The session focused on the intricacies of doing business in Europe, particularly in Germany.
The Hoffman Group is a provider of industrial tools with a product catalogue encompassing 40,000 tools sourced from various manufacturers. The session revolved around the massive sourcing exercise and the operations issues which Hoffman manages so efficiently enabling it to stay at the top.
Mr. Schueler emphasized that business is firstly about people and relationships and then products. He also drew a contrast between the German and Indian way of doing business and outlined the two core values that Germans upheld – reliability and efficiency.
Answering a query on the threat from China, Mr. Schueler pointed out that Germany is known for its ingenuity and it is this skill of theirs that helps differentiate themselves from the rest of the pack. He also said that Hoffman being a zero-debt company, and was well placed to tackle the liquidity crisis engulfing the world in these times.
On a different note, he stressed on the fact that it was absolutely necessary for future managers to give family a high priority and delegate work accordingly so as to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Updated on July 26, 2016
Borris Schueler, Head, International Operations at the Hoffman Group visited the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), Kolkata Campus on February 25, 2009.
