magnetised 2014

KG

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EBITAREVENUE NET PROFIT EBITAREVENUE NET PROFIT

DIvISIon InDuStRIal

IMS ICS IDS PCS aCS CvS HDS

DIvISIon autoMotIve

KenDRIon GRouP SeRvICeS

01Volume 06 | 2014

“My favourite magnet is the big double-acting

spreader solenoid LED 165, we build for one of

the well-known elevator manufacturers.

With a diameter of 160 mm, a length of

386 mm and a weight of 39 kilos it is one of

our biggest electromagnets. Double-acting

means that it incorporates two solenoids in

one. It has two coils and two anchors which

control the lifting movement. The LED 165

releases the elevator brake. With over 5000 N

power it pushes the springs together and thus

lifts the brake. Spring force closes the brake.

The assembly line for this magnet was the first

one in Donaueschingen to be based on the

‘one piece flow‘ assembly principles. The last

part of the fully integrated assembly process is

attaching the identification label, after which

the completed magnet is lifted into its final

packaging with the help of a crane. In 2013 we

built 1,200 solenoids of this particular type.

Forecasts for 2014 show increasing numbers!”

Gerhard Schneider, Assembly Manager

Industrial Magnetic Systems,

Donaueschingen, Germany

My favouritemagnet…

2013 annual results

Final sprint for strong overall resultsKendrion finished 2013 with a strong fourth quarter, which demonstrates an overall

upward trend for the year in full. The company has laid a solid foundation for growth in

the years to come and expects further recovery of its home markets in 2014.

“Acquiring Kuhnke and integrating it into the

Kendrion organisation has brought about a major

leap forward, both financially and in other ways,”

says Kendrion CEO Piet Veenema. “We have actually

entered another league and as a result we have

renamed our Mid-term Plan ‘Designed to grow’. The

financial objective contained in ‘Designed to grow’ is

revenue of EUR 450-500 million by the end of 2015.

While this may sound like a very large increase when

compared to the EUR 354 million in revenue in 2013,

it is important to note that Kuhnke only contributed

to the results for slightly over six months last year.

An entire range of new projects will be launched in

Germany, China and the USA starting in 2014. So we

are convinced that our new Mid-term Plan is realistic.”

New projects

Kendrion recently announced its biggest order ever.

Newly developed electromagnetic parts for shock-

absorbers in cars will account for between EUR 350

and EUR 500 million in revenue over the next ten years.

“And this is only one of the projects in our pipeline. We

are making preparations for a new project in Villingen

(Germany) and have overcome some initial problems at

Kuhnke and are now moving full steam ahead. We have

had two major product launches recently in the USA. All

of our locations have been ‘furnished’ and brought up

to standard over the past few years.

We are financially strong, have a sound balance sheet

and good management in place. What better starting

point for further development and growth could you

wish for? The organisation is ready for the next step

and we are now shifting our main focus to the market

and sales activities.”

Internal development

CFO Frank Sonnemans: “We will, however, naturally

continue to develop our company’s internal

organisation within the context of our strategy. Completing

the implementation of our IT project HORIZON is a major

objective, which will be directly followed by extending and

further optimising its functionality. Risk management is

another area of interest in which we will develop further

action plans where necessary. We are also looking closely

at extracting more value from our strategic sourcing

through further coordination of Kendrion’s purchasing

operations.” Piet Veenema: “We also want to and indeed

must accelerate and extend our business in China and the

USA. And, of course, our growth calls for a critical review of

our management structure. We consequently now want to

build a division structure in Industrial in the same way that

we have done in our Automotive business.”

Balanced ratio

The main concern of Piet Veenema and Frank Sonnemans

for the near future is the imbalance between Kendrion’s

two core activities, Industrial (35%) and Automotive (65%):

“While they both represent totally different circumstances

and markets, they are equally important to Kendrion. Our

concern is that we expect to see Automotive grow much

faster, which will leave Industrial comparatively further

behind. In order to maintain a balanced ratio, we are going

to have to achieve further growth in Industrial activities, also

partially through acquisitions. But we must first focus on

integrating Kendrion Kuhnke into our organisation.”

FAVOU

RITE

20131 20121

2013 2013 2013 2012 2012 2012

1 EBITA and net profit adjusted

for non-recurring items.

1 354million

1 23.9million

1 14.3million

1 284.9million

1 22.3million

1 13.6million

Kendrion quality meeting

On the heels of the world quality day, organised by the World Alliance for Quality, Kendrion organised its own internal quality meeting. Kendrion quality people from various locations travelled to meet their colleagues.

Benefits

This second quality meeting was organised by Industrial Drive System in Villingen (Germany).

Twelve Quality Managers discussed adapting the fundamental characteristics and principles

for quality in the organisation to a similar understanding within Kendrion. The exchange of

information and experiences between different sites with different cultures was interesting.

