The European foundry industry is currently grappling with significant challenges, but the situation in Germany seems particularly severe. The country has not experienced economic growth in two years and continues to fall further behind its European counterparts. Investments are stagnant, impacting not only the automotive industry but also the construction sector, as infrastructure investments are continuously deferred. The government, responsible for setting the framework, seems half-heartedly engaged but struggles with effective action.
Today, we speak with Ralf Ahnert, Managing Director of bub-DRUCKGUSS GMBH, a medium-sized company based in Solingen, a city renowned for its cutlery production. Mr. Ahnert recently discussed the hardships facing his industry during an appearance on the ARD-Tagesthemen newscast.
FP: Mr. Ahnert, have you encountered a similarly dire situation during your career? How are you managing the current downturn?
Ralf Ahnert: Yes, the financial crisis in 2009–2010 was extremely challenging, as was the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when immediate action was required. The measures we're implementing now are quite similar. In the short term, we try to cut costs, delay investments, or reduce spending.
At the same time, we’re focusing more than ever on optimizing production processes. We’ve begun to manage production so that machines are either running at full capacity or completely switched off. This way, we can consolidate production and reduce idle times. This is particularly critical for us as an energy-intensive company.
In such situations, flexibility is key—employees must be willing to work overtime or take vacation days at short notice. Fortunately, our team is aligned with management on this front. Additionally, we only fill vacant positions when absolutely necessary.
In past crises, we’ve had to resort to short-time work. That option is certainly on the table again, and might even be our only choice. Special times call for special measures, as we’ve seen time and again.
“When urgent action is needed, it seems to happen particularly slowly. Politicians often don’t understand our needs.”