Mannheim, August 19, 2024 | For the second time since 2019, more than 40 family-owned companies are speaking out for more tolerance and openness in society ahead of the upcoming elections in the German federal states of Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg. The Röchling Group is once again among the signatories of the campaign “Made in Germany – Made by Vielfalt.” With a nationwide advertising campaign, the companies are also jointly demonstrating that diversity is a success factor from a business perspective.

“Our company employs people from many different countries. This is why we naturally support diversity in Germany and in our company," says Johannes Freiherr von Salmuth, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Röchling. Diversity has always been the basis for Germany's prosperity. Every day, people give their best for our companies - regardless of their origin, gender, religion, age, or sexual orientation, according to the campaign.

“As a family business, we must make it clear that democracy and the social market economy are of crucial importance for our economy and therefore for the creation and preservation of jobs. This goes hand in hand with a diverse and open society in which the strengths of everyone are promoted rather than marginalized. Only in this way will we maintain the basis for Röchling's success in a globalized and networked world, and thus its ability to succeed," von Salmuth is convinced. As a family-owned company, Röchling enjoys a high level of credibility among its employees. That is why it is important to take a clear stance in the current political debate.

A diverse environment is increasingly becoming an economic and competitive factor for companies. According to the online portal Statista, around 42.8 % of industrial companies in Germany complain about a lack of skilled personnel. A total of around 1.8 million vacancies were unfilled at the end of 2023. As the baby boomer generation retires, the situation will become even worse in the coming years. A clear majority of German entrepreneurs therefore see the immigration of skilled workers as a way to counter the shortages. “Those who want to exclude and close the borders to immigration are jeopardizing Germany as a business location. None of us can want that,” emphasizes von Salmuth.