Trends, Challenges and Opportunities How to Best Cope with the Demographic Change

Transcription

1 The Ingenics Customer Magazine 2011 / Issue 02 Trends, Challenges and Opportunities How to Best Cope with the Demographic Change 1. A growing workload will be assigned to a workforce that is decreasing in numbers and increasing in age. 2. Skilled personnel will be urgently needed and intensely courted. 3. Corporate age-structures and hierarchies will change radically. 4. Permanent training and education will take an even higher priority than it has today. 5. Acquiring and retaining experienced professionals and skilled managers will become more important than ever before. Dear Reader, with the recent stock market crisis and the political and economical instabilities companies are facing, it s easy to overlook a major shift that has taken place in the last few years; the aging of our society. This change will have a significant impact on our world in the decade ahead, with implications on the political, economic, and social levels. But what about your business? How can today s manufacturers best meet the challenges of a graying population? It s important to prepare now in order to effectively address this question in the years to come. After all, nothing less than our economic viability and our domestic welfare are at stake. Small and midsize companies will likely see the biggest impact. Unlike larger corporations, they rarely have a long term HR strategy in place to ensure adequate staff planning and train junior manpower. Against this backdrop, the efficiency of work processes, structures, and productivity will become an even more decisive factor for corporate success and, in some cases, even survival. Similarly, employee motivation, productivity, and loyalty will prove critical. That s where Ingenics comes in. Our comprehensive lean strategies help companies effectively set the stage today to achieve success in tomorrow s changed world. We hope you ll let us help you do just that. By the way: the upcoming demographic change will also profoundly affect society as a whole, its structure, and its needs. While the final implications are still uncertain, one thing is clear: a demographic change will lead to a new market...which also leads to new demand. That s good news for businesses everywhere as long as we are ready, able, and willing to respond to it. Good luck and happy reading, When strategizing for the future, businesses should take into account the following possible scenario: Oliver Herkommer Managing Partner Jörg Herkommer Managing Partner content 11 th Ulmer Dialogs Demographic Change: How Companies Are Preparing for the New Reality How Goldhofer Boosted Its Bottom Line Why T+H Metallwarenfabrik Relies on Ingenics Brazil More than just Samba and Carnival The Automotive Industry in France: New Challenges in Store How a Long Time Vision Is Becoming a Reality on China s Roads The Home Run: US Companies Reconsider Domestic Production Book Review/Events/Career

2 11 th Ulmer Dialogs Demographic Change: How Companies Are Preparing for the New Reality For the 11 th time in the last few years, Ingenics invited top executives from around the world to its Ulmer Dialogs conference this past May. With more than 200 participants heeding the call, attendance was at an all-time high. At the event, Ingenics shared some other impressive numbers as well was our most suc- Peter Hahne Jörg Herkommer Andy Häussler cessful year. In this past decade, our sales volume increased five-fold, said Ingenics Oliver Herkommer. In the coming years, the company expects continued success and average annual growth rates of some 15%. To support this growth, we expect to hire 100 additional engineers, and are actively seeking qualified applicants, said Herkommer. This simple statement opened the dialogue to the main issue at hand: the major demographic shift taking place all around the world right now. We Need Optimistic, Inspiring Role Models The fact that a full one-third of high school graduates are currently considered The expected demographic change and its untrainable shows the extent of the challenge - but also its far-reaching potential. impact on our society and economy was indeed the main topic of the event. In Hahne s advice? Be a role model, offer perspective, and avoid an exodus of the best political discussions, this important topic is largely ignored, asserted TV anchor and talent in your company. We need people bestselling author Peter Hahne. According who give us hope. The future belongs to to Hahne, there are three interconnected those who can offer encouragement to the topics that need to be urgently addressed next generation. and resolved. They include: the loss of fundamental values; the state of emergency Time to See, Time to React in education; and the demographic change. Once ideological values deteriorate, material values rapidly follow suit, explained with the personnel that s