woco group magazine - 38

Number 38 | April 2007 | ENGLISH

STRATEGY IMPLEMEN-TED CONSISTENTLYNew Woco Organizationand Leadership Structure

FROM RECIPE TOPRODUCTCentral Material Development at Woco

KANBAN APPLIEDAT KRONACHAn Instrument for Reducing Stocks

W o c o G r o u p C o m p a n y M a g a z i n e

Innovation and Technology

Advancing with

Woco in the New Audi A5

Innovation and Technology

Advancing with

Woco in the New Audi A5

Franz Josef Wolf Bernhard Wolf Martin Wolf

As you know, we have had to come to terms with a diffi-cult year marked by many changes. Raw material andenergy prices, productivity, and quality are still chal-lenges to confront us.

In February, we completed our generational transi-tion that we began several years ago. The new organiza-tion and leadership were presented at our annual GroupMeeting. With Martin Wolf (CEO) and Bernhard Wolf(President, VP of Markets), two representatives of thesecond generation are now at the head of the company.Franz Josef Wolf (VP of Markets), Dr. Stefan Jacobs (VP ofPurchasing and Logistics), Stefan Kortegast (VP ofFinance and Controlling), Uwe Reichert (VP of AutomotiveMarket), and Dr. Anton Wolf (VP of Predevelopment)stand with them in the leadership team. Each of them canpoint to permanent successes at Woco Group. We alsomanaged to land Mr. Thilo Möller (VP of Technology andPlants) who will support us with his knowledge and expe-rience in directing global production capacity.

The customer requirements for products and tech-nologies are becoming more broadly based. For one, ourcustomers are demanding highly innovative solutions forincreasing the ride comfort and driving dynamics whilereducing fuel consumption and emissions. On the otherhand, they expect production to come at an ever lowerprice.

Dear Staff Members and Employees,

We are convinced that this organization is correctlydesigned for living up to these customer expectations. Byusing our financial resources in a way that is increasinglysparing thanks to a process-oriented bundling of ourdomestic and international capacities and because of acost reduction program designed for the long term, wewill again achieve appropriate bottom-line results.

We also managed to record a growth in sales for2006. This growth can be attributed to the trust our long-term customers have in us.

It is an important aim of the Advisory Council, themanaging partners, and senior management to keep onpursuing the course we have taken. The Advisory Councilwill thus continue advising senior management in essen-tial questions, and it places full confidence in those incharge to take the necessary steps to ensure the ongoingdevelopment of Woco Group.

Sincerely,

New Organization and Leadership

2 WOCO Magazine 38/2007

EDITORIAL

2 EDITORIAL

3 CONTENTS

4 ADVANCING WITH INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY WOCO IN THE NEW AUDI A5

6 KANBAN APPLIED AT KRONACH AN INSTRUMENT FOR REDUCING STOCKS

8 STRATEGY IMPLEMENTED CONSISTENTLY NEW WOCO ORGANIZATION AND LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE

14 FROM RECIPE TO PRODUCT CENTRAL MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT AT WOCO

16 FROM WALLACHIA TO THE WILD WEST AN INTERVIEW WITH DR. PETR TOMECEK

18 “GRÜSS GOTT” – GREETINGS FROM KRONACH TAKING A LOOK ACROSS BORDERS

21 WOCO WORLDWIDE SPE AWARD AND PROCESS OPTIMIZATION

22 HAPPY DIWALI IN INDIA A PAINTING CONTEST IN KANDLA

24 LEAVING THE ADVISORY COUNCIL PROF. MENGES AND DR. KLEINHEIDT REFLECT

26 TARGETED TRAINING MEASURES TO ENSURE FUTURE VIABILITY

27 TELEGRAM

28 IMPRINT

16

24

3WOCO Magazine 38/2007

CONTENTS

4

22

14


woco INSIDE

Woco itself is represented in the newly introducedplatform with two main modules and multiple partial com-ponents. Parts that already exist within family platformssuch as engines will also show up on the new platform.

Shifter Module:Woco once again managed to win a concept competitionfor the new Audi B8 platform, and landed the order todevelop the system and deliver the series for the platform’sshifter. Woco already supplies all the shifter levers for man-ual transmissions in the models ranging from the TT and A3all the way to the A6.

The focal point of all the development activities –aside from considerable reductions in costs and weight –was to achieve simultaneous optimizations of comfort andprecision. Spec sheet requirements and the constantlyincreasing demands for vibration decoupling and dampingas well as insulation against airborne noise called for newand innovative solutions. Hence, new methods for decou-pling the shifter lever were implemented along with sever-al two-component parts. This resulted in a “crisp” shifter inall aspects thanks to the team effort of Development, Con-struction, Testing, Process Engineering, Project Manage-ment, QS, Purchasing, and Marketing. Praise is also due toour employees at Vsetin, who are responsible for assem-bling the entire shifter unit and the accompanying acoustic

cover. All can now eager-ly await the upcomingjudgment of final cus-tomers and especially ofthe press.

Intake Manifold System:Woco has developed a complexintake manifold system for a cus-tomer platform for the first time inWoco’s history. The challenges indoing so were not only described by theavailable design space and the requiredfunctions, but also by the integration of multipleearlier-stage suppliers and, in part, even by competi-tors. The complexity of the platform resulted in two basicintakes: one for the V engines and one for the in-linefour-cylinder engines. Depending on the engine and vehi-cle equipment, the respective basic modules alsorequired an automatically switched warm-air intake spe-cial to the versions made for “cold countries” like Swe-den, and an electrically controlled added intake specialto the high-performance engines. Not least because ofthis variant diversity, a wide variety of specific topics andchallenges had to be addressed and solved by Develop-ment, Project Management, Process Engineering and –

The year for European automakers traditionally opens with the auto industry trade showat Geneva. This was also the case this year at the beginning of March. Geneva always

provides a taste of what the car of the future will look like. Aside from the future-oriented topics,each year there are interesting new developments presented by carmakers that earn the amaze-ment of attendees. Along with the new C-Class from Mercedes-Benz, Audi added to the fireworksaccompanying its A4 by showing off the entirely new A5. This new model continues the platformstrategy: The A5 is based on the future A4 platform, known among Audi insiders as the B8 platform.The actual A4 with its different derivatives will then take center stage in the coming months.

Advancing

The new Audi A5:

exciting driving

characteristics

combined with an

elegant design

with Innovation and Technology Woco in the New Audi A5


woco INSIDE

last but notleast – the production

site. The networks with our development facilities in theCzech Republic (Vsetin) and Hungary (Budapest) permit-ted the flexible management of development and proto-type capacities. We can all be very proud of havingshown that we can form a significant interface to theengines of our customers, thus fulfilling Audi’s motto“Vorsprung durch Technik” – “advancement throughinnovation and technology.”

Cushioning and Sealing:Aside from the major shifter and intake manifold systems,Woco also introduced several new elastomer componentsto the B8 platform. Bushings of elastomers were added tothe steel springs in the struts to decouple structure-bornnoise and to avoid “coasting noises”.

