As part of the course “International Management” in the second semester of the Bachelor of Science program, 35 students visited M+C Schiffer in order to gain first hand insights into the internationalization of a medium-sized enterprise. M+C Schiffer has its headquarters in Neustadt/Wied and is a leading manufacturer of toothbrushes and dental care products.
Sebastian Schäfer, managing director of M+C Schiffer, welcomed the students and gave them an introduction to the oral care industry as well as the company and its products. He especially discussed how M+C Schiffer organizes its international business activities and capitalizes on market opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region. The second part of Mr. Schäfer’s presentation focused on its activities in India, where M+C Schiffer is present with a joint venture in Goa since 1996. First of all, he described the development of the subsidiary and its relationship with M+C Schiffer’s headquarters over time. Furthermore, he presented how M+C Schiffer handled the challenges which the company encountered in the Indian market. The presentation by Mr. Schäfer was a great learning opportunity for the students to set the theoretical frameworks discussed in previous lectures of the course into a practical perspective.
Afterwards, the students also visited the production facilities of M+C Schiffer and got a first impression of the company’s value chain processes. The participants were especially fascinated by the high degree of vertical integration and the specialized manufacturing machines performing the various production steps.
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 M+C Schiffer and would like to thank all company representatives involved in organizing the company visit.