Different solutions were shown and their implementation in the organisation explained. After

discussing best practices, the benefits of using these tools were shown.

Results

One major result of this meeting was the start of a common platform within the Kendrion

network. Soon after the meeting the directory was installed and the first action lists went live.

This directory will also be useful for the exchange of data or tools between the locations. With

this additional feature the network between the Kendrion companies is further reinforced.

The participants agreed to organise the next quality meeting at Kendrion Kuhnke GmbH in

Malente, Germany.

2

01 | 2014 MAGNETISED

Kendrion Suzhouat AA-level

At the end of every year the Suzhou (China) labour security

bureau reviews and assesses the labour security policy

and practical approach of different companies. These

companies are audited by the government. Of all these

companies only 101 were rated with an ‘A-level’. And only

two employers were awarded an ‘AA-level’. Kendrion

(Suzhou) Co.,Ltd. was one of these best two companies!

This implies Kendrion is regarded one of the best

employers in Suzhou. Cissy Hu, the Kendrion Suzhou HR &

Administration Manager: “We are proud our HR work has

resulted in high employee satisfaction and high prestige

of the company, with this positive audit as our ultimate

reward.”

PC

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IDS

IDS

Kendrion on ‘marketplace for education’On 7 February 2014 Kendrion (Donaueschingen/Engelswies) GmbH (Germany) took part in the

information day ‘marketplace for education’, organised by the vocational schools in Sigmaringen.

Many interested students and parents were informed about different companies and their training

opportunities. Kendrion was presented by the training supervisor Mr Hipp and several trainees from

our location in Engelswies. In this way Kendrion generated of lot of attention for the company itself

and its educational opportunities in the Sigmaringen area.

IMS

Best employeraward for KendrionK

GS

Every year German news magazine Focus - in

collaboration with XING, the leading social

network in German-speaking countries and

‘kununu’, Germany’s largest employer rating

portal - organise the ‘Top National Employers’

Award. We are proud to tell you that Kendrion

has been rated one of the best employers in

Germany, chosen from a total of 800 employers

with more than 500 staff in 22 branches. The

extensive survey was based on data collected

from some 20,000 employees and more than 23,000 employers,

expressing their opinion on such diverse aspects as quality of

leadership, career opportunities and employer image.

From left to right: Fritz Wälde, Dieter Depping, Laurids Plocher, Wolfgang Mayer, Rainer Wilcken, Thomas Gaetje, Stefan Steimle,

Olaf Lehnert, StefanTeudt, Ulrich Grage, Iris Techel and Horatiu Boborodea.

At the end of 2013 the Kendrion business units IMS, IDS en PCS decided to donate money, normally spent on Christmas gifts, to charities. Who did they decide to support?

Christmas gifts to charities

IMS - Doctors Without Borders

Industrial Magnetic Systems chose Doctors Without Borders (MSF), an

independent international medical relief organisation, with 19 sections

worldwide.

IDS - baku yie, together as one

Industrial Drive Systems decided to support a regional organisation, active

in Ghana: ‘baku yie - together as one e.V.‘. The organisation focuses on

education, community and fair trade and among other things sponsors

children for whom it would otherwise be impossible to attend school.

PCS - The Tables

And finally Passenger Car Systems which donated its money to a local

charity, called the ‘Tafel‘ (‘Table‘). The goal of the organisation is to

redistribute good quality but wasted foodstuffs to those in need.

IMS

IDS

PC

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3

MAGNETISED 01 | 2014

Kendrion Kuhnke at Medica-COMPAMED

Joint message to the worldAt the end of 2013 Kendrion Kuhnke was one of the numerous exhibitors at the Medica-COMPAMED in Düsseldorf (Germany), the high-tech solutions trade fair for the global medical technology sector. A total of nineteen huge exhibition halls was filled to the brim with the newest products and latest innovations of medical high-tech companies from all over the world.

At the Kendrion Kuhnke booth Daniel Grosse, Sven

Desens and Veronika Engel enthusiastically informed

every visitor about the opportunities a cooperation

with Kendrion would have in store. “With our presence

at this most important trade fair for the medical sector

in the world, we served two purposes,” explains Daniel

Grosse, Manager Fluid Technology at Kendrion Kuhnke

and responsible for the medical sector. “To start with,

we showed our joint Kendrion Kuhnke power to a

wide international audience. In Europe we are quite

well-known but worldwide we are not as strong yet as

we would want to be. We invited business relations to

come and visit us and we have been able to tell them

about our integration with Kendrion and our continued

focus on the medical sector. Secondly, we wanted to

remain updated on trends and developments, on ‘old’

Kendrion CSR Lottery 2013

Help our students in IndiaIn December 2013, we held a CSR Lottery to benefit

underprivileged students in our community project in Pune,

India. Fabulous ‘sustainable’ prizes - including a solar backpack,

DVDs, laptop sleeves and drinking bottles - were awarded to

ten lucky colleagues in the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland,

Germany, India and the Netherlands. The winner of the first

prize (a mountain bike) decided to donate the value of the prize

to the Indian student project instead of accepting the bike.