Condensation water not eliminated from the heatexchanger can turn into a source that generates foul-smelling bacteria. A grommet thus provides a conduit forevacuating condensation water from the AC system, there-by providing an odor-free vehicle interior. ❚

Dr. Anton Wolf

Coil springbushing

Shifter module

AC system grommet

Air channel for six- andeight-cylinder engines

Air channel for four-cylinder engines

Woco products represent the companyin the new series from Audi with twomain modules and multiple components

WOCO INSIDE


wocoWORLDWIDE

Kanban differs from centralized production planningand control in several key elements. Centrally organizedproduction planning and control relies on offices at head-quarters for handling all planning and guiding tasks.

Kanban systems control or steer the production pro-cedures according to the fetch or future principle. In this,downstream work steps that consume material only fetchthe part needed in the required quantity at the requiredtime (just-in-time principle) from an earlier work step.Autonomous control circuits at the work-flow level form thecore element of this flexible production control system. Theaim here is to obtain permanent reductions and optimiza-tions of stocks at intermediate and final product stages.The requirement for this to occur at KKW was to simplifycommunications using clear descriptions of what item wasneeded in which quantity.

In other words, when material is needed (forinstance, when stocks fall short of a given minimum) – andonly then – the supplier is signaled to replenish the materi-al. This signal is given using a kanban (Japanese for “card”or “note”) that is always transported with the material ineach batch and that is returned for resupply, for example,when the batch is opened. There are strict rules that applyto production, especially the principle that production canonly occur if a kanban ordering production is present andthat only perfect parts can be delivered. This systemreplaces the traditional method of schedule-oriented con-trol with a method of demand-oriented control.

Kanban at KKW: how does it work?The number of the maximum parts to be produced is deter-mined by a set, defined quantity of kanban cards (batchsizes). Each container produced (KLTs and/or customer con-tainers) contains a card marked with a fixed unit quantity,the item number, the production site, and the warehouselocation. If this specific item is consumed in assembly, forexample, the corresponding card is sent back to the injec-tion shop where it is hung on the kanban board by its itemnumber. If the numerical boundary for action (production

KANBAN

The tenth internal SPS Workshop (Synchronous Produc-tion System) was held at our plant, Kronacher Kunst-stoffwerk KKW, on September 20 and 21, 2006. Thesubject was reducing warehouse stocks using Kanban.But what exactly does Kanban mean?

Applied at Kronach

Our creative team

Rudi Grebner,

Production Manager

Rainer Förtsch,

Assembly Manager

An Instrument for Reducing Stocks


wocoWORLDWIDE

start line) is reached when the cards are hung on the board,this trips the production of a new batch corresponding to thenumber of cards. The same mechanism guides productionon the assembly line and the finished parts warehouse,always determined by the demand of the customer. No cardmeans no production. In this pull-chain system, the produc-tion quantity and production time (reaching the “productionstart” line on the kanban board) are determined by the pre-vious process (e.g. assembly). The latter’s production, in

turn, is ultimately determined by the removal of finishedparts (= customer’s demand) from warehouse stocks.

Kanban naturally means that more costs are incurredfor equipment (tool assemblies on the injection moldingmachine) due to batch size reductions.

Another objective in the future will thus have to be touse CIP (the continuous improvement process) at our compa-ny to optimize this added expense for equipment and to sim-plify it using relatively simple and inexpensive methods. ❚

Rainer Förtsch / Rudi Grebner

The kanban board –

visual guidance

The kanban cardVisualizing the FIFO warehouse (first in, first out)

Optimizing changeover times / batch sizesAssured minimum levels

REQUIRED:

Reduction of overcapacityReduction in amount of capital committed

ACHIEVES:

Stock levels in storage reduced by 50%RESULTS ACHIEVED:

Strategy Implemented Consistently

Why is it so important to have a good corporate strat-egy in this day and age? The economy is changing funda-mentally right now all around the world. It is not alwaysclear to everyone just which direction the individual mar-kets will take. Having a strategy means thinking systemat-ically about how one should act from the start in order tobe in business over the long term before setting out. Strat-egy means keeping today’s earning potential as useful foras long as possible and establishing something new aheadof time.

Global company leaders were introduced to the neworganization and the associated new leadership structureat the Group Meeting on February 15 and 16, 2007. Bothwere the product of strategy development. Which trendshave influenced Woco’s strategy choices?

* Increasing globalization. This has caused regions tomove closer together. Our customers compare servicesand prices globally; they develop and source globally.

* Woco’s broad product portfolio. This has continued togrow in breadth and depth within the business units. Thishas also increased the complexity and the effort requiredto manage it. We thus need to concentrate on a manage-able product portfolio as well as on leaner, transparentprocesses in product origination and realization and inorganization.

* The separation into business units. For a long time,these were the right means of keeping the product port-folio competitive. In mature markets and in today’svalue-adding configuration, this structure often preventsus from exploiting synergies.

* Developments in the industrial segment. This will beimportant for the growth of the whole group in the future.

* The Woco Michelin AVS joint venture. Six years after itwas founded, it stands on the market as an acknowl-edged independent firm.

Closer to the Market. And to the Customer: The Market UnitIn the future, Woco will operate in the market with a clearseparation into the “Automotive” and “Industry” divisions.The Woco Michelin AVS joint venture will act on the marketindependently here (see Figure 1).

All activities oriented towards the customer will beguided from a single point in the Market unit. This willaffect sales, development, and project management. Itapplies both to the headquarters in Bad Soden-Salmünsterand to the regions of Western Europe, Eastern Europe,NAFTA, and Asia. The customer will have one person tocontact for all global activities. The customer will receiveattention with standardized processes that take localrequirements into consideration.


wocoWORLDWIDE

“Woco lives in the market, from the market, and for the market.”We can only continue to evolve if we manage to help our cus-tomers succeed on their own markets with our products. Strength-ening our customer orientation by reducing complexity and byintensified international cooperation were thus the centerpieces ofthe GO2020 Strategy Audit.

Franz Josef Wolf handed over the

wheel to his son Martin Wolf at the

Group Meeting in February of 2007

New Woco Organization and Leadership Structure

An Association of Plants Optimized for Capacity andCosts: The Technology and Plants UnitAnother important new addition is the global bundling,coordination, and qualification of existing productionresources. The newly created Technology and Plants unitstandardizes the existing technologies and their planabili-ty. The result is an association of plants with an optimizedcapacity and cost structure allowing us to better utilize theresources we have at our disposal worldwide.

The unit will have all the plants of Woco Group (fromthe former MAS, APS, and IPS business units) in the respec-tive regions of Western Europe, Eastern Europe, NAFTA, theNear East, and South/East Asia assigned to it.

Getting Innovations to Customers Quickly: The Predevelopment UnitThe innovation targets for Woco Group’s core productgroups are set high. And the challenges are apparent inmany ways:

* New vehicle concepts (hybrids, fuel cells, etc.)

