Press releases

Own resource constraints and the desire to gain an early knowledge advantage over competitors are primary motives why Mittelstand enterprises, with regard to the circular economy, initiate - and implement - innovative projects together with startups, research institutions, or other businesses.

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The health and social care sector – particularly hospitals and larger care facilities – as well as the transportation sector were most frequently affected by bankruptcies in 2023. This is shown by the proportion of insolvent companies relative to the total number of companies.

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Überwiegend herrscht in den mittelständischen Unternehmen in Deutschland Konsenz darüber, dass es der ökologischen Transformation bedarf. Aktuell besteht jedoch die Gefahr, dass ein zu hoher Detaillierungsgrad sowie eine überbordende Zertifizierungspflicht zu Ausweichstrategien führen könnten.

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Im vergangenen Jahr starteten mehr Gründerinnen und Gründer in der Land- und Forstwirtschaft (+ 4,5 %) sowie in den freien Berufen (+ 1,7 %) als in 2022. Dagegen sanken die Existenzgründungen im gewerblichen Bereich geschätzt um 5 %.

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Dr Constantin Terton (German Confederation of Skilled Crafts; ZDH) called for a return to the social market economy and a focus on the values of individual responsibility and performance orientation at today's Mittelstand Roundtable in Berlin ...

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More than every third company (36%) developed new products, imitated innovations from competitors, or further developed their own products between 2018 and 2020. While the majority (63%) of companies with more than 250 employees did so, only every third small enterprise and 44% of medium-sized …

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The European single market is of highest importance for Mittelstand industrial enterprises, both as procurement and as sales market, surpassing all other foreign markets. Following behind with great distance are markets in other European countries and in China.This was revealed by an IfM survey of …

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The number of startups in the liberal professions increased by 1.7% in 2023 compared to the previous year, reaching around 94,670. This means that once again, more freelancers took the path to self-employment than in the previous year.

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The necessity of an ecological transformation has now become a societal consensus. According to a previous study by the IfM Bonn, Mittelstand enterprises in Germany also predominantly support the ecological transformation.

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Vier von zehn Unternehmerinnen und Unternehmern fühlen sich durch die aktuellen bürokratischen Vorgaben in ihrer unternehmerischen Eigenverantwortung eingeschränkt. Rund ein Viertel von ihnen hält es für wichtig, dass die unternehmerische Expertise stärker in die Gesetzgebungsprozesse einfließt, …

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In small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Germany, an average of 6.8 employees work, significantly more than the EU average of 3.5 employees.

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The industrial Mittelstand companies follow the current geopolitical crises and conflicts with great concern and take first precautions: Indeed, China generally remains important to companies as a procurement market since the country holds a monopoly-like position for some raw materials.

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Although Hidden Champions use artificial intelligence (AI) applications and processes more frequently (18.8%) than other companies in the manufacturing sector (8.9%), they do not yet appear to be exploiting the potential of AI. This is the result of a survey conducted by IfM Bonn among companies in …

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"In principle, it is to be welcomed that the German government wants to amend public procurement to make it more efficient and sustainable. However, the consequences for small and medium-sized enterprises should also be considered," explains Dr Nadine Schlömer-Laufen, project leader at the Institut …

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"We are focusing on the reduction of administrative burdens for businesses. Cutting red tape is especially important for SMEs. They have limited time and resources compared to larger companies when it comes to the fulfillment of information- or reporting requirements.

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