Business PF

A GLIMPSE INTO CONSULTING AND DIGITAL PRINTING

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On our second company excursion, we visited KPMG in Frankfurt and Heidelberger Druckmaschinen in Wiesloch.

“Indeed, we’re very busy, but we’re having a lot of fun!”

On our second company excursion, we visited KPMG in Frankfurt and Heidelberger Druckmaschinen in Wiesloch. The partner of CIO & CFO Consulting (Digital Strategy) at KPMG, Ashish Madan, welcomed us with three “golden nuggets” of advice to succeed in Germany: 1) Learn German; 2) Perform with quality; 3) Perform with consistency. After brief introductions of the MBA candidates, Mr. Madan dived quickly into an introduction of consulting and explained how his team uses a “client-centric methodology.” Mr. Madan ended his presentation by sharing a personal perspective as a consultant, “Indeed, we’re very busy, but we’re having a lot of fun!”

Accompanying Mr. Madan from his consulting team were three Pforzheim MBA alumni: Gopi Badhrinarayanan, Class of 2013, Nadine Ebmeyer and Tajinder Sodhi, both Class of 2017. Gopi presented his overview of strategic planning. It is about value, cost, risks, people and governance, processes, and technology. In fact, the MBA candidates had the task to put this immediately into practice with a quick 15-minute case study preparation in groups of 4-5 members. This task was a highlight of the visit because it allowed them to test their critical thinking, work collaboratively in a brief time, and present a holistic approach to the given problem. As a member of a 20-person team from 11 countries, Gopi said, “What connects us is the passion of consulting.” Nadine, who worked in the tourism industry before using her MBA to change careers, also shared her enthusiasm for consulting. Additionally, she shared her fantastic experience at Pforzheim University’s MBA program: “This program [Pforzheim MBA], I can recommend this to anyone.” Finally, Tajinder shared his perspective as a consultant; it is about “how eager you are to learn” and how “the game is [about world] perspectives.” He also shared the value of an alumni network, as he is still vividly in touch with his former classmates.  

Reinventing ourselves

Next stop was a visit to Heidelberger Druckmaschinen, a company that offers products and services along the entire process and value chain for printing products. It is the largest global manufacturer of offset printing presses. Mr. Andreas Blum presented about digitalization and its impact on vocational education. He explained the process of reinventing the company to stay abreast with customers’ needs. Mr. Blum shared his experience with the major cultural shift during the reinventing phase. The company visit ended with a visit through the printing media center, which the MBA candidates were fascinated to get a firsthand glimpse of the high-tech powerful printing machines.