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"The well-being of our employees takes precedence over profit maximization"

Due to the close integration of international companies and the resulting dependencies, the economy is currently struggling with a difficult procurement situation. In addition, Russia's war against Ukraine is presenting companies with challenging decisions. In an interview, Managing Director Matthias Weigele reports on how the Uhingen-based toolmaking company EWS is proceeding in the context of the global political situation and what this means for the security of local jobs.

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Matthias Weigele, Managing Director EWS Weigele GmbH & Co KG.

Outsourcing has been a major issue for many companies due to cost pressures and shorter flows of goods long time. The Corona pandemic in particular has now made it clear for some time what risks a globalized manufacturing chain entails. What does this mean for EWS?

Matthias Weigele: At all times in our company history, we at EWS have made sure to keep the share of in-house production in Uhingen high. The fact that this keeps our dependence on external suppliers low is certainly something that distinguishes us to a certain extent. On the other hand, we are also dependent on the global supply chain, just take raw materials as an example. Particularly when our customers suffer from bottlenecks, this naturally affects us as well, since there are no investments to be made.


What are the concrete effects of current world events on the job situation at EWS?

Matthias Weigele: I can only draw conclusions for the future from the past. The Corona pandemic and the lockdowns have not led to any layoffs at our company. We are a family company, we stand by each other and face the challenges together. I would like to keep it that way in the future.

What is EWS doing right to ensure that jobs here are stable despite numerous crises?

Matthias Weigele: We pay a lot of attention to a solid financial policy and put the well-being of our employees above the goal of maximizing profits. In general, we Europeans should learn the lessons from recent experience and not give everything out of hand, or rather, bring back essential technologies.


In Russia, EWS is working with a sales subsidiary. How is EWS dealing with this cooperation now?

Matthias Weigele: The situation is very difficult. Our team in Russia has done an excellent job so far and we will not abandon our employees. However, in view of the situation, we cannot and do not want to make any deliveries to Russia at the moment. I very much hope that the warring parties - especially in view of the human tragedies - will soon find a diplomatic solution.