Long-Term Forecasting and Transparent Rules of the Game: Lessons Worth Learning from German Entrepreneurs

24 Dec 2014

Visiting training module for KEMBA Alumni LvBS 
Hanover, Germany, 2014

A three-day visiting training module for KEMBA Alumni LvBS has taken place in Germany. The executives visited a number of German companies, met with their owners and top management and gained exposure to production operations in the country with the largest economy in Europe ranked number four in the world by GDP.  

Saturday, December 6

The KEMBA alumni visited Wasserwerk Wehnsen, a water treatment plant that has been on the market for 60 years and specializes in water treatment and supply. A few interesting facts: in Germany, each individual consumes 120 liters of water per day; German citizens pay an annual fee of 60 euros for water supply connection; the Germans pay 3.4 euros per cubic meter of wastewater. While at the plant, the executives also learned about water supply requirements and its cost in Germany.

Sunday, December 7

In the morning the participants attended the Liturgy in a Ukrainian church. The next point of the module was the city of Wolfsburg, where the Alumni Community visited the AUTOSTADT, a huge automotive theme park with the slogan “People, cars and what moves them”. Its exhibits include the first petrol vehicle ever produced. The museum features a multitude of pavilions and boasts car storage soaring 20 floors into the sky. You can pick a car you want to see and it is then transported out to you. You can examine the car and test it as a driver.

Monday, December 8

The KEMBA alumni visited the Volkswagen factory, where they got to observe fist-hand the entire car production cycle. The construction of the factory commenced in 1955 followed by the launch of production in 1956. Every day the factory produces around 750 cars. It also builds car bodies for the Porsche Panamera and delivers them to Leipzig. On Monday, the executives also visited the German Management Academy of Lower Saxony – DMAN (Deutsche Management Akademie Niedersachsen), where they met with its Director for International Relations Harald Becke. The Academy is 25 years old and has its branches in Moscow and Shanghai. It aims to help companies in Germany and abroad build up effective business relations.