tech company va-Q-tec produces very effective insulation material. Its business founders, two physicists, develop new solutions for challenges of the energy transition. KfW has been there from day one. And with great success too: the start-up has become a listed company.

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