Around 600 tickets were sold altogether - enough to help build a

life for two new students! Many thanks to all of you who bought

a ticket or were involved in organising the lottery!

and ‘new’ players in the market and of

course on what our competition is up to.

Being there definitely helped to get the

broad picture.”

Fields of interest

In medical technology Kendrion Kuhnke

focuses on dental care, dialysing, respiration

and anesthetics and analysing. The most

promising markets are the analysing and

respiration/anesthetics markets. For these

market segments we develop and produce

complete systems with a high level of

technology integration.

In retrospect Daniel Grosse, Sven Desens

and Veronika Engel judge Kendrion’s

participation in the Medica-COMPAMED in

Düsseldorf in 2013 as a great success. In line

with the company’s motto ‘Plug & Play Fluid

Handling for Analysers and Ventilators’ they

showed Kendrion Kuhnke’s expertise in

development and production of complete

systems. They could welcome many

national and international visitors for great

discussions at the Kendrion Kuhnke booth.

ICS

CSR

KG

S HORIZON update

In January 2014 with the IFS implementation at the Prostejov plant

in the Czech Republic, the key user and the HORIZON team delivered

a faultless ‘going live’. A real boost in preparation for the more

complicated implementations at the Kendrion Kuhnke and

Kendrion US plants.

Looking back at the Prostejov implementation Günter Köster (IT

Director) and his colleagues on the HORIZON team concluded it had

been the most perfect ‘going live’ so far: “No failures, no fatalities,

not even minor problems. This is definitely the result of all the

experience we have built up over time. You can rightly say that by

now we have learnt the trick for a successful implementation, in close

cooperation with the key users in Prostejov and Eibiswald.”

But HORIZON is already moving on to the next station. US plant

Kendrion (Mishawaka) will go live on 1 April, immediately followed by

Kendrion Shelby (USA) in May. Günter Köster: “Kendrion (Shelby) will

be rolled out by a parallel team, provided for by IFS and managed by

the Kendrion core team. The HORIZON core team itself will focus on

the IFS implementation at the Kendrion Kuhnke plants in Malente and

Sibiu. We will have our finger in the test scenario pie in the USA and

will monitor the concepts we worked out in the other integrations in

Europe.”

Streamline

The implementations at Kendrion Kuhnke and Kendrion (Shelby) are challenging,

technically and from a business process perspective: “Process wise these recent

acquisitions are run along different lines and bring in new activities, such as

electronics production. We will have to develop new knowledge, for instance on

traceability issues. Implementing IFS with interfaces to other expert systems offers

opportunities to also fine-tune and streamline these processes.”

All things going according to plan, the implementation at Kendrion Kuhnke

will be finished on 4 August. After that the smaller Kendrion companies in

Switzerland, Brazil, Mexico and China will be integrated in the HORIZON

programme and then the HORIZON focus will be shifted to optimisations and

improvements at division, business unit and group level and to the support of

Kendrion’s further growth.


4

TEAM

TEAM: Marketing

Organising marketing for growthJanine Kostermann, Kendrion’s new Marketing & Corporate Communications Manager, joined the company some three months ago. She has used her time so far to get to know Kendrion and her marketing colleagues: “Kendrion is ambitious and innovative, but also down-to-earth and very much hands-on. The business units each run their own operations and I see it as my task and responsibility to understand what they are doing and what they need, so that the marketing team can offer support in the most effective way.”

“We have a great story to tell,”

says Janine Kostermann. “Not only

to engineers and technical people

on the customer side, but also to

stakeholders in other areas, finance,

suppliers or HR for instance. In

essence it’s the same story but we

will have to tell it in different ways

and with differences of emphasis.

I consider that part of my job. Focus

in my work will be on what business

units and divisions bound, what

business units can learn from each

other and developing Kendrion as a

strong global brand in the market.

During my introduction I have seen

some great examples of marketing

practices: segmented campaigns

with clear objectives, monitoring,

customer satisfaction surveys and

marketing research projects. In an

integrated marketing approach all

these aspects play their own vital

role and ensure that marketing

contributes to the development and

success of the entire company.” In

an increasingly competitive world,

structured marketing is of growing

importance. As already mentioned

by Bernd Gundesweiler (CEO

Division Automotive) in an earlier

Magnetised: “No matter how good

a product is, no one will buy if they

don’t know it exists, and if they don’t

understand and believe it can meet

their needs”.