still active in the The question of how to manage the future Hahne. The fixation on quick profits and workplace especially given the fact that hazardous money market speculations are hundreds of thousands of people reach leading to the worst possible type of crisis the official retirement age in Germany a crisis of trust. If we can no longer rely each year was also the subject of Jörg on honesty and truthfulness, we retreat Herkommer s lecture, entitled Demographic into inner emigration. We need clear goals; Changes in the Company. According to employees must know what their executives stand for what concepts, visions millions of qualified workers by 2020, and Herkommer, although we are bound to lose and strategies they follow. As for the although businesses, especially those in demographic change, Hahne believes that rural areas, will find it difficult to replace there is simply no excuse for ignoring this those departing employees we still have important topic. We know what will happen in 30 years, and while we can t stop the CEO came fully prepared with a number of time to prepare. Naturally, the Ingenics development, we have a chance to control concrete suggestions on how to best handle its effects, he maintained. the situation. At Ingenics, we analyzed the Oliver Herkommer factors that threaten competitiveness and productivity, and updated our resource model for Operational Excellence accordingly, he explained. The key: continuing to put people at the heart of the production system. As a result, our Ingenics concept now includes the components Attractive Company and Attractive Region, helping to rapidly identify essential areas for action. Not One Magic Bullet But Several Effective Solutions According to Herkommer, Ingenics identifies Four Building Blocks for Success that can be applied to any organization. First, there is the Demographic Check, which employs an age structure analysis, interviews with staff and senior management, load-oriented activity, and environment analysis. The other three include Empowering People, Developing Production Systems, and Making the Company More Attractive all designed to help a business attract and retain the best talent. During one of our client projects, we learned that the average age of the workforce, which is now 48.8, will increase to 55.5 in 2020, explained Herkommer. That means now is the time to act. Most companies already realize it, but many are asking for a single perfect solution to ensure them the most predictable results. Herkommer advises companies to remember that there is no such thing as a magic bullet or perfect ROI when it comes to coping with the demographic change. Rather, they should implement a number of proven, individual solutions that will help them effectively meet the upcoming challenges, one by one. To close out the event, things took a lighthearted turn as psychic Andy Häussler, also know as The Enterbrain, regaled the audience with a stimulating, fun, interactive presentation. Overall, the conference was a tremendous success, and we re already looking forward to the 12 th Ulmer Dialogs! Next Event: Demographic Change at the Hamburger Dialog, September 22nd, 2011

3 From Value Analysis to Value Creation: How Goldhofer Boosted Its Bottom Line Some may say it s best to reduce costs but here at Ingenics, we also think it s a good idea to avoid them altogether. In fact, we ve seen through our work with clients around the world that using state-of-the art value analyses to eliminate expenses in manufacturing projects can help achieve dramatic results. After all, the more cost-efficient the value chain, the larger the value creation at the end. A case in point: Goldhofer, a leading manufacturer of specialty vehicles for general road traffic, heavyduty, and special transportation needs. Over the course of a single year, Ingenics completed six projects for Goldhofer saving the company hundreds of thousands of dollars. In addition to the cost-savings, Ingenics helped Goldhofer make far-reaching improvements in its corporate structure and personnel efficiency, thanks to the intensive, cross-departmental involvement and training of employees on all levels.. Reducing Is Silver, Avoiding Is Gold: The Value of Value Analysis The earlier the lean principle is applied in practice, the more sustainable it proves to be. Think about it: what applies to bodies applies to business. An effective way to trim the fat is to go on a diet but it s often a tough, arduous road. Of course, if you start out slim already, it s much easier to maintain your weight over the long-term by avoiding, rather than eliminating, fattening foods. When it comes to lean manufacturing, the best approach is to do both go on a diet (that is, reduce costs) and stay slim (that is, avoid costs from the get-go). And that s exactly what Ingenics did at Goldhofer. In fact, the company s first objective was to avoid costs where possible. At the same time, it