Düsseldorf / Dortmund. WILO SE from Dortmund was awarded the “Glocal Enterprise Award 2009”. Every year the WestLB AG bank (Düsseldorf) rewards a medium-sized company for successful internationalisation strategies and a clear positioning in corporate social responsibility. The “Glocal” concept is composed of the words “global” and “local” and is to point out the solidarity of the awardee with his domestic market while strengthening at the same time its orientation to global markets. The award was handed over to Dr. Thomas Schweisfurth, chairman of the executive board of WILO SE, during the traditional entrepreneur day of WestLB in Düsseldorf in front of approximately 300 people.

WILO SE with headquarters in Dortmund is one of the globally leading manufacturers of pumps and pump systems for heating, cooling and air-conditioning technology, water supply as well as the treatment and disposal of sewage. The family company founded in 1872 has subsidiaries in more than 70 countries and employs approximately 6,000 people throughout the world. In 2007, turnover amounted to 927 m. euros.

In view of global demand trends, Wilo has been strengthening its consistent and systematic internationalisation especially over the last years while orientating itself on the principle “think global – act local”. The subsidiaries abroad, operating as sales companies and factory sites, as well as numerous representative offices and distributors, are organisationally assigned to seven large sales areas. The internationalisation of sales is accompanied by marketing initiatives which are tailored to the needs of the specific country. In particular energy-efficiency campaigns, which first had to pass their test in the ambitious German domestic market with its high rate of controlled pumps, now also generate an increasing demand at installer companies in neighbouring European countries.

Heinz Harling, chairman of the Glocal Enterprise Award jury and supervisory board chairman of Technotrans AG, did not only emphasise the consistent internationalisation of this year’s awardee in his laudation. He also pointed out that this company “continues to live up to the virtues of German engineering in every respect”. The Wilo foundation, established in 2005, is also symbolical for the corporate social responsibility cultivated by Wilo. It is an obvious indication that Wilo takes its responsibility of the education of future generations seriously. The declared target of the foundation is to support talented students and to award outstanding achievements in energy efficiency in buildings with the Wilo award for energy technology in building services.

Dr. Thomas Schweisfurth, chairman of the executive board of  WILO SE, stated that the main precondition for Wilo’s success is the synthesis of a medium-sized family company’s organisation with its flexible and flat decision hierarchy, and professional structures and business processes of a group operating on a global level. It makes Wilo faster, more orientated to current demands and closer to customers. Also in 2008, worldwide customer satisfaction surveys confirmed customer loyalty and the wish of many planners, installer companies and wholesalers in all market segments of the company, to strengthen the co-operation with Wilo in future. With the “Glocal Enterprise Award 2009”, Wilo’s company strategy has been confirmed in essential areas.

Dr. Schweisfurth continued: “We equally rely on the sustainability and the extension of European sites according to our growth, as well as on further strategic internationalisation. This includes the development of new emerging markets in Eastern Europe and Asia with own sales companies, assembly units and production sites. However, it will not be strived for a gradual relocation of the production into so-called low-wage countries, but rather for an international cooperation with high demands on flexibility which will bring us closer to the customer. The performances of all sites must be regularly tested in a fair comparison. The roots in German engineering tradition creates useful synergies with the new development and production sites of the last years.“

This was also impressively confirmed by the construction of the in-house production centre of electronic components in Dortmund in 2002. A great competence has been established here, which doesn’t need to fear an international comparison. And in industry it is rather seldom that a manufacturer supplies its Asian sites with electronic units from Germany. Also when it comes to product innovations, the manufacturer consistently uses the worldwide Group network. The individual areas co-operate across the borders in research and development.

The international orientation is also reflected in environmental protection which is an essential element in the company’s philosophy. The chairman of the executive board says: “On the one hand, our products pump mainly water – the most precious resource on earth worth to be conserved -, on the other hand our energy-saving pumps contribute essentially to sustainability during their entire life cycle. In addition, the production in our factories is efficient and environmentally friendly. The individual standards, measures, activities, investments and progresses are published every year in our sustainability report.”

The “Glocal Enterprise Award” comes with a prize money of 15,000 euros which the awardee can use to contribute to a more promising future of children in a country in which he operates. WILO SE will give the donation to the SOS Children’s Village in Mombasa in Kenya for upcoming renovation and extension measures.