Marketing as integrated element in the business cycle

Strengthening structured marketing, increasing Kendrion’s awareness globally,

extending our marketing activities in the USA and developing marketing as element

in the development and implementation of our business strategy are Janine’s

priorities. All aimed at making Kendrion’s market and innovative power even

stronger and more visible than it is now: “In my opinion innovation is also about

core competences, skill sets and innovation attitudes. Our products are the outcome

of all these elements. We should therefore communicate about these as well.”

Joining forces, looking for synergies

Marketing within Kendrion is, as it should be, organised close to the customers

in the business units, but experience and knowledge is shared on a regular basis

throughout the company. The bigger Kendrion grows, the more challenging the

mission to make marketing a strong team: “While at the same time retaining

the typical pragmatic Kendrion approach,” stresses Janine. “Having said that, we

have two concrete projects we are working on at the moment: finishing the new

corporate design manual as to support our presence in the market in an identical

way and further rolling out the new website.”

Ashok Leyland introduces Gemba to Kendrion

Gemba is a Japanese word, literally

meaning ‘crime scene’ or ‘real place’.

If the police are investigating a crime

the most obvious place to do so is the

crime scene itself. Likewise, in industry

Gemba places special emphasis

on the participation of shop floor

operators in resolving problems they

encounter on the shop floor and also

in suggesting improvements which are

documented and tracked. The ‘Work

Place’ is where the work is done, value

is created, problems are owned and

solved and the operators or office

personnel actually do their work.

Gemba Communication Center

Ashok Leyland has been practising

Gemba for the last five years and

experienced benefits in terms of

profit improvement, eliminating

waste, employee motivation and

improved product quality. Hence

they started to implement the

Gemba concept at their key suppliers.

The plan for the implementation

was worked out by the quality

department of Ashok Leyland in

cooperation with Kendrion Gemba champion Satyen Kurale. In

January 2014 the special Gemba Communication Center at Kendrion Pune was

officially inaugurated by Ashok Leyland and Kendrion Pune.

Monitoring key parameters

A Gemba Communication Center is a designated area on the shop floor. In

the center there are six display boards, called Our Company, Our Family, Our

Gemba, Our Strength, Our Performance and Problem Solving. Information is

updated regularly and the key parameters are monitored under these different

headings. The separate Problem Solving board is used to document and solve

daily problems, encountered on the shop floor. Active participation of all the

employees is essential and highly appreciated. In introducing Gemba Kendrion

Pune and Ashok Leyland reinforce their strong mutual commitment and

cooperation.

HD

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Cv

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Ashok Leyland is Kendrion Pune’s (India) major customer. The Indian

manufacturer of trucks and buses selected Kendrion (Pune) as a key

supplier and initiated the implementation of the Gemba philosophy

at the Kendrion plant in India.

Standing from left to right: Maria Frank (Automotive), Martin Ahlers (IMS), Iris Uras (IMS), Renard Risse (CVS), Marloes Withagen (KGS) and Marie Cavalieri (ICS). Sitting from left to right:

Beate Hermannstädter (IDS), Olga Liske (PCS), Martina Bodenlos (IDS) and Janine Kostermann (KGS). Not present: Uwe Dettmann (ACS), Martin Schwellinger (CVS) and Wilma Stuiver (KGS).


5

Kendrion Kuhnke joins CSR Board

At the beginning of this year Kendrion Kuhnke joined the Kendrion CSR Board. The themes, topics and issues discussed there - e.g. employee satisfaction, supply chain responsibility and energy reduction - are of major importance to the company.

Human Resources is vital to an organisation

like ours. That is why Kendrion Kuhnke has

always been involved in all kinds of educational

activities. Besides the company’s involvement

in regular practical courses, company visits and

the participation in Girls‘ Day the support of

several other projects should be mentioned.

One of the projects Kendrion Kuhnke has been

involved in ever since the start 15 years ago

is the regional ‘Azubi/Schüler‘ project which

helps pupils decide what vocational training to

go for. Every year pupils and Kendrion Kuhnke

trainees get together in teams to exchange

information on technical professions and

occupations.

Road map

In more or less the same way Kendrion Kuhnke

is involved in the regional mentor programme

of the Talent Development institute. 16

participating pupils profit from the experience

of company mentors, while developing a

personal road map for their educational

and professional career. Kendrion Kuhnke

maintains similar links with other educational

institutions in the area, such as the Hoffmann-

von-Fallersleben-Gymnasium in Lütjenburg,

Germany.

Integration

Kendrion Kuhnke actively participating in

the CSR Board offers the possibility to discuss

these and other relevant topics and building a

network with the other Kendrion locations. At

the CSR Board meeting in Markdorf (Germany)

the Kendrion Kuhnke representatives Wencke

Volkmann and Kathrin Grahl met their fellow

board members and learned about the

goals for 2014. In the meantime in Malente

specialists from the Board and their appropriate

colleagues have started dealing with pending

CSR questions and tasks. Kendrion Kuhnke

sees this as a further step of their integration

within Kendrion and looks forward to the

cooperation.