sought to significantly cut existing manufacturing costs by reducing material and production expenses, and paying better attention to the function of products and components. With these goals in mind, Ingenics started the first stage of the project, a two-day in-house training with Goldhofer employees involved in design, planning, and production. After learning about the philosophy, the objectives, and the benefits of value analysis, participants were ready to zero in on specific work methods based on a six-stage work plan. This plan described the step-by-step approach necessary to analyze and successfully execute value analysis projects. In addition to project preparation details, it included the object analysis, functional specifications, a list of ideas and solutions, and more ultimately culminating in the definition and implementation of specific solutions. Using different creative techniques and practical examples, Ingenics and the team simulated real-life processes to outline constructive ideas and appropriate solutions, and systematically practice the methodological steps necessary to implement them. Armed with the tools of this successfully completed training, the team was ready to tackle the next phase: the start of the real project. From Project Training to Project Success With the objective in mind to drive up production efficiency and minimize/avoid costs, the project went into its application phase. This phase specifically focused on improving the production efficiency of an aircraft tractor, a semi-duty and heavy-duty vehicle, and a welding robot. To enhance the use of materials and introduce improvements across the entire process and manufacturing chain, it was necessary to cooperate across various departments. Ingenics and Goldhofer worked together to create interdisciplinary teams, including employees from such diverse departments as development, manufacturing, production planning, and purchasing. To capture all parameters, such teams may sometimes even integrate employees from suppliers and corporate partners as needed. The result: the project was a huge success a perfect textbook case for the six-stage work plan and value analysis. Goldhofer s highly motivated staff delivered creative ideas that led to better, yet entirely feasible solutions. Those were, in turn, translated into strategies, and implemented to achieve concrete results. The costs savings projected at the start of the project turned out to be realistic and were fully achieved. As an added bonus, the project led to a stronger team spirit among all participating employees setting the stage for the successful execution of future projects that are sure to positively impact Goldhofer s corporate structure, philosophy, and bottom line for years to come. Goldhofer AG Whether heavy goods or semi-trailer, self-driven heavy goods module vehicles, aircraft haulers without bars or vehicles for transporting rotor blades and towers for wind turbines: Goldhofer AG from Memmingen is an expert in the field of road, heavy goods and special transport. More than 600 employees working on the almost 120,000 square metre company premises produce around 950 vehicles per year for a load capacity range of 25 to 10,000 tons as well as 100,000 spare parts. The traditional company, that can trace its history back to the year 1705, has produced more than 32,000 vehicles to date and delivered them to more than 70 countries. Do you think about these issues too? n Is your PDP considering methods of cost reduction already in the early phase of the product creation phase? n Is your developer thinking of costing structures? n Do you use target-costing? n Do you use methods like value flow analysis or value flow design? n Do you want to know more about lean development? Then contact Gundolf Müßig, Partner, Ingenics Academy Manager gundolf.muessig@ingenics.de

4 Improving Efficiency and Generating Added Value in the Metal Industry: Why T+H Metallwarenfabrik Relies on Ingenics Ingenics was recently selected by German-based T+H, a mid-size manufacturer of metal stamping, pressing, and bending components for the aerospace, automotive, medical, and mechanical engineering industries, to help streamline operations, improve material efficiency, and increase the company s overall value creation. When it comes to start-up times, we are almost on target already, and in terms of quality assurance we have identified additional potential and are making rapid progress, says Jürgen Truckemüller, Managing Partner at T+H. Ingenics began by working closely with T+H s management to define project parameters and objectives. Starting with a thorough analysis of the status quo, Ingenics focused on existing corporate processes and communication structures before developing several approaches and evaluating them individually to find the best possible optimization strategy for T+H. T+H Metallwarenfabrik GmbH This medium-sized company consists of the T+H