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Resource-efficient & customer-oriented: Lean Production in medium-sized companies

Orders cannot be accepted because production does not create enough output? The complaint rate is increasing? The company is in a tight financial situation because too much liquidity is tied up in the entire production process?

Many medium-sized manufacturing companies are currently in a challenging situation. Weaknesses in the structures and processes of production thus become even more apparent. Of course, no production is perfect. If it is viewed and optimized according to the principles of lean management, significant improvement results can be achieved. Lean Production creates a customer-oriented, lean, and resource-efficient production process and strengthens the competitive position. Lean Production aims to avoid waste at all levels in production processes, to ensure good quality, to keep delivery times short and costs low.

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Success with a System: Succession in Family Businesses

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One comes, one goes – and if one doesn’t go, one is too many. This statement already says a lot about why succession in family businesses is demanding. It takes a successor who is willing to take on responsibility and it takes an entrepreneur who is willing to put responsibility in the hands of his successor. The path to succession is crucial because it involves answering many questions. Systematically addressing the issue of succession in the company at an early stage ensures success – even if the result will most likely be different than expected.

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Effectively Managing Reorganization and Restructuring

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Sooner or later, undesirable developments in a company become apparent in its earnings situation. Once there, it is usually only a matter of time before the company’s liquidity is also affected. So, if there are negative deviations in sales and/or earnings compared to corporate planning, if the results are below those of comparable companies or even negative, it is imperative to take countermeasures. Precisely because time is usually of the essence in such cases, it is crucial to proceed thoroughly and professionally.

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Sustainability – making the complex topic manageable

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It is increasingly important for medium-sized companies to meet sustainability criteria and to make this visible. In the overall economic structure, they are always part of a larger supply chain and thus bound by the sustainability requirements of other stakeholders. Demands on SMEs also come from banks and insurance companies. This is because the ESG criteria that a company implements are playing an increasingly important role in the financial sector against the backdrop of sustainable finance and are important when lending to an SME. In addition, the expectations of customers and employees are becoming increasingly concrete. But how specifically does an SME go about thinking, acting, and deciding in terms of sustainability? The topic of sustainability is complex. There are 20 important sustainability criteria, which include, for example, “innovation and product management”, “resource management” or “employee rights”. Therefore, the key question is: Where is the topic of sustainability relevant in the company at all?

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Digitalization in SMEs: Successful Introduction of HR Management Tools

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Every company knows that it is no longer possible without digital tools – especially in HR management. But how do you implement such a digitization step in a medium-sized company? One of our customers, a medium-sized mechanical engineering company with its own production facilities and around 150 employees, decided to take the step forward with us and digitize its HR processes.

The particular challenge was that, at the start of the project, a lot of data and information was still in paper form and very little in Word or Excel. In addition, the company’s resources for this project were very limited. Despite the hurdles, the software was successfully implemented, and the entire company benefited greatly. Many processes have been automated since the system was introduced, which has freed up valuable personnel and financial capacities in the company. Managers, HR managers and employees benefit from greater transparency and 24/7 access to the data they need for their tasks.

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This is how the Event & Dialogue “HR: Digitalization in Practice” went.

As hosts, we look back on a successful “Event & Dialogue” 2022 and on a varied evening with inspiring exchanges and exciting discussions. It was an all-around successful event last Wednesday, July 20, with owners of medium-sized companies and HR professionals. After getting to know each other and the opening speech by Martin Auer, Managing Partner of THE MAK`ED TEAM, on the topic of “HR: Digitalization in Practice”, Claudia Weber from Deinzerconsult moved on to the agile salon method.

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More Resilience and Success – Compliance in Environment, Health, and Safety

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People and nature are among the most sensitive areas in a company’s sphere of influence. After all, life and health are at stake here. Violations can have serious consequences. The liability risks arising from occupational health and safety and environmental protection law are correspondingly high. Of course, the basic obligations towards employees or other persons and the environment are known to every entrepreneur and compliance is not a new topic in these areas. Every company will consciously or unconsciously implement compliance measures in this area. However, the topic has become very much the focus of the authorities – and the focus of the public.

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Listen to your gut! Is something wrong? Facing a crisis at an early stage

No question about it! In economically uncertain times, many companies are susceptible to crises. Now is the time to take special care in risk management. In times of energy crisis, Ukraine conflict and supply bottlenecks, very few companies know what tomorrow will bring and drive on sight. However, anticipating the development of one’s company is crucial, especially in volatile times, in order to recognize crisis indicators in good time and largely avoid a crisis that could threaten the company’s existence. The StaRUG has made this a corporate duty. The Stabilization and Restructuring Framework Act, which came into force on January 1, 2021, aims to protect companies from insolvency and support them in a restructuring process through various instruments. Permanent planning and transparent risk management are mandatory components in the entrepreneurial toolbox. This enables management to assess how the company is developing at any time and to identify crisis indicators before the crisis makes big waves.

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How much, where, for what: Personnel requirements planning brings clarity

The world of work is changing dramatically and is challenging HR managers. Whether it’s the shortage of skilled workers, succession management or digitalization: there’s a lack of personnel here, a lack of sufficient skills there. These dynamics have led to an increasing professionalization of HR management. State-of-the-art planning of personnel requirements forms an important and valid basis here.

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THE MAK’ED TEAM: That’s us! Our Consultant Jennifer Augustin

It’s the combination that makes the difference! Different skills, practical experience and solid expertise are the basis for our business. As diverse as our team is, our common basis is our affinity for medium-sized businesses and for the people who shape them.

Our Consultant Jennifer Augustin

When „I“ is replaced by „We” even illness becomes wellness. – Malcolm X

Jennifer Augustin is a consultant at THE MAK`ED TEAM and at home in different cultures. Haiti, Canada, the United States of America and the cooperation with people from different countries of this world span a wide range of inter-national and intercultural experience.

She has a high level of expertise in building organizations with professional structures and processes. She also has a lot of experience in building teams and developing people. She also focuses on managing training organizations and business development in Africa. She is our contact person for projects on the African continent and brings with her strong language skills – she is fluent in English, French and Haitian Creole – and her high cultural competencies the best prerequisites for this.

She herself is at home in many worlds with a varied curriculum vitae: Jennifer Augustin was born in Haiti, grew up in Canada and completed her studies in the USA. With a Bachelor’s degree in Management & Supervision and a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communication, she was able to acquire a broad knowledge base. She then further enhanced her versatile skills with a Master of Science in Human Resource Management. After graduation, she pursued her passion for developing and organizing people in practice, and her career paths led her back to her home country. During this time she also became a partner of THE MAK’ED TEAM Haiti.

Today Jennifer Augustin lives in Florida. Her vast international experience and her hands-on, open nature make her a very valued team member and we look forward to many more international projects with her.

More about the personalities behind THE MAK’ED TEAM.

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