* Innovative materials and material combinations

* New production processes

The Predevelopment unit will be concerned withgenerating innovative, process-secure, and marketablesolutions in harmony with the product-market strategies.

Consistent Organization with Lean Processes: Logistics and Purchasing, Finances and ControllingThe other parts of the group will also be arranged so theycan work effectively and functionally. Purchasing expertisewill be organized by material groups and project purchas-ing. Strategic supplier management will be expanded. Indoing this, we aim to increase the potential gains resultingfrom scale effects, thus structuring ourselves to be morecompetitive for the future.

The Finance and Controlling unit is responsible forWoco’s business with regard to directing and handling allthe commercial aspects. A key task in this is obtaining themeans worldwide while guiding the use of these meansso as to secure liquidity.


wocoWORLDWIDE

Figure 1:

* Acoustic components

* Actuators

* Valve cover modules

* Technical components

* Molded parts

* Precision seals and gaskets

* Diaphragms

* Components for

* Household appliances

* Pipeline systems

* Measurement andcontrol systems

* Industrial antivibrationsystems

* Technical vibration parts for chassis /suspensions

* Exhaust system hangers

* Decoupling elements

* Powertrain mounting systems

The global leadership team learned about

the new Woco organization and leadership

structure at the Group Meeting

Woco Group Woco Automotive Woco Industry Woco Michelin AVS


wocoWORLDWIDE

Defending and Expanding Our Market PositionEntrepreneurial success is achieved solely by making customers satisfied. This is theonly way we can defend and continue to expand our market position. A solid posi-tion on the market – paired with attractiveness that draws good employees – inno-vative service, productivity, liquidity, and profits will ensure our success as a familycompany in the future. We want to succeed. The managingpartners and senior management are convinced that we canachieve success with our new leadership structure.

The New Leadership OrganizationWith the generational transition in the top management ofthe company, the new leadership team has now beenformed. The members of senior management at WocoGroup are:

Martin Wolf (40) was appointed to the post of CEO of Woco

Group by the meeting of Woco Group partners, effective February 16, 2007.

Having earned his Diplom degree in business at the Aachen University of

Applied Science, he launched his career at PCD (Petro Chemie Danubia,

now Borealis) in Austria as an assistant to senior management. He joined

Woco Group in 1993 and was in charge of Gumitech Kft. in Hungary as the

general manager for Eastern Europe. In 1997, he moved to the Rubber

Technologies business unit in Germany where he was responsible for

expanding production in India and South Africa. He has been a partner in

Woco Group since 1998. Martin Wolf took up management of the MAS

(Motor Acoustic Systems) business unit in 2000 and became a member of

senior management. He was named the Chief Operating Officer of the

group in 2005.

Bernhard Wolf (44) was appointed to the post of President of

Woco Group by the meeting of Woco Group partners, effective February 16,

2007. He is in charge of the new Market functional unit that is assigned the

tasks of handling sales and customer care, marketing, product develop-

ment, and project management worldwide. He earned his Diplom-Inge-

nieur degree in mechanical engineering and plastics engineering at RWTH

Aachen (Aachen University of Technology). He began his working career at

ECIA (now Faurecia) in France. He came to Woco Group in 1995 and served

as the general manager at Woco Canada. From 1998 to 2000, he was

responsible for the NAFTA market as the vice president at Woco USA. He

has been a partner in Woco Group since 1998. After returning to Germany

from the US, he was the acting general manager for Woco Michelin AVS

until 2002 when he became a member of senior management as the Chief

Technology Officer.

The Members of

Martin WolfCEO

Bernhard WolfVP, Markets,

President


wocoWORLDWIDE

Franz Josef Wolf (72) assumed the post of Vice President of

Industrial Markets. This puts him in charge of all aspects of the segment

and of human resources related to sales and customer care, product

development, and project management worldwide. Franz Josef Wolf is the

founder of Woco Group, and he was the managing partner from 1956.

Uwe Reichert (48) was appointed to the post of Vice President

of Automotive Markets. This puts him in charge of all aspects of the seg-

ment and of human resources related to sales and customer care, product

development, and project management worldwide. Uwe Reichert began

his working career at Woco in 1981 as a technical specialist in the research

and development department where he collaborated on key product

developments. Holding a degree in business, he was put in charge of

expanding development and construction/design in the Czech Republic in

1993 before he then took up management of the development and design

at the company headquarters. He became the general manager for MAS

(Motor Acoustic Systems) in 2005.

Senior Management at Woco Group

Uwe ReichertVP, Automotive Market

Franz Josef WolfVP, Industrial Market


wocoWORLDWIDE

Thilo Möller (54) was appointed to the post of Vice President of

the new Technology and Plants functional unit, effective April 16, 2007.

The new unit handles the industrialization of product development, plan-

ning, coordination, and direction of the production facilities. Thilo Möller

is responsible for the technologies, the technology services, quality assur-

ance, regional offices, and the production plants of Woco Group. Holding

a degree as an Industriekaufmann, he worked for Phoenix Group for 36

years. He held various senior management posts at Phoenix.

Dr. Ing. Anton Wolf (53) was appointed to the post of Vice

President of Predevelopment. In this position, he directs the predevelop-

ment projects and is responsible for the predevelopment of products and

technologies, materials development, and product benchmarking at Woco

Group, as well as innovation and patent management worldwide.

Having earned a doctorate in physics, he began working as a project and

testing engineer at MBB and BMW in Munich. From there he went to the

Research Institute for Motor Vehicle Studies and Vehicle Engines in

Stuttgart, where he managed the department of noise suppression and

tire technology. He joined Woco Group in 1993. He first served here as a

department manager for vehicle engineering in the Anti-Vibration Sys-

tems unit. As Motor Acoustic Systems was founded as a business unit in

2000, he became a member of senior management and the general man-

ager of this business unit. In May of 2006, he was also named the general

manager of Kronacher Kunststoffwerkes KKW.

The Members of

Thilo MöllerVP, Technology and Plants

Dr. Anton WolfVP, Predevelopment


wocoWORLDWIDE

Dr. Heike Beerbaum

Dr. Ing. Stefan Jacobs (47) was appointed to the post of Vice

President of Purchasing and Logistics. He is responsible for the depart-

ments of purchasing, logistics, and IT (data processing) for Woco Group

worldwide.

After attaining his doctorate from RWTH Aachen, he launched his career in

technical planning at the firm LuK GmbH in Brühl, Germany. He was then

put in charge of the central technologies department at Henrich Gillet

(exhaust systems). Stefan Jacobs took up responsibility for the German

production plants of Rehau in 1995, and he was in charge of logistics from

1999. He joined Woco Group as a member of senior management in 2001

and has been in charge of logistics, technical services, and tool making.

Stefan Kortegast (44) was appointed to the post of Vice Pres-

ident of Finance and Controlling. He is responsible for the departments of

controlling, legal affairs, risk management, and treasury worldwide in this

position.

