Rising energy and raw material costs are causing problems for companies in the Erding district
Erding – Rising energy prices make companies sweat.
The increase at the furniture manufacturer Himolla in Taufkirchen, for example, is “extreme”.
Managing Director Ralph Bestgen sees this not only in the production itself, but also in the transport.
After all, the company has its own fleet of diesel-powered trucks: "We are looking at all the other alternatives, but due to the range, there are still no technologies that allow switching to electric drives," he explains.
But that's not all, the wood that furniture manufacturers need is also becoming more expensive.
Up to now, a large part of the raw material has been supplied from countries such as Russia, Belarus or the Ukraine.
Now, because of the Ukraine war, other countries such as Finland, Turkey or Chile must be switched to.
For the manufacturer, this means a price increase of up to 50 percent, according to the managing director.
The price increase for his customers is in line with the general current inflation rate: between seven and ten percent, according to Bestgen.
Huber Technik: About ten percent energy surcharges
The Huber Technik company in Erding is also noticing the rising costs of electricity, gas and oil.
"On average, we currently pay around ten percent of the energy surcharge on the corresponding value of the goods from the freight forwarders or steelworks," says Heidi Huber-Kamm, Managing Director of the company for conveyor systems and rubber products.
The company is already happy about the photovoltaic system on the roof.
This makes the company at least “a bit more self-sufficient”.
Nevertheless, Huber Technik is struggling with rising costs everywhere: "Price increases are now our daily business," says Huber-Kamm and sighs.
Companies and customers show understanding for rising prices
New messages from their suppliers were constantly fluttering in that they had to raise prices.
Accordingly, your company also has to raise prices to compensate for the customers.
The "only good thing" about it is that not only her company, but "the whole world" is affected by inflation, and both suppliers and customers show understanding for price increases.
And how are the price increases at Gewo Feinmechanik in Hörlkofen noticeable?
"Not good," is the brief answer from Sebastian Pfanzelt from Accounting.
The company still doesn't have to nibble quite so much on the rising prices, since a large part of the costs for the coming weeks are still contractually agreed.
Moving to new buildings with better insulation comes at just the right time
At the same time, Gewo Feinmechanik also has fixed contracts with customers, in which the prices have to remain constant, although the suppliers are already demanding more and more.
The company is therefore still in the "finding phase" as to how things will continue after the new accounts, says Pfanzelt.
Saving energy is almost impossible for production with almost 100 machines running in parallel, because: "Metal simply costs energy." The Gewo employee estimates that the percentage of costs for customers will increase in the double-digit range.
According to Corporate Communications Manager Uli Pecher, the Oberding-based company Kraussmaffei Technologies' planned move to Parsdorf in November of this year is "just in time".
On the one hand, the building there is not only better insulated than the previous one, which was occupied in the 1930s, and thus saves energy costs.
On the other hand, the company is planning “the largest photovoltaic system in Europe” on the roof.
That in turn means independence from fossil fuels to a certain extent, according to Pecher.
Everyone should save energy where they can
Both in the company and privately, everyone should see how energy can be saved.
Turn off the heating in the office in the evening, for example, or turn off the light when you leave a room: "It doesn't cost anything, but it's good," says Pecher.
How inflation affects the prices of the company itself, however, is a trade secret.
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