The German Secretary of State for Trade and Industry visits SÜLZLE KOPF in Sulz
Innovative strength in a rural area
Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut described the SÜLZLE Group as an outstanding example of innovative strength in a rural area. The Baden-Württemberg Minister for Trade & Industry, Employment and Residential Construction was a guest at Sülzle Kopf GmbH in Sulz-Bergfelden on 7 February, in the company of a delegation from the International Chamber of Commerce.
Andreas Sülzle introduced his group of companies under the strapline claim of ‘Steel, Energy, Ideas’. The Group has grown to employ more than 850 people through organic growth and acquisitions. “Steel continues to be our primary business, but since 2008, following the take-over of Kopf GmbH, we are growing in the environmental technology sector as well”, explained Sülzle. The company is setting new standards with its products and solutions for efficient building services as well as with future-oriented technologies for the drying of sewage sludge and its thermal treatment to retrieve commercially viable gas.
As well as the innovative strength of the SÜLZLE Group, priorities include the gaining and retaining of a skilled workforce and ‘future-compatible building 4.0’ [a reference to the ‘4th Industrial Revolution’]. Andreas Sülzle encouraged the notion of making this a focal point of attention also at government level. Thomas Albiez, CEO of the International Chamber of Commerce in the Black Forest region of Schwarzwald-Baar-Heuberg, pointed to the tricky balancing act that companies have to accomplish in the present situation: “They have to keep the old business model functioning well while at the same time building a new and future-proof model”. Hoffmeister-Kraut provided an assurance that the digitalization strategy of the federal government would be accelerated: “It is an important duty of the federal government to guarantee to business attractive conditions for its digital transformation”. He went on to say that initiatives such as those being taken by the SÜLZLE Group were very helpful indeed.
All parties present agreed on the importance of ‘Dual Education’ in the safeguarding of a skilled workforce – a German scheme to combine study with practical work experience. “This is a very major competitive advantage for Germany as a location”, said Hoffmeister-Kraut. In this field, the SÜLZLE Group has a leading role to play, since it provides training simultaneously in no fewer than eleven technical-vocational and other commercial professions. For Albiez, this commitment is proof positive the the SMEs in the region are shaping the future in a committed manner.
SÜLZLE Nutzeisen was tricot sponsor for the Children´s Football Day
The Sport Children´s Football Day took place on the 19th December 2017 at the Elemantary school Sulz- Mühlheim. SÜLZLE Nutzeisen was tricot sponsor for the Football Day in Mühlheim.
The children had the possibility to improve an expand their football skills with professional trainers for one day. It was a great sport experience for everyone which definitely must be repeated.
SÜLZLE GROUP receives business award
Finalist for the Grand Prix of Small and Medium Business, 2017
Last Saturday in Würzburg, the SÜLZLE GROUP was named as a finalist for the Grand Prix of Small and Medium Business. The competition, which has been held by the Oskar Patzelt Foundation since 1995, draws attention to the brand “Made in Germany”, and the awards it confers are among the most coveted in the country.
This year’s award ceremony took place on 30 September in the Maritim Hotel in Würzburg. The finalists and prize winners, who came from Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Hesse and Thuringia, were honoured at a gala evening event attended by eminent politicians, business leaders and media representatives. The Rosenfeld-based SÜLZLE GROUP was among the finalists for 2017. Managing partner Andreas Sülzle accepted the award in person. The family-owned company, which is now run by members of the fourth generation, has five divisions: SÜLZLE Stahlpartner, SÜLZLE Nutzeisen, SÜLZLE KOPF, SÜLZLE KLEIN and SOTRALENTZ CONSTRUCTION. It can look back on a 136-year history.
The purpose of the competition is to promote respect for corporate responsibility and entrepreneurial initiative and to encourage networking among medium-sized businesses.
The annual contest explicitly refrains from rating companies solely on the basis of their business success, employment statistics or innovativeness. Instead, they are judged as a whole and in regard to their role in society.
The criteria:
- Overall development of the company
- Creation and preservation of jobs and apprenticeships
- Modernisation and innovation
- Commitment to the region
- Marketing, service and customer focus
The participating companies are engaged in manufacturing, service, retailing, the skilled crafts and trades. A special feature of the award is that companies cannot apply for it; they must be nominated by third parties. In 2017 a total 4,923 enterprises received nominations. “Considering the large number of applicants, we feel especially honoured to be among the most successful small and medium-sized businesses in Germany – especially because we were nominated by outsiders,” say managing partners Heinrich and Andreas Sülzle. “No other business competition in Germany has attained such prominence for so many years. That makes us extremely proud.”