What are currently the greatest challenges facing the industrial Mittelstand enterprises, from the BDI’s perspective? Is there a risk that it will be caught in the crossfire of the global competition between China and the US? Which issues should be given greater consideration in research?
Speaking with Prof. Dr Dr h.c. Friederike Welter, Tanja Gönner, Chief Executive of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), explained that industrial SMEs are aware of the wide range of current challenges and are striving to find concrete solutions: "We are right in the thick of climate-neutral production. We are right in the thick of geopolitical risks, where we have to accept that the things we have relied on – free trade, cooperation based on partnership – are not currently at the top of the agenda for a large number of countries. This is a real challenge for SMEs, because it means that manoeuvring in the markets is becoming significantly more difficult. At the same time, you can see from many Mittelstand enterprises how they have always adapted. So, the capacity is actually there. And yet, this time round, the number of challenges is extremely high."
At the same time, the BDI’s Chief Executive also criticised the fact that a very negative image of entrepreneurs is often presented: "There are one, two, three issues being discussed in Germany where SME owners feel personally atta-cked, because they are portrayed in a way that bears no relation whatsoever to the values that define them, or to how they interact with their staff on a daily basis."
Twice a year, Prof. Dr Dr h.c. Friederike Welter interviews leading practitioners for the podcast series "Mittelstand Research Meets Practice" to find out how they utilise the findings of SME research in their work – and what developments they see for SMEs in their respective fields.