Holding the Diplom degree in business, he began his working career in

1989 at the business and tax accounting consultancy Deloitte. There he

gained experience as an auditing manager for national and international

clients. He then pursued his certification as a tax accountant. He went to

Tetra Pak GmbH in 1996 and was in charge of accounting until 1999 and

assumed various tasks in the international organization. Mr. Kortegast

joined Woco Group as manager of finance in 1999. After working as a self-

employed tax accountant, he returned to Woco Group in the fall of 2002 as

the manager with general power of representation for finance and control-

ling. Mr. Kortegast has been a member of senior management since 2004.

Senior Management at Woco Group

Dr. Stefan JacobsVP, Purchasing and Logistics

Stefan KortegastVP, Finance and Controlling

How is a cake like a car’s tire? And why is work in a bakery similar torubber production? Though these comparisons may seem to be quitea stretch at first glance, upon closer inspection they reveal remark-able similarities.

BUSINESSUNITS

The high level of expertise in the field of rubber develop-ment is a decisive factor behind the success of Woco’sproducts. Dr. Joachim Graf, Director of Central MaterialDevelopment (ZEW), and Dr. Jonas Ziegler, Director ofMaterial Development for WM-AVS (AEW), describe thecontributions their departments make to the success of thegroup as a whole.

WaW: You deal exclusively with the material rubber. Whatis so special about it?

Dr. Hans-Joachim Graf (HJG): What’s special is the cross-

linking. This makes rubber different from thermoplastics,

for instance, that form cross-links only mechanically. In

rubber there is also a chemical reaction that occurs and

produces the cross-linkages, and this is what makes rub-

ber an unrivalled elastic material. Furthermore, thermo-

plastic elastomers, such as TPE-V, differ from the two

material classes in that weakly cross-linked rubber balls

are present in a thermoplastic matrix.

Dr. Jonas Ziegler (JZ): The elasticity remains present for a

long time, comparable to an expander. This makes the

material ideal also for insulation and for absorbing vibra-

tions. These properties lend themselves ideally to adapta-

tion to suit each application through the selection of the

rubber type and the rest of the added substances.

HJG: The material has to meet the required specifications

and pass the test runs that reproduce the conditions with

which our product will be confronted in practical use.

WaW: What does rubber have in common with baking a cake?

JZ: The final product can only obtain the desired proper-

ties if the recipe and the vulcanization process are pre-

cisely matched to one another and this makes the proce-

dure much like baking a cake. Here we also have to read a

recipe first, get the right ingredients, and then mix. The

success of this depends not only on the recipe and the

mixing, but also on the whole “baking process” – that is,

on having the right temperature and baking time. This is

exactly how all influencing factors of this type applied

during the production process affect the ultimate proper-

ties of the rubber. This is why everyone working on the

process has to cooperate closely.

HJG: Product complaints received from customers are

often associated with the materials and this demonstrates

the far-reaching effects of our work. Selecting the right

materials for rubber as the main ingredient is not the only

Central Material Development at Woco From Recipe to Product

The interview with Dr. Jonas

Ziegler, Director of Material

Development at WMAVS,

and Dr. Joachim Graf,

Director of Central Material

Development

Up to 20 raw materials are

required for a mixture


Natural rubber is derived from the harvested sap of the rubber tree. It shows the best mechanical properties and is used everywhere where high resiliency and the higheststandards for vibration behavior are required.Yet it is also sensitive to temperature extremes and not veryresistant to certain media and to weathering.Natural rubber is used in the production of truck tires andpowertrain mounting systems, for instance.

T Y P E S O F R U B B E R

EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber), in contrast, is marked by considerableresistance to temperature extremes and weath-ering. Yet the synthetic production processes donot allow the same dynamic and mechanicalproperties to be achieved that are found in natural rubber. This material is used in moldedrubber parts as well as in passenger car tires.

TPE is a thermoplastic materialthat is processed like plastic(thermoplastic), but that hasproperties similar to those of rubber. However, it only hasmechanical cross-linking.

NATURAL RUBBER SYNTHETIC RUBBER THERMOPLASTIC ELASTOMERS (TPE)

BUSINESSUNITS

CENTRAL MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT

issue. The properties of the final product depend just as

much on the production process that occurs at production

plants spread out all over the world. And this production

process is naturally far removed from providing laborato-

ry conditions. So it is important that the material is robust

enough to withstand the effects of the environment,

for instance during transport and later during

intermediate storage in production. This is the

only way to ensure that production proceeds

without faults or errors.

WaW: How exactly does thermoplastic differfrom rubber?

JZ: Aside from the properties described so far,

the differences are found above all in the

process. Whereas raw materials for the thermo-

plastic industry are purchased standardized in

“sacks,” as it is said, raw materials for the rubber busi-

ness are purchased individually. Success here depends

not only on know-how about product-specific recipe

design, but also on close cooperation among all depart-

ments so as to ensure control over the entire process and,

hence, successful production. Once this complex situation

is mastered, competitive advantages can be achieved that

are not so easily copied by others.

WaW: How can ZEW master such a task?HJG: The biggest challenge facing an internationally oper-

ating company is managing the distances. This can only

be achieved if information on all process steps comes

together. Conditions also often have to be observed on site. ZEW is generally sub-

divided into three groups. The technical group deals with the production of new

mixtures that are made according to the recipes devised by the developers in

charge and then makes sample product for testing. The testing group runs tests

on the sample product or on the finished product from production to see that

all of these conform to the terms of delivery or other agreements with

the customer.

For this purpose, each product group has its own developer

team that handles the implementation of the customer’s spec-

ifications in conjunction with component development.

The ZEW/AEW Department exercises control over raw mate-

rials and recipes on behalf of the whole of Woco Group – we

also refer to this as “recipe authority.” The department

cooperates closely with central purchasing, works on procur-

ing the necessary raw materials, and collaborates with the mix-

ing facilities.

WaW: Where do you feel there might be room for improvement in the future?HJG: The impact that the properties of the materials have on the molding process

often does not receive enough attention throughout all processes. ZEW/AEW is

only consulted when many parameters have already been established. Yet mate-

rial and process – as has been pointed out – cannot be viewed separately either

in theory or in practice. This means that we can only succeed over the long run if

teamwork occurs consistently throughout product origination.

JZ: And this does not end once series production of the product begins. In the end,

we remain responsible for our products throughout their full life cycle. For this we

rely on feedback from our plants to allow us to judge how the material behaves

on different machines and tools. ❚

The influence of material

development on the

process chain

ZEW / AEWS u p p o r t s

Raw materials Mixing Molding Product properties Life-cycle capability


B u s i n e s s P r o c e s s

The ZEW lab is ratedas excellent by Volkswagen.

