Stenglingsen. At Risse + Wilke in Letmathe, Detlef Müller, deputy of the SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag, got a direct insight into what is slowing down the economy
To high prices for electricity and natural gas in international comparison, Sales lull in almost all industries and beyond broken bridges and roadswhich entail long detours and higher transport costs: at the cold rolling specialist Risse + Wilke got in Letmathe Detlef Müller, deputy chairman of the SPD parliamentary groupdelivered on Wednesday all the topics that put domestic companies on the edge Competitiveness bring.
Detlef Müller is not only one of the parliamentary group vice-presidents of the SPD in the Bundestag, but is also a member of the Social Democrats Supervisory Board of the Autobahn Companywhich is responsible for the maintenance and construction of new federal highways. At Risse + Wilke, which comes from the Lennetal World market with special steels for the saw manufacturers (saw blades), furniture (fittings, hinges) and the automotive industry (seat rails, steering column parts, clutch plates), the Chemnitz native was essentially given a blueprint of the problems the economy in the region is struggling with. Managing Director Jörg Lohölter and Christopher Viardoassistant to the management, had prepared in detail for the federal politician’s visit with figures and comparisons.
“Gas is twice as expensive in Germany as in China.”
Jörg Lohölter,
Managing Director Risse + Wilke
Risse + Wilke is just coming out of a year Short-time workhas now arrived at a 30-hour week. The economy – to put it cautiously – is weakening; the slump in sales continues to be noticeable. Added to this are the high energy costs – with huge consumption quantities 115,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of natural gas310,000 cubic meters of hydrogen gas and 85,000 kWh of electricity per year. Especially: “Gas is twice as expensive in Germany as in China,” says Jörg Lohölter with a view to the global competitive situation; The Risse+Wilke CFO calls dealing with energy prices “the biggest challenge of the future”. Because CO2 certificates are also becoming more and more expensive.
The company is taking a first, but huge, step by building what will foreseeably be the largest open-space photovoltaic system in Iserlohn, thereby covering part of its own electricity consumption and using it to generate nitrogen or hydrogen on weekends. Because: When there is a reliable supply of the Lennetal through a Pipeline with hydrogen is still completely unclear at the moment, Lohölter criticized the planning uncertainty.
Criticism of too much bureaucracy
In addition, and this is a specific problem in the region, which puts companies at a competitive disadvantage: broken infrastructure: dilapidated roads and bridges, which sometimes lead to long detours during delivery and delivery. And for additional costs. “The transport company will of course charge me for the further journey,” explains Lohölter. The approval process and construction projects took far too long because of all the bureaucracy.
All of this leads to “significant cost disadvantages”, not just compared to competitors Asia. And Lohölter and Viardo fear that the disadvantages will become even greater if energy costs continue to rise.
“We need an industrial electricity price.”
Detlef Müller,
Deputy Chairman of the SPD parliamentary group
“We need an industrial electricity price,” admitted Detlef Müller and reported that one Task Force was used on the subject of energy costs to advise the federal government. “The topic affects many people, not just the steel industry,” said Müller, emphasizing the need for changes. As an improvement in construction projects, also in Road and bridge construction or for pipelines, is the approval acceleration law passed by the federal government a year ago, said Müller, the local SPD member of the Bundestag Bettina Lugk was accompanied.
First-hand and on-site information: Detlef Müller (2nd from right), deputy group leader of the SPD parliamentary group, on the dilapidated Lenne Bridge on the B 236 in Nachrodt. Also there: the local SPD member of the Bundestag Bettina Lugk (2nd from left), the mayor of Nachrodt-Wiblingwerde, Birgit Tupat, and Gerd Schröder, SPD parliamentary group leader in the local council. © IKZ | Carsten Menzel
“It’s good to see the problems on site and have them described rather than just reading about them,” concluded Müller. Before visiting Risse + Wilke, the parliamentary group vice-president was in Nachrodt and had the situation around the broken Lenne bridge looked at and from Mayor Birgit Tupat be informed about the lengthy approval process for the replacement building.
