WDK wants parliamentary champion for industrial SMEs

Frankfurt, Germany – German rubber industry association the WDK has called for the creation of a parliamentary group dedicated to industrial small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – citing mounting burdens on mid-sized manufacturers.

In a 27 Nov statement, WDK president Michael Klein said the sector sits “between the large industrial companies and the small craft businesses,” yet its challenges are “often misjudged by politicians.”

According to Klein, a dedicated parliamentary group for industrial SMEs would help ensure that the needs of medium-sized industry are more clearly reflected in legislative work.

Such a forum, he added, could also give economic policymakers a platform to “exchange ideas with company representatives” and act as “an additional political corrective.”

Klein went on to describe the rubber industry as a representative mid-sized sector whose “irreplaceable rubber products” support nearly all areas of the German economy.

Many “hidden champions” and global market leaders in their specific niches fall through the [policy-making] cracks far too often,” said the WDK president.

In particular, Klein said German and EU lawmakers “often lack awareness of what small and medium-sized companies can still do and what they cannot,” when drafting regulations. 

A stronger political focus on industrial SMEs, concluded Klein, “would benefit not only the numerous medium-sized industries, but also the state as a whole.”