Werkzeugbau GmbH, the T+H Metallwarenfabrik GmbH and the T+H Oberflächenbehandlung GmbH and employs in total around 150 people, who generate a sales volume of over 20 million EUR. The most important products are metal stamped, pressed and bent components for use in aerospace applications, automotive and mechanical engineering, medicine and measuring technology. The The analysis revealed significant opportunities for improvement in the areas of transport times, waste, and procurement. T+H s stamping area alone showed an annual savings potential of over $185,000. Focused on the Essentials Ingenics proceeded by updating the entire team about the project, driving acceptance and ensuring everyone was on the same page. The process was quick and painless all of our employees welcomed the plan with open arms, said T+H Managing Partner Frank Hebsacker. analysis to determine the individual steps and their respective shortcomings before holding a customized, dedicated set-up workshop. We basically created an ideal process, with significantly shorter set-up times, and offered it to T+H s staff as a guide for how to improve and streamline processes overall, explained Ingenics Stefan Meitinger. As a result, start-up times, set-up times, and material waste were all dramatically reduced, and T+H was able to cut reworking costs by 33 percent. Managing Shareholders, Jürgen Truckenmüller and Frank Hebsacker, are continuing to strengthen the Focusing specifically on two major areas material efficiency and set-up times Ingenics first performed a material flow Next, each department received a special assignment: to work on a task of their choosing, and solve all related problems position of T+H GmbH with the high quality and flexible availability of their services. within just six weeks. Though challenging, for them to embrace the change that was this approach involved T+H s employees coming. In fact, at the onset of the project, directly in the process, making it even easier T+H managers wrote in an internal memo: Continuous improvements bring amazing resources and opportunities to light. The results have proven them 100 % correct. Overall factory productivity and availability were improved by almost 20 percent; employee productivity rose by over 10 percent. According to Hebsacker, the project has helped his company boost value generation by up to 15 percent. And both executives Development Shims Stamping Plant 2 Average amount per week Development Shims 2 Per Day Moving Average (Development Shims) agree that it was Ingenics that enabled them to implement massive improvements within their company. T + H Metallwarenfabrik GmbH D Gerstetten For more information, visit calendar week Scrap reduction during retraction of the parts

5 Brazil More than just Samba and Carnival The Automotive Industry in France: New Challenges in Store With the World Cup scheduled to be held in Brazil in 2014, Pelé Land is gearing up for a year focused on all-out soccer. When they arrive in Brazil for the big event, visitors from around the world will likely discover a country that looks quite different from just a few years ago thanks to continued economic growth, an influx of investments, a stable political climate, and a population that is enjoying an almost unprecedented financial boom. Tourists come from all points of the globe to visit the region, and more recently, international corporations have been following suit. As companies from Asia, Europe, and North America expect increased growth in the coming years, they re investing billions of dollars in Brazil. ZTE, Huawei, Chery, Valeo, Fiat, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, MAN, AGCO, Delphi and Foxconn are among the global businesses setting up shop in Brazil. Daimler, for its part, recently announced the company s plans to create 1,550 additional jobs in the South American truck sector. The real draw for these businesses is simple: Brazil s economy is booming, yet it s still slightly lagging behind other BRIC countries. As a result, experts see promising growth potential in a variety of industries, from transport and infrastructure, to high-tech and automation, to services and IT. To take advantage of this economic promise, OEMs, suppliers, and machine builders from around the world need local representation in Brazil. But expansion to the region is still risky for companies just getting over the economic pitfalls of the last few years. And Brazil still has some tricky issues to navigate including a high government spending ratio, a relative skills shortage, rising inflation, towering interest rates, an investmentinhibiting tax policy, and what some might consider rather unusual bank business practices. Still, future-oriented companies see the opportunity that Brazil offers and are already operating successful subsidiaries there. In fact, German companies alone currently provide 400,000 jobs in Brazil, and account for 10 percent of the country s