The outlook for 2020

The OECD, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, is forecasting further decline for the German economy over the coming year. The main reason for such cautious expectations is the current trade conflict between the United States and China, along with the still-unclear impact of Brexit.

So do we need to worry about all this to a greater extent than we have so far admitted?

Blue Ocean Strategy, a book by Chan Kim and Renèe Mauborgne first published in 2004, describes an impressive concept of a permanently profitable business model. Its basic idea is that assured long-term success can only be achieved through the development of new and innovative markets that are of real benefit to customers. In spite of all the problems encountered, we have this year managed to create our own Blue Ocean approach. And we have done so by way of innovative individual projects, regardless of what our competitors are doing. This is also the right way to face the future. We must remain flexible as we build up our strengths.

Kuhn Special Steel is present in at least thirty different markets, with products that range from easy-to-cast items to highly complex components made of special materials. This allows us, in contrast to many other foundries, to use our broad product portfolio to develop market potential on our own terms, even against a background of declining economic growth.

Our corporate values also give us an important competitive advantage, given that they lie at the very heart of our organisation. Peter Drucker, an American economist, once said “culture eats strategy for breakfast”. The above corporate values stand at the top of our family firm’s hierarchy of priorities; exemplified as and translated into strategies and operational activities, which makes them another positive contributing factor of our success.

We are therefore confidently looking forward to the year 2020.

Foto: © rea_molko – stock.adobe.com