ZEW was the first supplier toreceive an excellent rating by Volk-

swagen, using the firm’s new auditingprocedure, that our customer VW is tointroduce. For the official recognition,the measurement values that were

recorded in the successfully auditedtesting lab were acknowledged

by the customer without retesting.


YOU ARE WOCO

From Wallachia to the An Interview with Dr. Petr Tomecek

MH: What subject did you study, and how did you first comeinto contact with Woco?

PT: I studied material engineering with an emphasis on

polymers. My first contact was in 1998 through Human

Resources and Mr. Halmazna. Back then, STV was looking

for a student who would go on to work for Woco later on. I

was studying at the time and was working at another com-

pany as a design modeler. Even then I was very interested

in having a chance to work in Germany. After I had spent a

month in Bad Soden-Salmünster as a student in 1999, I

stayed in touch with Woco and STV. It was soon certain

that I would begin at BSS right after my studies. My engi-

neering studies came to a close, but I decided to continue

my education to obtain a Ph.D. Two years later (2003), I

started working for Woco in Bad Soden-Salmünster and

wrapped up my studies via distance education.

MH: What did your work at Woco in BSS look like?PT: I started in testing technologies. Afterwards I spent a

certain amount of time in the material development

department. After a year I became specialized in actua-

You areWoco

Dr. Petr Tomecek (PT) has been working in projectmanagement at Woco MAS USA for a year. After com-pleting his studies at Thomas Bata University in Zlinand at the time of his doctoral studies there, he wasalready working for Woco in Germany before he wasdrawn to the “Wild West.” Mathias Hackerschmied(MH) interviewed him.

Prague is also called

“Golden City” or “City of

Hundreds of Towers”

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EUROPE AUSTRALIADETROIT

I’m currently working on an actuator project for the Siemens compa-ny. The project is international. The development management forthis project at Siemens is located in the US (Auburn Hills). Projectmanagement is in Canada (Tilbury) and purchasing is in Australia.

The project is about an actuator with an injection-coated valve,called an MTV (manifold tuning valve) for an air intake made of plas-tic. The project is very interesting, since it marks the first plasticintake manifold for a vehicle on the Australian market.

The project has been a major challenge since it started. Especially interms of the communications that span three continents and theresulting time-zone differences.

A look at Dr. Tomecek’s current project:


YOU ARE WOCO

Wild West

tors. I also worked in the areas of development, sales, and

project management. These jobs gave me the opportunity

to get to know a lot of my coworkers.

MH: What was the focus of your doctoral studies?PT: My dissertation title was “Contact surfaces of materi-

als: their physical and chemical modification.” The paper

discussed a study of various derivatives of cellulose for

organic applicators.

MH: Did you always want to work abroad; was it your own ideato go to the US?

PT: Yes, I always wanted to work abroad. This was

another reason I chose Woco. As the suggestion came

up that I might go to the US, it didn’t take me long to

think it over.

MH: When did you get to Detroit, and how long will you staythere?

PT: In May of 2006. The question of how long I will stay is

still open. It depends on how the American market for

Woco in the field of actuators evolves.

MH: Can you name three major differences between the Czech

Republic and the US? How much do your new coworkers knowabout your native country?

PT: There is history in the Czech Republic and Europe.

Here in the US, everything is “new.” Furthermore, every-

thing develops very quickly. On the other hand, the people

show more tolerance towards foreigners

in comparison to Europe. Life in the US is

easier in many respects, but at the same

time it is rougher and more uncompro-

mising. You can see the contrasts

between rich and poor everywhere. The

social systems in Europe provide people

with more security, keeping them calmer.

People most often know our capital city of

Prague. Many of the customers I deal

with have even seen Prague firsthand.

MH: How do you cook at your home in Detroit?PT: Much like in the Czech Republic.

MH: How and where do you see your future?PT: A good question. Time will tell. ❚

Dr. Petr Tomecek in

front of Tomas Bata

University in Zlin

Detroit – also known as

“Motor City, Motown”


wocoWORLDWIDE

Kronacher Kunststoffwerk, in the most northernrural district of Bavaria and in the provincial administrativedistrict of Franconia, is only around 200km east of Woco’sheadquarters in Bad Soden-Salmünster. But remember, ifyou want to do us a favor as Kronach residents, please callus Franconians, not Bavarians. As for Kronach, our hometown, here’s a brief guide:

The first historical mention of Kronach in contemporaryrecords was in the year 1003 AD. The city is still surroundedby an almost fully intact medieval wall and – surely a surprisefor most – the largest medieval fortress in Germany.

There are plenty of sights closeby. We cannot claim to have medicinalspas or healing mineral springs asBad Soden can, but we do offerattractions worth visiting such as theman-made Mauthaus valley lake, thecandy maker Confiserie Lauenstein,the Mitwitz water castle, and theLauenstein castle with its mysterious“ghost of the white lady.”

We cannot offer you ghosts ifyou visit KKW, even though KronacherKunststoffwerk had its origins as farback as the porcelain factory Stock-

Woco Worldwide means facilities in fascinating countrieson different continents. Yet who really knows our facili-ties in Kronach, Kronacher Kunststoffwerke (KKW), in theFranconian part of Germany? Kronach in the Franconianpart of Bavaria and Bad Soden-Salmünster in Hesse –two different federal states, both in Germany. “GrüssGott” and “Guuhde” as the typical greetings in Franconiaand Hesse respectively – or “Tschüss” and “Tschöö” asthe respective goodbyes – are surely not the only differ-ences separating Franconians from Hessians.

Aside from other important personalities, the painter

Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472 – 1553) came from pictur-

esque Kronach. Of around 5,000 paintings that originated

from his workshop, some 1,000 have survived until today

Kronach

“Grüß Gott” – Greetings from KronachTaking a Look across Borders

Markus Klinger,

KKW Automotive

Business Unit

Management

The Kronach plant

(eastern view)


wocoWORLDWIDE

hardt & Schmidt-Eckert, founded in 1912. Back then thecompany mainly manufactured low-, medium-, andhigh-voltage insulators. The first plastics wereprocessed using manual presses starting in1934. The first thermoplastic machine wasalready put to work in 1954. We have been atour current location on Industriestraße since1990. With 180 employees, we mainly producecharge air dampers, air channels, pedal systems,and other technical components made of thermoplasticsand duroplastics.

“Have Mercy on Us! – Too late, the Hessians Are Coming!”The year 2001 marked the start of our big adventure. Ourfate was one we could not even have imagined: We weretaken over by one of what we saw as a “foreign power” –Woco Group – and then integrated into the Motor AcousticSystems (MAS) business unit.

According to initial rumors, MAS was believed to bean abbreviation for “Mit Angst und Schrecken” (“with fearand dread”), but we soon realized it stood for MotorAcoustic Systems. We can now also understand what ismeant by different terms like charge air dampers, res-onators, and others.