CSR ID

S

Industrial Drive Systems (IDS) has modernised its ‘excitation system mounting‘

department. The newly bought CTX 310 Ecoline lathe has been in operation since

February. Optimisation simplifies the work and generates higher output because of a

process speed-up, quicker processing cycles and improved process monitoring.

Fully automated

Further advantages of the new machine are reduction of down times, higher flexibility

and the handling of virtually all brake sizes. “The improvements in comparison with

the old lathe are immense. Just to give you an idea: with the old system the protection

door had to be opened and closed manually approximately 200 times per shift. This is

now fully automated“, says industrial engineer Artur Schulz.

Further optimisations planned

To complete the workplaces a servo press for caulking

the brakes, an electric screwdriver with automatic screw

supply and a lift/lower station as well as a measuring

station are installed. The acquisition of a new triple

staple system, a new dust extractor, a FiFo (first

in - first out) roller conveyor and lift/lower stations

is in progress. IDS intends to modernise all its four

workplaces for excitation system mounting for the

production of permanent magnet brakes.

Refit IDS excitation system workplaces

Wijgert Gooijer, Andreas Herzfeld, Wolfgang Mayer, Volker Buhl, Josef Porta,

Kathrin Grahl, Wolfgang Mayer, Wilma Stuiver, Wencke Volkmann,

Beate Hermannstädter and Heinz Jankowski

Market introduction KOBRA and greensigned

Back in a big wayAt the trade fair SPS IPC Drives in Nuremberg (Germany) at the end of November 2013 Kendrion’s business unit Industrial Drive Systems (IDS) introduced KOBRA, its first product under the greensigned label. Feedback and reactions were very promising. In 2014 sales leads should convert into first orders.

“With KOBRA we have launched

not only a revolutionary new

product but also a completely new

umbrella brand, greensigned,” says

IDS Business Unit Manager Michael

Bernhard. “Based on our experience,

we knew there would be a market

for this product. So in contrast to the

past we decided to set off developing

a product on our own initiative. In

order to get feedback well before

the official market introduction we

invited a group of chosen customers

to share their views and opinions

with us. We discussed technical

details, the characteristics and

specifications of the product and the

greensigned concept itself. Feedback

was very positive and encouraging.”

New solution

With an eye-catching, green (!) and recyclable stand, addressing

to OEM’s, system integrators and end-users, IDS drew a lot

of attention at the trade fair. Michael Bernhard and his crew

could boast of some 120 serious sales leads, more than ever

before: “Mid January we started contacting and visiting

these potential customers. We have supplied first interested

companies with samples and protoypes and have received

numerous requests for information, mainly from new contacts.

In the past we completely lost the market for spring-applied

brakes. By developing a completely new solution, offering

technical benefits and added value from a sustainability and

environmental perspective we are back in a big way.”

Strict criteria

In product development energy saving, recyclability, CO2

reduction and extended life cycles are rapidly becoming

standard requirements. With many of its strategic products

Kendrion is at the heart of these developments. “The

greensigned label will help us, the market and our customers

become aware of our power in this field. Greensigned products

comply with strict criteria for sustainability and environmental

aspects. Companies taking their corporate social responsibility

seriously not only aim at selling ‘green’ products but also want

their production facilities to live up to the expectations and

demands of stakeholders and the general public. Greensigned

can be part of their answer.”

IDS


6

Presentation seminar for Kendrion trainees

Career advisor Martin Wehrle once said: “The best sleeping drug

in this world is not on prescription and freely available. You take it,

when entering a congress hall or when settling at a conference table.

This sleeping drug freezes your thoughts, changes congress rooms into

dormitories and transforms lively faces into masks. It is called Power

Point.” For this reason it is essential that young people in particular

learn to transfer the content of their presentations and talks to their

audience in an interesting and comprehensible way.

At the end of 2013 the Kendrion locations Villingen, Donaueschingen,

Engelswies and Markdorf (all Germany) therefore organised a

presentation seminar for their 3rd and 4th year trainees. The trainees

were coached by Marion Eckert-Merkle. In a day she taught the

youngsters the basic principles of presenting ideas and thoughts, such

as: the first five sentences of a presentation are decisive for its success

and a balance should be found between content and entertainment.

KG

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Marion Eckert-Merkle (second on the right) with trainees from the locations Villingen and Donaueschingen.

Introducing Lean to Commercial Vehicle Systems

The benefits of doing things differentlyCv

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Bernd Friedrich gathered his Lean

experience when working for a big

automotive supplier for 14 years.

