At the 83rd Dortmund Dialogue of the Gesellschaft zur Förderung des Strukturwandels in der Arbeitsgesellschaft e.V. (GFS), Prof. Dr. Jan-Philipp Büchler from the Faculty of Business Studies at Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts discussed with well-known representatives of Dortmund's business community.
The economics professor for corporate management has been teaching and researching so-called hidden champions, the medium-sized companies that are world market leaders in their niche, at Fachhochschule Dortmund for almost 15 years. "Dortmund's hidden champions are characterized by a particularly high level of innovation," says Prof. Büchler. According to his surveys, they register an average of more than 40 patents per 1,000 employees. By comparison, the large DAX companies only register six patents per the same number of employees.
Excellent universities and research institutes
Dortmund's hidden champions invest up to 15 percent of their profits in new research, praised the economics professor in conversation with representatives from four Dortmund companies of excellence - nanofabrication specialist Raith, IT service provider Materna, semiconductor manufacturer Elmos and pump manufacturer Wilo. "We are really well positioned here in Dortmund," said Prof. Büchler, also referring to the research institutions based in Dortmund, from the Fraunhofer Institute to the Helmholtz Institute.
The excellent university landscape in the region plays an important role here, emphasized Dr. Thorsten Kettner, Group Director Strategy & Innovation at Wilo. For the hidden champions, the search for talent is the greatest challenge in order to remain competitive in the market. "We need even more excellently trained people," added Dr. Burkhard von Spreckelsen, Vice President Corporate Strategy at Elmos. Materna Supervisory Board Chairman Dr. Winfried Materna also called for a broad image campaign for Dortmund as a business location with a high quality of life.
The Dortmund Dialogue is organized once a year by the Society for the Promotion of Structural Change in the Working Society. The 83rd edition of the Dortmund Dialogue entitled "Hidden Champions made in Westphalia - How to become? How to stay?" took place on February 14, 2023 at the Dortmund Chamber of Industry and Commerce.