The strategic orientation in recent years has seen us evolvefrom a supplier of simple industrial products to a

supplier of complex products for the automotiveindustry. Today we are a direct supplier to manycarmakers, including DaimlerChrysler, BMW,and Ford. Who could have imagined thechange! We provide the entire air supply for

DaimlerChrysler’s performance SLR sports car, toname just one example. But even the proud owner

of a Loewe-brand tele-vision set makes use ofour product: The deviceis turned on with thepress of one of ourproducts.

It was found to beto our advantage fromthe outset of our inte-gration into WocoGroup that we werecapable of performingthe entirety of productrealization. This directline to production and

The lake stage in the

State Garden Show of

Kronach

The three-level city

structure of Kronach

over the Haßlach river


wocoWORLDWIDE

shops will surely comprehend just how much potentialthere is in our plant and its workers. With our senior man-agers, we also have a good “line to the top” (or actually tothe left, since we are to the east of Bad Soden-Salmünster),which is why we feel so confident about the future.

We are dedicated to protecting the environment andstewarding our resources. Kronacher Kunststoffwerk is amember of the Bavarian Environmental Pact. The roof ofour company sports solar power cells with around 540modules. These generate around 100,000KWh/year inpower for us. Waste material is separated to 70 percentpurity by material and then resold. The rest is taken by arecycler. Machine oil is given an electrostatic cleaning andthen put back into the machines.

Come and pay us a visit. It is always interesting toget together to talk and to compare notes on the experi-ences so far. So in this spirit, we conclude with a “GrüßGott” from Kronach! ❚

Markus Klinger

assembly – combined with ourown project management, ourown maintenance, our ownknow-how in tools and equip-ment and in how to deviseprocesses – enabled us tohandle whole projects. Qualityand continuity are the guidingprinciples that serve us inensuring our future.

Our success is based ona team that is very dedicatedin all fields and that comestogether with team spirit totackle the challenges the mar-ket confronts us with. Anyonewho has had the opportunityto attend one of our work-

A view of the city

of Kronach

The medieval

Rosenberg fortress

is home to several

museums

Construction/Design Meets Production


wocoWORLDWIDE

It started with the idea of unifying a high-frequency anda low-frequency resonator in the same housing in order tosuppress both turbo whine and blade pass noise simultane-ously. For the first time in the history of Woco resonators,a cross-plate resonator was realized on the pressureside of a turbocharger. From the initial ideas forprototypes to the function and data sets, thetime needed purely for development was justfour weeks. The preparation of series-pro-duction tools, welding machines, and leaktest machines took a bit more than fiveweeks to accomplish. This was only achievedthanks to seamless teamwork that includedup-stream suppliers and tight project manage-ment. Tim Sikes (Development Director for ChryslerPowertrain) praised the speed of Woco MAS, Inc., in devel-opment and series implementation as well as in identifyingand eliminating problems. He said it would be a competitiveadvantage for Woco in North America to devise new productideas in steel and then produce them in series. ❚

Udo Gärtner

Woco MAS, Inc., in Warren (near Detroit,Michigan, USA) received an award fromthe Society of Plastic Engineers (SPE) inthe powertrain category on November 13,2006.

A resonator is a system that is capable ofvibrating whose components are harmo-nized to one specific frequency (eigenfre-quency) in such a fashion that the res-onator vibrates to the opposite of this fre-quency when agitated. Acoustic,mechanical, hydromechanical and electro-magnetic resonators are distinguished.

Award for

From left: Roman Lopez (Woco MAS, Inc., Project

Manager), Gian Luigi Molteni (DuPont Material

Development), Udo Gärtner (Vice President of

Woco MAS, Inc.), Tim Sikes (Chrysler Powertrain

Engineering Director), Baljit Sierra (COO of Novo

Plastics Tools and Production)

Optimal suppression

performance at all

frequencies: the prize-

winning Woco resonator

Woco MAS USA

Several changes have been made over the past sev-eral months with the aim of increasing the quality of designand construction under the sponsorship of Mr. HartmutWinter. Guidelines for construction were developed in ajoint dialog, and trips to KKW and STV were arranged.

The aim of these trips was to experience the prob-lems in production and assembly firsthand as developersor constructors on site. All the steps leading from granulesto assembly were discussed among the participating indi-viduals, resulting in an extensive exchange of information.

The objectives to be achievedwere short distances and a continu-ous flow of information, generationof know-how and an increase of Woco Group’s own valuecreation, as well as working according to the principle ofsimultaneous engineering. We are grateful to those whoorganized these trips and grateful for the excellent hospi-tality we received at each site. All participants agreed inconclusion that the meetings laid a cornerstone for closercooperation. ❚

Martin Schlotthauer

From left: Uwe Rosen-

bauer, Peter Henninger,

Andreas Fischer (kneel-

ing), Michael Mohr,

Marcus Rüttger, and

Benjamin Schäfer in

Tool Making at KKW


People & CULTURE

Despite working conditions in India that can hardlybe compared to those in Germany, the people in India arevery vivacious. The latest study on employee satisfactionat our two facilities showed that all the employees thereare highly motivated. To keep the motivation at this highlevel, the Kandla plant arranged to hold a painting contestat the end of 2006. The impetus for the event was one ofthe best-known and most pleasant festivals in India:

“Diwali”. Lasting for several days, this Hindufestival is the festival of lights, and it begins onthe 15th day of the Hindu month of Kartik (endof October, beginning of November).

Over 100 employees and their familiestook part in the painting contest. The picturessubmitted were judged by age group during acheerful ceremony on October 18. The win-ners were then given presents. A dinner isarranged for all employees in Noida for Diwali

each year as well. After the positive experience in Kandla,the plan is to combine the dinner in Noida with a paintingcontest next year.

What is behind the “Diwali” festival, and how is it generally celebrated in India? Translated literally, Diwali means “row of lights”. In its spir-itual and social significance and its joyous nature, it can becompared to Christmas in the western world. Diwali alsomarks the beginning of the New Year in northern India. A key element of Diwali is the lights.

Following the article on the expan-sion of Woco’s presence in India published in the last issue, we want-ed to return to take a peek behind

the scenes at the Kandla and Noida production facilitiesso as to learn a bit more about the lives of our Indiancolleagues and the atmosphere on the job.

Happy Diwali in IndiaA Painting Contest in Kandla

Mr. Vinod Kumar Parmar won first prize

in Group A (3 to 10 years)

Kandla

The festival is celebrated in quite different ways indifferent parts of the subcontinent. Indians have differentcustoms for it, and these are rooted in different mytholo-gies. The festival lasts from one to five days depending onthe region.

The sun sets on

Mandavi Beach at

Kandla

Noida


People & CULTURE

As a common part of the festival’s ritual, the peopleget up early and take a bath. They then generally put onnew clothes, pay each other visits, and give eachother gifts of sweets. People start setting offfirecrackers and other fireworks in thestreets, days before the festival. On the hol-iday itself, there is a lot of cracking andbooming, much like is heard in Europe onNew Year’s Eve.

