As part of the course “International Management” in the second semester of the Bachelor of Science program, 30 students visited Niedax GmbH & Co. KG in order to gain first hand insights into the internationalization of a medium-sized enterprise. Niedax has its headquarters in Linz/St. Katharinen and is a leading manufacturer of cable support systems.
Alexander Horn, member of the executive board of Niedax, welcomed the students and gave them a short introduction to the company. Afterwards, Mr. Horn guided the group of students during a tour of the production facilities and explained the different production process steps as well as the various types of Niedax’ products. This way, the students could gain a first impression of the company’s value chain activities. The participants were especially fascinated by the high degree of vertical integration and the diversity of products.
Subsequently, Thomas Neumann, managing director of Niedax Middle East, gave a presentation on the international activities of Niedax with a special focus on the United Arab Emirates, where Niedax is active with a sales branch in Dubai since 2008. He first explained the reasons for choosing different entry modes in different host countries. In his presentation, Mr. Neumann also discussed the strengths and weaknesses of the company in the Middle East region as well as the competitive environment in the United Arab Emirates. The presentation by Mr. Neumann was a great learning opportunity for the students to set the theoretical frameworks discussed in previous lectures of the course into a practical perspective.
Overall, the students gained important insights into the management of an international, medium-sized firm. The IHK-Chair of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and its students highly appreciated the opportunity to visit Niedax and would like to thank all company representatives involved in organizing the company visit.