As the CVS Production Manager

he could not resist looking into

opportunities to increase efficiency

and to reduce waste: “We have been

very successful in the past and have

applied production principles which

are oriented on industry standards

and, due to lower production

volumes, more on craftsmanship

than on high volume production

methods. But we experience

now that our markets more and

more require stable and efficient

When Bernd Friedrich joined Kendrion in 2011 he saw the posssible benefits of introducing the Lean Production principles to Kendrion (Markdorf) in Germany. Two and a half years on he is busy planning Lean implementations in all of the CVS subsidiaries.

production methods. Therefore

we have decided to transform our

organisation from craftmanship to

Lean Production, basically meaning

producing value without waste of

efforts. Or ‘muda’, as the Japanese at

Toyota originally called it. There are

seven kinds of muda: transportation,

inventory, motion, waiting, over-

processing, over-production and

rework and defects. A full swing Lean

implementation, like the one we did,

includes them all.”

Actions

“We initiated all kinds of actions and

changes, such as the transformation of the simple work benches into assembly

lines per product family; the set-up of lines according to the ‘one piece flow’

principle in L or U shape, thus minimising walking times; ergonomic design of

the workstations; placing material in reach of the worker; separating value

adding from non value adding tasks; and visualisation of key figures on quality,

productivity and delivery performance to involve all workers. We are seeing very

good results already, but we have not finished yet. At the same time we have

started similar projects in our other locations. At Kendrion (Pune) in India we

could design the fan clutch and solenoid assembly lines on Lean principles straight

from the start and the local team is doing an excellent job there. So we decided

to use the expertise of our Indian colleagues to roll out Lean Production to other

subsidiaries as well. We are now preparing for the implementation at the plant

in Nanjing, China next May. Here we even decided to move to a new factory

building to be able to fully optimise production.”

Benefits

After the Lean implementation in China the other CVS subsidiaries in the USA,

Mexico and Brazil are next in line. Project leader Bernd Friedrich is optimistic

although he is fully aware that Lean is not a concept, easily accepted and

implemented: “But once people start to work in this way and benefits show,

enthusiasm and commitment grow.”

EVENT

How to react in child emergencies

Under this motto employees of the Kendrion

Villingen (Germany) plant could take part in a

new activity of the Work & Life Balance project.

HR representative Sandra Hoer organised

this first aid training in cooperation with the

Red Cross district organisation Villingen-

Schwenningen. The training focused on

parents and grandparents and on employees

who have regular contacts with children. The maximum number of participants was

quickly reached, showing the positive response to the initiative. In three evening

sessions the participants learned how to react to classical children’s emergencies

and illnesses and how to avoid safety hazards. Apart from this, first aid measures

such as ‘stable side position’ and putting on bandages were trained.

IDS

PC

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Solenoid hikerOn 16 January 2014 Kendrion said

goodbye to Wolfgang Knöbel.

Wolfgang worked with Kendrion

and its predecessors for more

than 40 years (!). Through all

these years he made valuable

contributions to the development

of the company and its products

and was a highly esteemed

colleague. A tradition started by

Wolfgang, a passionate hiker,

was the annual Kendrion hiking

tour. As a personal tribute and

an appropriate farewell present

Wolfgang Keller from the PCS sales team built a ‘solenoid valve hiking

figure’ for Wolfgang Knöbel (see picture). On behalf of all Kendrion we wish

Wolfgang Knöbel many happy walks in good health!

PC

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Wolfgang Knöbel


7

“Innovation has its own rhythm”,

Heinz Freitag says. “Just like with

music or in nature: it helps when we

work in a rhythm or a cycle of events.”

This is why several years ago Kendrion

launched the Kendrion Innovation

Day. External experts invited to this

special event share their ideas, and

Kendrion presents its innovations to a

selected group outside the company.

But, before reaping the rewards a lot

of ploughing, sowing, weeding and

pampering needs to be done. Some

of this work is carried out during

the Kendrion Inspiration Days. Heinz

Freitag: “What we began several

years ago is really taking off. We

have adopted the Innovation Day and

Inspiration Day as fixed events in our

calendar. The Inspiration Day at the

end of January was our first global

event: all US and German plants took

part. These events help us create an

atmosphere of curiosity. It was great

to see participants make concerted

Within the next few years, Kendrion intends to be perceived as the global innovation leader. Heinz Freitag, Chief Technology Officer, explains: ‘Everyone seeking a mechatronics or electromagnetism solution should automatically think of Kendrion, without prompting.’ However, how do you become a cutting edge company? By working to the rhythm of innovation! Kendrion’s annual Inspiration Day is part of the beat.

Stay curious, enjoy newnessK

GS

EVENT

efforts cutting across business units,

technological areas and individual

roles within the company. Of course

I’m never completely satisfied. We

have yet to succeed in persuading

our Czech and Indian colleagues to

attend. In addition, I’d like to see

the business units working on their

rhythm between events.”