Holidays and Festivals in IndiaSome sort of festival is celebrated somewherealmost every day in this country of seven mainreligions. The diversity of religions and the massiveregional differences in climate and culture explain alarge number of the various celebrations. Only the three

holidays officially introduced by the modern state have afixed date on western calendars. The others are based on

the lunar calendar, so the exact dates are differ-ent each year. It is worth pointing out that the

two Woco production sites at Noida andKandla only close for the five holidaysmandated by law.

India celebrates the festival of col-ors called “Holi” in spring. Everything is

brightly colored – animals, walls, and evenpeople – to show that the season of blos-

soms and warm weather is coming. Colors aretossed about in a powdered form, shot in sticky

balls, and sprayed in a watery solution onto everyonestanding around. Watch out for your clothes if you visitIndia during this holiday. ❚

Guillaume Legrand

A good idea in India:

a small temple at the

plant entrance

Mrs. Sonal Ram Prakash

Bind won first prize in

Group B (11 to 16 years)

Mrs. Usha Patel won

first prize in Group C

(16 and older)

The organizing team

with the painting contest

winners

1 2

The team at Kandla1

2


People & CULTURE

WaW: Dr. Kleinheidt, can you remember your first con-tact with Franz Josef Wolf, and what impression did heleave with you most at the time?

Dr. Kleinheidt: The rubber business unit at Bayer AG

was offering special customers assistance in present-

ing their own companies at the plastic and rubber

trade fair in Düsseldorf. Woco took advantage of this

in the framework of the “Rubber Road” event. As the

person newly put in charge of Bayer’s global rubber

unit, I already knew Woco to be a creative company.

But I first got to know the managing partners, Adolf

and Franz Josef Wolf, at K ’89. I can clearly recall how

enthusiastic F.J. Wolf was when talking about his firm.

His broad knowledge of the rubber and plastics indus-

try was very insightful for me. I was also very

impressed with his charm and with his ability to win

people over.

Prof. Menges: We – Franz Josef Wolf and his brother

Otmar – met at a trade fair. F.J. introduced his brother

to me as the lead technician and creative engineer who

had just enjoyed a great success in introducing the so-

called “JÜRGELEIT procedure” at Woco. This made it

possible – and back then it amounted to a sensation –

to produce molded parts without flash from cross-

linked elastomer using compression molding.

WaW: Why did you decide to join the Advisory Council atWoco Group?

Dr. Kleinheidt: At first it was a wish and a request from

Mr. F.J. Wolf. But I also found it interesting, and the

thought inspired me to apply my knowledge of heavy

industry and my professional experience in other

countries and the personal connections from there to

helping an internationally active, medium-size compa-

ny continue its development.

Prof. Menges: I found the performance of Woco as a

family-owned company that had succeeded in compet-

ing with a large number of major competitors to be

impressive.

WaW: What event will you remember most prominently?Dr. Kleinheidt: The first one on the list would be the

consecration ceremony for the Communication Center

in 1995. This highlighted the great specialist expert-

ise of the company, but it also showed how much

appreciation Woco has among its customers and sup-

pliers. But I also remember things that were less spec-

tacular but also meaningful, such as the speeches by

Leaving the Advisory Council

In the framework of the Group Meeting on February 16, Prof. Mengesand Dr. Kleinheidt were honored as they prepared to leave the Advi-sory Council after ten and 20 years of service, respectively. We at Woco asked them about their experiences on the council for somany years.

Prof. Menges and Dr. Kleinheidt Reflect

Prof. Menges

Dr. Kleinheidt

The departing Advisory Council members

were presented with a creative painting at

the departure ceremony


People & CULTURE

people like Günter Ederer on political-economic sub-

jects. These presented other points of view that also

gave Woco new impulses.

Prof. Menges: The way F.J. successfully weathered the

crisis at Woco in the mid 90s thanks to his firm faith

and his deeply religious convictions.

WaW: What suggestions would you like to leave the nextgeneration with?

Dr. Kleinheidt: I wouldn’t want to pronounce any recipes

or instructions here. But I wish the current leadership

continued success. Although success, in the end, will

result from the senior management using the master con-

trols with shrewdness, far-sightedness, and sensitivity.

But I would like to cite from the poem “Frühlingsgrüße

an das Vaterland” (“Spring greetings to the home-

land”) by Max von Schenkendorf (1783-1817). There

he says in the last line, “Nimmer wird das Reich zer-

störet, wenn ihr einig seid und treu!” (“The kingdom

will never be destroyed if you show unity and are

loyal!”)

Prof. Menges: F.J. was the inspirational leader for his

employees over several decades. He knew how to

motivate them, and he new how to win over his cus-

tomers with his far-sightedness. The better the

younger generation tries to follow in his steps, the

greater their success will be. ❚

After completing his studies in chemistry at the Univer-

sity of Münster and then receiving his doctorate in

1963, Dr. Kleinheidt worked at Shell AG for a year

before joining the main scientific laboratory at Bayer

in Leverkusen. He next spent seven years abroad as

the general manager of Bayer do Brasil, and then he

served as the director of Bayer AG from 1984 until his

retirement in 1996; he was in charge of the rubber

business unit at Bayer worldwide.

Georg Menges, born in 1923, completed his studies

in mechanical engineering at the Technical University

of Stuttgart and received his doctorate in engineering

in 1955. He worked ten years in the iron working and

plastics industries before he was appointed to a

professorship at the Technical University of Aachen

in 1965. He served as the Chair of the Institute for

Plastics Processing (IKV) at the Technical University

of Aachen until 1989.

The Advisory Council for

Woco Group to date:

(from left) Mr. Schroeder,

Dr. Kleinheidt, Prof.

Seiffert, Prof. Menges

1 2

1 2

The artist Katharina

Schneider made an

impressive creation using

the material rubber


Another important role aside from that of theemployees in this process is played by company leaders(on-the-job training) with the support of the HR Develop-

ment Department using suitabletraining measures. With regard torealizing our strategic objectives,the focus of training in 2006 wason employees who had afundamental influenceboth on corporate cul-ture and on the prof-itability of the group.

Training meas-ures were used lastyear primarily to sup-

port company leaders in their work. The basisfor this training was established by a stock-tak-ing among all supervisors who helped to assess individ-ual training needs and to devise the appropriate semi-nars. Company leaders participated in a seminar “Timeand self management” where they reflected on how theypersonally made use of their time, identified room forimprovement, and made the necessary changes. Anotherfocus in this context covered the subjects of “Directedmeetings” and “Conflict management.”