gross domestic product (GDP). According to Ingenics Gundolf Müßig, a successful market entry requires a systematic approach. The Brazilian tax system is complex, and often puts companies operating from abroad at a disadvantage, explains the business unit leader and South America expert. At the same time, companies establishing operations in Brazil face another set of challenges, including securing appropriate funding and finding skilled personnel. Ingenics can help, offering targeted support on the ground to provide businesses with site analysis and selection, company setup, factory planning, and recruitment. For companies already maintaining operations in Brazil, Ingenics also recommends projects that increase production efficiencies. Due to the strong position of employee representatives in Brazil, these projects need to be exceptionally well prepared and communicated. Gundolf Müßig also suggests a methodical supplier development program. The issues we encounter in Brazil closely resemble those we have been helping international companies overcome in China for many years, explains Müßig. In Brazil, however, the cultural differences are less pronounced, which is why Western corporations typically have an easier time here. Still, Müßig warns companies not to venture to Brazil alone and unprepared. Local partners are essential in helping businesses negotiate concessions and sales contracts, manage procurement, search for the most appropriate suppliers, put logistics in place and deal with employees and employee representatives, he explains. Ingenics has extensive experience and expertise in all of these areas, and can help companies succeed in the promising Brazilian marketplace. While the crisis in Japan has recently demonstrated the vulnerability of the global automobile industry, it has also highlighted its increasing strength. After all, just a decade ago, a similar disaster would have produced far greater damage. Today, the automotive industry is flexible enough to rapidly bounce back. Indeed, while some suppliers are still struggling, reports are showing that most manufacturers have been able to eliminate bottlenecks in production and supply after only four short months. Still: the automotive sector in general faces a new set of challenges. And in France, manufacturers are preparing accordingly. A New Perspective on Growth While both electric engines and other alternative business concepts, such as car sharing models like Car2Go, and Auto-Lib, are generating a lot of interest in France, they have yet to impact industrial performance in any significant manner. To understand the real challenges of the automotive industry, let s first look at the market development. After the economic downturn and the end of incentive programs such as cash for clunkers (or prime à la casse as the French say), competitive pressure is once again on the rise. To stay in the race, manufacturers are passing on the costs to suppliers and sales networks. Platform and modular construction methods have not yet reached their peak, and there is a slight trend towards insourcing of some core components. Against this background, the optimization of business structures, processes, and cost factors is becoming imperative. The fact that the global automotive sector has started growing once again makes logistics flows ever more complex. It is therefore necessary to implement a highly efficient supply chain that meets the current requirements of international markets. For French manufacturers, this means: n Building adequate logistics capabilities. In the global environment, manufacturers must consider every scenario, including the fact that some countries do not have enough trucks to transport the cars themselves. n Ensuring reasonable delivery times. n Optimizing supply chains to minimize remote storage (for complete vehicles and /or spare parts). n Simultaneously developing a local supplier network and global sourcing. For Ingenics, the case is clear: successfully applying lean thinking will significantly bolster the potential of France s automotive industry. Flexible factory design, simple logistics processes, and stringent adhesion to the Do More With Less principle will provide a new perspective on growth. By the way: What s true for France s automobile manufacturers also applies to their international peers. Which is why, at Ingenics, we invite global players in the automotive industry to successfully meet new market challenges by drawing on our extensive experience and track record of success in this particular sector. Contact us for more information today.

