Wednesday, August 9, 2017
“We’ve been building our presence in markets all over the world for more than five decades so internationalisation is firmly rooted throughout our company,” said Managing Director Gerhard E. Blum, explaining the company’s exporting history. Speaking at the ceremony he went on to say that the key to success in global markets was the ability to be open to different mentalities and consequently to acknowledge and respect different cultures. But he also pointed out that the second strategic pillar to success was innovative products combined with high investments in R & D and the capacity to adapt products to specific national requirements. This required profound knowledge of customer needs and international markets.
Award for strong international position
Blum’s management recognised early on that it would have to focus on exporting products to achieve sustainable success. Today, Blum exports 97% of its products to more than 120 countries around the globe. The fittings specialist from Hoechst is represented all over the world with 29 subsidiaries and/or agencies in the four corners of the earth. These were the factors that weighed strongly in Blum’s favour. The company was presented with the Global Player Award by the Austrian Chamber of Commerce on June 26.
The award is given to companies that have built up a strong position on the global market over the years. In addition, the award winner must operate an efficient international network and even be regarded as a pioneer in a specific country or industry. Candidates are nominated by Austria’s Foreign Trade Office. The jury consists of prominent members and is chaired by President of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce Christoph Leitl.