The second pilot group was the Sales Departmentfield force in Germany. The HR Development Departmentjoined with the sales supervisors to develop a qualifica-

tion concept that would take the special requirements ofthe market into consideration while balancing this with

the individual strengths and room for improvement ofthe employees. Equipped with this new knowl-

edge, the sales employees are now betterprepared to respond to customers’ needs ina more focused manner. In addition, partic-ipants also intensified their skills in hold-ing and directing discussions with cus-tomers. The training was generally very

well received – even employees who hadyears of experience in the business reported

learning some valuable lessons. The compositionof the groups with participants from different depart-

ments and business units also helped to expand furtherthe interpersonal networking among employees. ❚

Andrea Neuland

Targeted Training

People & CULTURE

Measures to Ensure Future Viability

Andrea Neuland, Andreas

Noll, and Nina Krieg are

responsible for Human

Resource Development

Training for the Sales

Department field force

was held in a comfort-

able setting

A future-oriented, demand-based system of trainingemployees is a key factor in determining the success ofWoco Group today. The elemental importance of peopleto the company means that expertise has to be recog-nized, promoted, and applied in a focused fashion.


wocoTELEGRAM

The Ludwig-Geißler school, the Bertha Heraeus and

Kathinka Platzhoff Foundation, and the German Chamber

of Industry and Commerce for Hanau-Gelnhausen-

Schlüchtern held the second technology competition for

trainees and school students on November 16, 2006.

The project required the participants to design a walking

robot that could make it from the starting line to the finish

without using wheels or caterpillar treads. Walking robots

– also known as biobots (biologically-inspired robots) – can

adjust their walk to the respective terrains. This makes it

possible for them to explore difficult ground surfaces with-

out the risk of having to abort their excursion because of

wheels losing traction.

The teams presented their projects to a jury on the day of

the contest. The jury considered the planning, realization,

problem-solving strategies, and team experience. In the

final competition, the biobots had to be capable of navigat-

ing the course of a path marked by a black line, managing

an upward slope, and then standing still and upright at the

finish line – all independently and without external help.

Take Partin TechnologyContestWoco Trainees

Woco Trainees Participate in

From left: the partici-

pants Christof Heil, Lukas

Haas, Michael Heilmann,

Alexander Med, and Timo

Müller with their trainer

Franz-Albert Desch

The biobots had to prove

their navigation capabili-

ties on the test course

“BO Cash Business Planning Game”

The objective of the contest was toallow participants to immerse them-selves in the business world, thus giv-ing them a better understanding of theinterrelationships within their ownfirms and on the international market.The process taught business in a prac-tical setting, trained networked think-ing, and promoted teamwork.As the general managers of fictionalcompanies, the participants of eachteam (of two to four members) madenumerous decisions within a limitedtime period. The actions taken in the

individual firms in the areas of sales,production, human resources, pur-chasing, and finances quickly had animpact on market share, balancesheets, and the profit-and-lossaccounts. Careful planning and accu-rate predictions of consequences werethe focus. Sixteen teams participated in a total of4x2 pre-round days of the businessplanning game. Two Woco teams par-ticipated in this pre-round. Team 2made it to the final round and finishedthe contest in fourth place.

The Gesellschaft für Wirtschaftskunde e.V. (GfW – Society for Business Studies)and the Bertha Heraeus and Kathinka Platzhoff Foundation played the “BO CashBusiness Planning Game” together with trainees in several firms. As in a sportschampionship, the individual firms or teams played rounds against one anotheruntil only the three prize-winning firms remained.

The Woco team received aparticipation certificate at the closing ceremonies

Dorothee Noll

Nina Krieg

Decize employees learn

about the past 50 years at

Woco during the 50th

Anniversary celebration

Kronach employees celebrate

in the production hallFollowing the 50th Anniversary celebrations for WocoGroup, our Decize and Kronach locations celebratedthe anniversary in their own ways.

50 Years of Woco

Q Prize Award

Decize and Kronach Celebrate

Passenger Cars: MarketForecast


wocoTELEGRAM

We at Woco – Employee Magazine of the WocoGroup, No. 38 – April 2007

Publisher: Woco Industrietechnik GmbH, Hanauer Landstraße 16, 63628 Bad Soden-Salmünster, Germany, Tel.: +49 (0) 60 56 /78-0,www.wocogroup.com, [email protected]

Editorial Staff: Dr. Heike Beerbaum, Dr. BerndCasper, Bernhard Eckert, Matthias Hackerschmied,Marie Halbig, Gerhard Hepp, Dr. Stefan Jacobs,Michael Klatt, Karin Kropp, Anna Dagmar Metz,Dorothee Noll, Isabell Papenheim, Roland Schalk, Dr. Julia Schürmann, Guido Stanovsky, Anke Wolf, Dr. Anton Wolf, Bernhard Wolf

Editorial Direction: Dorothee Noll, Guido Stanovsky, Anke Wolf

Design und Layout: STRAIGHT – concept & design,Frankfurt on the Main, Germany (www.straight-cd.de)

Translations: Leinhäuser und Partner, Unterhaching, Germany

Printed by: Druck- und Pressehaus Naumann KG,63571 Gelnhausen, Germany

Photos: Audi Mediaservices, Dr. Heike Beerbaum,Guillaume Legrand, Markus Palzer, STRAIGHT – concept & design, Tourismus und Veranstaltungs-betrieb Kronach, factory shots

© Woco – Reprints only with prior written permissionof the publisher

Editorial deadline: February 9, 2007

Woco is a living company where the employees fully apply them-selves to their work every day and then stand behind “their”products. We at Woco wants to make this visible. We need yourhelp to do so!

Get involved in the 2007 We at Woco Photo Challenge. Send usyour photos showing scenes from your job. Wanted are photoswith products, in production, during team meetings, at “interna-tional cooperation” activities …

We will publish as many images as we can in the next issue of Weat Woco and award prizes to the top three.

Photo submissions: In color, either digital (as JPG or TIF files ata high definition of at least 300 dpi) or small snapshot printsand/or slide positives.

Closing date for submissions: August 31, 2007

Send photos to:Dorothee NollWoco Industrietechnik GmbHHanauer Landstr. 1663628 Bad Soden SalmünsterGermanydnoll@de. wocogroup.com+49 (0)6056/78-9374

Photo Challenge 2007“Woco in Action”

Global passenger car

demand over time by

regions:

World

Asia

NAFTA

CEE

Western Europe

Others

Region

© R. L. Polk Europe

August 31, 2007Closing date for submissions:

2005 2006 2007 2008

+3.6% +3.0% +2.5% +3.6%

+7.8% +4.2% +6.3% +6.9%

+0.8% +0.9% -0.5% +0.7%

+2.5% +8.0% +4.9% +5.1%

0.0% -0.2% -0.7% +1.7%

+9.6% +9.1% +5.1% +4.2%

44,675 46,024 47,186 48,877

12,133 12,642 13,438 14,368

9,108 9,190 9,145 9,209

2,820 3,046 3,194 3,358

14,556 14,534 14,427 14,666

6,058 6,612 6,982 7,276

Awarding the Quality

Prize for 2007

The Q Prize was awarded in the AVS hall during this year’sGroup Meeting. The winners were:

First Place: Kronacher Kunststoffwerk GmbHSecond Place: ZGS-Membrány a.s.Third Place: EFFBE - FRANCE S.A.S.

?

woco group magazine - 38

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