6 Electric Vehicles: Making Great Strides How a Long Time Vision Is Becoming a Reality on China s Roads 快速发展中的电动汽车产业 China has long been impressing the world with the size and scope of its rapidly growing mega-cities. No other place on Earth has a population density like China in cities with more than 5 million inhabitants. Estimates foresee that another 400 million people will immigrate to China s cities over the next 20 years. But even now, these cities struggle with exploding traffic volumes and air pollution readings. 长期以来, 中国大城市快速发展的规模与范围震撼着世界 地球上没有其它国家像中国这样拥有超过 500 万的城市人口密度 预计未来 20 年中国城市人口将新增 4 亿 然而, 即使是现在, 这些城市已在急剧膨胀的交通流量与空气污染指数面前举步维艰 China s latest five-year plan, released at the beginning of 2011, should help alleviate the situation. It is geared to help transform China from an export nation to an ever more ecoconscious consumer society. A major component of the new plan is the increased emphasis on driving alternatives, particularly the development of electric engines and related battery technologies. In the past China had missed the boat on the latest developments in automotive technology, and has been trying for three decades to catch up. But the government has learned from these shortcomings and is now actively promoting electric vehicles. The targeted promotion of e-drives may well be one of the first official reactions to the Chinese population s growing eco-consciousness. Indeed, the central government in Beijing recently created an alliance of more than 16 state-owned companies that are investing a total of over 100 billion RMB (about 11.6 billion Euro) in electric vehicles. The alliance includes representatives from the energy and automobile industries, as well as from the IT and aviation sectors. And already, China has taken a big step in the right direction. While e-bikes have only lately started to generate interest in Europe and in the US, they have been a part of daily life in China and other Asian countries for more than ten years now. At the same time, the sale of motorcycles has been severely limited and sometimes even prohibited in the country s 90 largest cities. As a result, over 140 million e-bikes are currently rolling on China s roads, and China maintains an unparalleled know how in the development of powerful batteries for these bikes. This specialized know-how is already highly beneficial to Chinese industry, and is sure to continue to be a differentiator in the years to come. China s government also leverages its direct influence on electricity generators, network operators, and automotive manufacturers to steer them in a common direction, leading them to build the necessary technology and infrastructure in a cost-effective, controlled manner. The government itself is also investing heavily in expanding the infrastructure for the private use of electric vehicles. China currently has more than 6,000 small and 75 large e-service stations, the latter of which can load more than 45 vehicles simultaneously. In Shanghai alone, the approximately 1,000 electric cars that currently travel the city s roads have access to 500 charging stations. The project is currently being extended to an additional five cities with the goal of having more than 60,000 electric vehicles operating in the public sector by the end of With this new environmental policy and increased development of the country s infrastructure, China is offering exciting opportunities for companies in the space of alternative vehicles, machine and factory construction, and high-tech. With many years of experience working with companies in the arena of alternative vehicles, Ingenics is ideally positioned to help businesses succeed in this exciting new marketplace. Contact us today, and find out more about how our factory and production planning, logistics planning, and efficiency improvement solutions can help you maximize opportunities in China. 中国 2011 年初公布的最新的五年计划应该有助于缓解这种状况 该计划旨在推动中国由出口国转化为更加具有环保意识的消费社会 新计划的主要组成部分加大了对替代动力的重视, 尤其是电力发动机及相关电池技术的开发 过去, 中国错过了汽车技术最新发展的潮流, 三十年来一直在努力追赶 然而中国政府已经认识到了这些缺点, 正在积极推动电动车辆的发展 有针对性地推广 纯电力驱动 技术的举措可能正是官方面对国民不断增长的环保意识首次作出的反应之一 其实, 北京中央政府近期创建了由超过 16 家国有企业组成的联盟, 它们对电动车辆投资的总额达到 1000 亿人民币 ( 约 116 亿欧元 ) 以上 该联盟包括能源和汽车等行业的代表, 也有来自 I T 和航空部门的代表 不过, 中国已经在正确的道路上迈出了一大步 虽然 电动自行车 刚刚开始在欧洲和美国引起关注, 它们已经成为中国及其它亚洲国家日常生活的一部分, 到现在为止已有十多年的历史了 与此同时, 摩托车的销售受到了严厉限制, 中国 9 0 个大型城市有时甚至禁止摩托车行驶 结果, 中国目前使用的电动自行车数量达到了 1.4 亿以上, 中国在电动自行车电池开发方面保有无与伦比的专业技术 这种特殊的专业技术已经对中国工业产生了非常有利的影响, 并且必然在今后几年继续发挥优势作用 中国政府还利用其对发电厂 网络运营商和汽车制造商的直接影响, 将它们引导到共同的方向, 促使它们以具有成本效益和可控的方式开发必要的技术和基础设施 政府本身也投入巨资扩建方便私人使用电动车辆的基础设施 中国目前拥有超过 6000 多家小型和 75 家大型电力服务站, 这种大型服务站可以同时为超过 45 辆车充电 仅在上海, 目前行驶的电动汽车就有 1000 辆左右, 可供利用的充电站有 500 家 该项目目前正在向另外 5 个城市扩展, 目标是到 2012 年底使公共部门拥有 6 万辆电动车辆 将凭借这一新环境政策以及不断改善的基础设施, 中国在替代能源汽车 机械和工厂建设以及高新技术等领域为企业提供激动人心的机会 英见公司在替代能源汽车领域拥有多年与各个公司合作的经验, 具备绝佳的条件, 可以帮助企业在这个激动人心的新兴市场之中获得成功 马上与我们联系, 您就可以了解, 我们的工厂与生产规划 物流规划以及提高效率的解决方案会如何帮助您最大程度地提高您在中国的机会 The Home Run: US Companies Reconsider Domestic Production Think globally, produce locally. It s a trend that many manufacturers are starting to adopt, as the US becomes an increasingly attractive, cost-effective alternative to overseas production. A few years ago, outsourcing was all the rage. But the Wall Street Journal recently noted that many global businesses are starting to return previously outsourced