Special Report

SPECIAL REPORT

ODU Steckverbindungssysteme GmbH & Co. KG (Mühldorf, Germany; www.odu.de) was one of three companies applauded for its accomplishments in 2008 by the Bavarian Medium-Sized-Business Awards. Organized by the German Association for Small and Medium-sized Companies Bavarian Land Association (BVMW), the annual awards recognize companies that embrace creativity and deliver exemplary corporate services.

The nominees were assessed on the basis of how innovatively they dealt with customer and staff relations, new product and service introductions, new market opportunities, and energy-saving initiatives, as well as their suitability as a role model for other companies. An independent jury that included past laureates, bank representatives, members of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, and elected officials picked three winners from a slate of 25 candidates.

ODU, which shared second place with Ident Technology AG (Wessling, Germany; www.ident-technology.com), accepted the award at a ceremony at Nymphenburg Castle in Munich on 10 July. During the ceremony, ODU received special recognition for its staff development programme and, in particular, its vocational training.

Whereas many small companies are downsizing and transferring oper­ations abroad, ODU is continuing to expand its domestic production capabilities. It has invested more than € 30 million in new machinery and plants and created over 100 new jobs in the last five years. “Our highly qualified employees are our [most precious] capital,” says ODU president and CEO Kurt Woelfl.