Electric pumps are like burgers, reckons Christian Haag. They should be made at the last possible moment and delivered to the client precisely as he specified. Mr Haag runs a unit of ksb, a German firm that produces pumps and the motors that power them. His business is typical of the Mittelstand (Germany's legion of small and medium-sized family firms). Its products are well-engineered and built to last. They are not cheap, yet they are holding their own against Chinese competition.Speed helps. By stripping the manufacturing process to its leanest, ensuring that no component is hanging around for long, Mr Haag reckons he can deliver his products at least a month quicker than any Chinese rival. Quality helps, too. In an uncertain world, many clients opt for German reliability. Mittelstand firms have refined their supply chains, factories and distribution networks to reach far-flung markets more quickly.
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