production sites and capacities to the US. Why? Rising salaries in formerly low-wage countries, increasing energy and logistics costs, as well as mounting commodity prices and travel expenses have diminished the advantage of producing abroad. And what s more, many US states are now offering attractive tax incentives to sweeten the pot for domestic manufacturers. Still, if you re considering setting up shop or expanding your manufacturing site in the US, it has to be done the right way to ensure total costs remain low. That means finding a sustainable business location, putting a flexible infrastructure in place for growth, and creating a clear path to accelerated ROI. Ingenics can help. With a long-time presence in the US market and extensive experience helping companies launch domestic operations, we ve got a home field advantage when it comes to maximizing opportunities here. Our focused approach ensures that you ll be prepared for longterm success not just a single home run. That means empowering your team in addition to maximizing the efficiency of your production and logistics processes. Our comprehensive solutions span everything from planning, to implementation, to training employees to making sure they have not only the right qualifications, but the commitment necessary for overall success. Contact us today to find out more.

7 Book Review The Age of Aging: how demographics are changing the global economy and our world by George Magnus This book started life as a couple of research projects that looked at the financial and asset market implications of demographic change. It became increasingly apparent that the footprints of demographic change were everywhere, and not just in economic and financial spaces. They can be found in the discussions and debates we have (and will have) about immigration, family structures, pensions and retirement, work and education, globalisation, religion in a secular world, secularism in religious countries and communities, and global security. They can also be found in the heat of the current economic and financial turbulence. We are dealing with a cyclical slump in the economy, structural change in the way the world works, and a generational shift as the baby boomers begin to head off into retirement, and as Generation X steps up uncomfortably to fill the shoes that are better suited to the next internet generation. Events 3 rd Annual Hamburger Dialog September 22, 2011 Kai 10 - The Floating Experience, Hamburg Visions, Strategies, and Methods for Shaping the Future in Business The world s demographic development is a much-debated topic these days, one that most recently took center stage at our 11th annual Ulmer Dialogs. What impact will an aging population have on society and business? How can we prepare for the new situation? These and other related questions will be answered by proven experts at our upcoming Hamburger Dialog meeting. As usual, we will analyze the topic using concrete studies and implementation models, and offer interesting and inspiring presentations to debate the issue and illustrate solutions. Join us for an informative and insightful day featuring a full roster of prominent speakers, including German TV broadcaster and moderator Peter Hahne. Save the date: September 22, 2011 in Hamburg, Germany. Register now at kontakt@ingenics.de Go East - Go West - Open Up Global Markets with a Profit On September 29, 2011 in Stuttgart Airport, Germany Which factors should be taken into account to be profitable when Going Global? Which obstacles need to be overcome? What do you need to consider from the point of view of a financial expert? You will find out from our experts at our Ingenics Symposium this year. Register now at Lean Leadership - Impulses from Practice in a Premium Discussion on November 17, 2011 in the Lago Conference Hotel in Ulm, Germany How do employees grow together into a team that dedicates itself to the implementation of company goals and actively participates? You will find out how you can successfully manage this process as a leader and awaken the willingness to make a change at this premium event. For more information and to register visit lean-leadership Career Opportunities with Efficiency Find Exciting Job Opportunities At Ingenics! With subsidiaries in China, France and the US, Ingenics manages projects for leading global players around the globe, from Europe, to South Africa, to North and South America, to Asia, and more. The key to our success is the international experience of our team. This experience offers a tremendous benefit to our customers, but is also a major draw for employees who want to become project managers and trainers in our growing global network. If this sounds like a fit for your career objectives, why wait? Call us for further Information. Contact information ingenics AG Schillerstrasse 1/ Ulm kontakt@ingenics.de Phone Fax Ulm Stuttgart Munich Hamburg Paris Shanghai Atlanta