Heinz Freitag is getting what he asked

for. Robert Lewin, Industrial Control

Systems’ Business Unit Manager, is

used to a structured approach to

innovation: “Several years ago we

formed small interdepartmental

teams, each focusing on a specific

industry. These autonomous teams

meet once a quarter. They have

specific, measurable goals and

continue to work on their assignment

between meetings. For us, the

Kendrion Inspiration Day was an ideal

occasion for the first joint meeting

of all our teams. These days offer

great opportunities for sharing

insights and for all participants to make a contribution to Kendrion’s technological

development.”

Global cross-pollination

The cross-pollination approach seems to be working. Henning Diel, Commercial

Vehicle Systems’ Head of Technology, can boast of quite some returns: “We

harvested 190 ideas during the last meeting! Our past innovation workshops

show that we need at least a hundred ‘rough’ ideas to ultimately identify one or

two really innovative concepts that are worth working out in detail. I was most

surprised by the ideas for an electric brake for cycles and frictionless transport

for logistics centres.” Gerald Puchner, Industrial Magnetic

Systems’ R&D Manager, was also gratified by

his participants’ motivation and involvement in

seeking - and proposing - new, original solutions:

“One of Industrial Magnetic Systems’ results

from the Inspiration Day 2014 is a new approach

to the search for innovative applications for new

technologies. It is too early to share information

on this. But we will do so, after we have tested this

new approach.” Gerald’s colleague Uwe Gnauert,

Industrial Drive Systems’ R&D Manager, also sees

a wealth of opportunities: “Cooperation between

Industrial Drive Systems, Industrial Control Systems

and lift manufacturers could possibly help us make

a quantum leap towards a mechatronical brake - a

new concept which offers an opportunity for the conquest of another segment of

the world market.” This was the first Kendrion Inspiration Day for Holger Schöning,

Automotive Control Systems’ Director Product Development & Design. He looks

back with satisfaction: “All participants came to appreciate both our range of

technological ‘treasures’ and the market potential of sophisticated combinations

of our electromechanics, mechanics, electronics and software engineering know-

how.” Robert Lewin and his teams, in conclusion, reviewed the opportunities for

applying sound actuators outside the automotive business: “We see a market,

although it is too early to give any more information.” However, Robert does wish

to make one point: “Alongside innovation leadership, we also need to develop an

appetite for investments and risks. Great ideas are one thing, but we also need to

market them and convince our customers of their value.”

Stay curious

Back to the initiator, Heinz Freitag. Which idea did he find most appealing at

the Kendrion Inspiration Day 2014? “It wasn’t a single idea, as such. What I

really enjoyed was the participants’ frankness. My colleagues felt secure enough

to propose some really wild, unexpected ideas which are completely separate

from Kendrion’s day-to-day operations. This indicates that our company’s

intellectual environment really supports creativity. We are now going to process,

categorise and prioritise all ideas and follow up the most promising. We’ll give

more information about the next steps in the near future.” Although managing

innovation may require concerted action, rhythm and discipline, Heinz Freitag’s

key, concluding, message is playful: “Perhaps my real intention for the Inspiration

Days is to convey the message: ‘Look further than your nose. Seek inspiration from

art and nature. Take bionics, for example: we can learn a lot by studying nature’s

principles. Stay curious and enjoy newness!”

Kendrion employs best graduatesAfter successfully completing his

machine building degree course at

the Furtwangen University with

the highest possible grades Martin

Ohnmacht decided to join Kendrion

Villingen (Germany) as a simulation

engineer in the development

department. With his remarkable

performance Martin was the best

graduate student of the degree

course in machine building and

mechatronics at the university.

During his study Martin successfully

completed a Kendrion trainee

programme which was specially

designed by the university in order

to engage students in gaining

practical experience and to enhance

the possibilities of entering into an

employment relationship afterwards.

Young professionals

Harald Burkart (Manager

Development & Construction) and

Sabrina Schumacher (HR) explain:

“We have welcomed students

from the Furtwangen University

to our trainee programme for

many years. For us this is an

excellent opportunity to get to

know highly qualified young

professionals at an early stage

during their degree course. We

can help them prepare for a

smooth entry into our company.

Benefits for students are their

monthly allowance and the

possibility for them to write

their final thesis with support

from our side.“

KG

S

Harald Burkart and Martin Ohnmacht


8

COLOPHON

Organisation: Wilma Stuiver

Publisher: Kendrion N.V.

Design: teamtva! reclamebureau

Copy: Wim Dieleman

Magnetised is printed on

environmentally friendly paper.

