Germany – understand-culture

Mercedes C-Class 2022

The bestselling Mercedes-Benz model series over the past decade will start production in Bremen, the lead plant in the global C-Class production network. This will shortly be followed by start-ups at international locations in Beijing, China and East London, South Africa.

YouTube comments:

“My 9 year old C350 is still solid and tight as a drum in terms of build quality and how the materials held up. Hopefully these keep that going.”

“We’ve come to an age of true automation. Amazing work! Feels like a sci-fi movie in which humans are the supporting cast only.”

“Being an owner of 2 New ordered Benz, I have to say this. The quality of my W204 was superior than my American built W205. My W204 was build in Germany with pride and you can tell it whereas my W205 was just put together because of the buck and no pride = Pegged with problem after problem taking years under warranty to sort out with the help of Mercedes Germany. It is no wonder, Mercedes Germany now gives American dealerships a direct contact to help solve problem with their cars.”

German for “you”

Jack Barsky was too pushy

“Barsky discovered that the people who trained him (Russian KGB) did not have an authentic understanding of Americans, and he struggled at first with his assignment. While his instructions were to infiltrate political circles and get close to Brzezinski (National Security Advisor under US President Jimmy Carter), he was not given specific instructions on how he was supposed to accomplish that.

He also learned that while his English was excellent, he was very pushy and argumentative when dealing with people. He was shocked when he was confronted with this fact by a fed-up friend. He realized that he was essentially too East German to fit in.” From Wikipedia

See the CBS 60 Minutes story on Jack Barsky:

Jordan Peterson’s interview with Jack Barsky is extraordinarily fascinating:

Ways to say No in German

Nein, it’s a very popular word in Germany. The Germans use it all the time. So much so, that they have all sorts of nuanced ways to say it.

“What are you thinking about?”

A comment on YouTube: “They are obviously Deep in Thought.”

Haimer in Germany

CNC Machine Shop Tour. Titan Gilroy takes you on a VIP Tour through the Haimer manufacturing plant in Germany. Epic Innovation. 170 CNC Machines and a workforce that is highly skilled.

YouTube comments:

“We need more Titan videos. As a German I should add that we also need to bring manufacturing back. Our industry has been very keen on outsourcing production to other EU and non-EU countries. It starts with the identity and our core competences. Time to get that back, especially in the minds of the general public.”

“Glad to see a CEO who knows what he’s talking about and leading from the front….from tools to machining processes to tolerances etc….German engineering at its best….would love to walk through that shop.”

“Absolutely incredible, as a CNC instructor it’s been extremely difficult to get full classes going. Granted our program is 12 weeks and not 3.5 years but its fully funded. I feel like they pulled the trades out of schools and pushed college onto high schoolers when the trades are a more realistic approach for many teenagers. Honestly I wish I had known sooner how satisfying a career in machining could be now I’m trying to inspire a new generation who has no idea that there’s a career path for them that doesn’t involve 4 years of college.”

Playing scrabble in Germany

German Historians

The modern methods of historianship go back to the early 19th century, many of which were developed in Germany.

Economy of Germany

The economy of Germany is the biggest economy in Europe, and the 4th largest economy in the world by GDP, powered by Mittelstand, and has the history of rebuilding itself from square one.

The video also discusses Mittelstand businesses which are mostly family-owned private businesses, often of small size to medium range, characterized by a common set of values and operational practices. It is more like a business culture with firms having a unique way of doing things. The firms are mostly run by the ‘owner entrepreneurial families’ who are interested in the sustainability and longevity of the business.

They are highly focused on the idea of doing one thing well first and diversifying internationally later. While the world keeps on praising the ‘serial entrepreneurs’, Mittelstand companies are geared by love and commitment for a product or service. Mittelstand companies are in it for the long run which makes it different from the typical public firms around the world who have to face pressure quarterly or annually to meet the financial targets.