Simplicity Wins: How Germany's Mid-Sized Industrial Companies Succeed [Hardcover]

Gnnter Rommel (Author), Jurgen Kluge (Author), Rolf-Dieter Kempis (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1995 | ISBN-10: 0875845045 | ISBN-13: 978-0875845043

At the core of Germany's competitive success are the Mittelstand, medium-sized companies that, collectively, account for half of Germany's GNP and almost all the new jobs created in Germany in the last decade. This book examines 39 of the highly successful firms in the manufacturing sector and identifies simplicity as the source of their superior performance--simplicity in their business objectives and in the structure and procedures they use to achieve these objectives. Specifically, the authors reveal that the most successful Mittelstand make a narrow range of products, use up to 50 percent fewer parts in their products, treat suppliers and customers as partners, deliver products twice as fast, and have decentralized decision making.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Written by partners in the world's fifth largest management consulting firm, McKinsey & Company, Inc., this work lauds the "keep it simple" approaches of some well-known and financially sound German companies, among them BMW, Siemens, and Krupp. Rather than complicating their internal processes, these firms emphasize simplicity in everything from design to sales. The introduction reiterates the mechanical engineer's saying, "The best machines have the fewest moving parts." The reader is also cautioned to recognize the difference between simplicity and primitivity. Six "levers" are presented, and a chapter devoted to each: product range and customer structure, vertical integration, development, location structure and logistics, technology, and organization. Simplicity is achieved through the interworking of these levers. The postscript provides a comparison with U.S. models. Recommended for all business collections.?Lisa K. Miller, Paradise Valley Community Coll. Lib., Phoenix
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Harvard Business Press (April 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875845045
• ISBN-13: 978-0875845043
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,798,262 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)