Even in a global world, we see ourselves as deeply rooted locally at our headquarters in Lohne. This also means that we rely on trusting and reliable business relations and make a conscious effort to maintain business ties in the region. A substantial number of our suppliers come from the direct region and Lower Saxony. Local craftsmen are always approached first when it comes to commissioning.

To cope with order peaks, we collaborate with local companies for the assembly and packaging of plastic components. Incidentally, the Andreaswerk workshop, a facility for people with disabilities in the district of Vechta, is also one of our contractual partners. Our condition for collaboration is the contractual assurance that these companies comply with all legal requirements concerning their employees – for example regarding the minimum wage.

The catering companies that provide us with meals for our employees, as well as the hotels and catering businesses where we accommodate our guests and hold our workshops and seminars, are among our local business partners. By doing business regionally, we not only want to help to save energy consumed by means of transport, but also make our contribution to improving social conditions in the region. After all, good living conditions are of fundamental importance for the stability of our surrounding environment – and therefore also for our company’s success.

Our far-reaching performance programme, which we implement in the four divisions KAPSTO®, K-TECH®, TEKU® and FAMAC®, is the decisive factor in our own stability. As a result, we were and are able to act as a reliable partner for customers, employees and suppliers in times of economic volatility. For example, during the 2009 financial crisis, we did not have to make any redundancies or cuts in working hours – on the contrary, we even extended fixed-term contracts during those difficult months. We learned from some of our business partners that our orders were a lifeline.

We know that our company's success also carries the responsibility for moderate and regionally sustainable growth. The economic boom in the Oldenburger Münsterland has consumed resources that are becoming increasingly scarce, such as land. In order to maintain the stability of the region for the future, this development must be steered with foresight. For us, this means focusing first and foremost on improving our processes and thus on internal growth.

Source: Federal North-East Statistics Service, reporting date 30 June 2018

As one of the largest employers and taxpayers in the region, we make a significant contribution to prosperity and thus economic stability in the region. Of the approximately 15,800 employees subject to social insurance contributions in the town of Lohne (reporting date: 30 June 2018, source: Federal Employment Agency North-East Statistics Service) some 2,156 worked for us, equating to 13.6 percent

With our fair remuneration, we ensure well-being in a region with above-average birth rates, high employment and a relatively low long-term unemployment rate. Educational migration is lower in Lohne than in the district of Vechta and the state of Lower Saxony. We also play our part in this – our wide range of training and recruitment opportunities (161 trainees in 2018) also give citizens with rather low qualifications long-term prospects in the labour market.

Like many companies in the Oldenburger Münsterland, we are faced with the challenge of an increasing shortage of skilled workers. To continue to position ourselves as an attractive employer in the future, we are currently developing a new concept for contemporary “employer branding”. We also consider it necessary to work together with many regional stakeholders to attract attention to and promote interest in living and working in the countryside, quite apart from our own company. We believe that this is the only way to maintain the economic strength of the region. We are also in close contact with the Oldenburger Münsterland Association, which aims to ensure economic development in the districts of Vechta and Cloppenburg, and the Oldenburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry. As a member of the Private University of Business and Technology (PHWT), we contribute to the retention of young professionals in the region.

In April 2018, we participated in the Jobship project organised through Economics and Ethics study course at the University of Vechta. This enabled us to present ourselves and our training opportunities to 160 students – and led us to spontaneously extend the application deadline for our trainee programme until the following night at 11.59 p.m. A successful measure indeed: two of our current trainees came to us as a result of this project. The Oldenburger Münsterland Association is a partner of the Jobship project. We see the issue of employer attractiveness and employee loyalty as a strategic task to ensure responsible and foresighted corporate management.