High-performance solenoid wins Innovation Award

3.5 milliseconds is certainly very

fast but the blink of an eye is all it

takes to damage or destroy sensitive

electronic equipment or transformers

in the event of a short-circuit. And

the faster fuses can prevent these

currents, the safer for life and limb. That is why Gerald

Puchner, head of development at IMS, developer Markus

Rekla and Managing Director at IMS, Norman Graf, are

so delighted about their innovative high-performance

solenoid with an impressive switching speed of only 1

millisecond. Over a development period of three years,

which also involved experts and students from Germany’s

top universities, they have come up with a globally unique

invention. For the first time the solenoid uses a combination

of magnet technologies that have only been used in parallel

in the past: the combination of a reluctance magnet with

an electrodynamic actuator. The latter balances out the

disadvantages of the reluctance magnet thus enabling a

faster response time.

The patent has been granted and, after a long trial period,

the first components have now been installed in real life

systems. On top of it all, the product was recently awarded

the German savings bank’s Sparkasse Innovation Award.

IMS

Gerald Puchner, Markus Rekla and Norman Graf

CSR Report 2013 out now!The new Corporate Social

Responsibility Report provides

information on all CSR-related

activities conducted by the company

in 2013. The Report is easy to read

and includes a lot of interesting news,

along with interviews, graphs and

pictures. You can view the Report

on www.kendrion.com (‘About

Kendrion’/CSR section) or request a

copy by sending an e-mail to

[email protected].

The Report also describes the new CSR targets

for the group, developed by the CSR Board

together with the Executive Committee. The

aim is to join forces with all employees and

management teams in order to achieve further

reductions in energy consumption and CO2

emissions, for example through LED lighting

projects and energy measurement tools. We

will also work hard to create an even safer and

healthier working environment for us all. An

extensive employee satisfaction survey will be

organised by several business units. We will also

continue to consult more regularly with our

suppliers regarding issues such as sustainability,

the environment and working conditions.

The student project in India can hopefully be

further expanded. Kendrion Kuhnke will also

be joining the comprehensive CSR programme

this year. More details on all the plans for

the coming year can be found in the Report

and upcoming editions of Magnetised. Join

us in our mission to make Kendrion more

sustainable!

CSR

Kendrion Academy

Building knowledge and contacts

“The Academy has been introduced

to help the operational companies

with research projects and the

development of innovative

solutions,” explains Managing

Director Sören Rosenbaum. “Our

efforts are all about gaining a deeper

insight into the technology we are

applying. We coordinate knowledge

available within the company, try

to find synergies, partner up with

universities and realise a more

fundamental understanding of for

instance electromagnetic principles.

In order to avoid duplication and

re-inventing the wheel, the Academy

also coordinates, controls and drives

knowledge management within the

company.”

Projects

Just like in any other industrial

company, for obvious reasons

Kendrion’s focus is on the issues of the day. It is Sören

Rosenbaum’s job to release the business units - if only

slightly - from everyday’s turmoil and also get them

focused on research of which we might need the results

in two or three years from now. Sören Rosenbaum: “To

give you an idea of the sort of projects we are talking

about I will describe two examples: tribological pairing of

two metals generates torque, which is vital for building

electromagnetic brakes and clutches. We have been doing

this for over 50 years but still do not fully understand the

physical phenomena and effects that we see. The Academy

set up a project team that is systematically analysing and

interpreting their factors and causes. A second project

is dealing with magnetic measurement technology and

implementing it in order to better comprehend the effects

of our actuators. A few other projects are in the pipeline.”

Sharing

With respect to knowledge management within the

company, in 2012 Kendrion launched its own in-house

Wikipedia, called the Technology Radar and based on

MS SharePoint. Here engineers can store newly acquired

knowledge and experience and share it with their

colleagues around the world. Those authorised can add

documents, exchange information, transfer knowledge, use

social media and have forum discussions. Sören Rosenbaum:

“We have to be careful where Intellectual Property issues

are concerned but we are slowly extending the system to

other domains and departments. Shortly Kendrion Kuhnke

and our facilities abroad will also have access to it. By

contributing actively to the content of the system we can all

play a role in steadily increasing its value for the company.”

KG

S

The Kendrion Academy has experienced a promising start. The newcomer within the Kendrion family is slowly but steadily building its reputation and informing the business units on how it can support their projects.

The way to go

David Vopel joined Kendrion in 2013 as a development engineer at Kendrion (Markdorf),

Germany. He frequently uses Kendrion’s SharePoint to get an idea of the knowledge available

and even more so of where to find this knowledge: “To be honest, when I first saw the

Technology Radar I thought my glasses needed adjusting. The homepage is quite compact

and not very inviting. But after clicking on buttons and diving deeper into the system I was

impressed with the amount and quality of the information. I also always found the name of

the sender, whom I could contact to know more. For me it is a great way of getting introduced

to my colleagues. The more information the Technology Radar harbours, the higher its added

value. This is definitely the way to go.”

magnetised 2014

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