During the company visit by Wolfgang Hellmich, member of the German Parliament, to his constituency of Soest, the current difficulties of small and medium-sized businesses were on the agenda: from energy supply and supply chain problems to climate tariffs and the Rahmede viaduct. Hellmich met with Managing Director Franz-Bernd Pauli and Ulrich Häken, Head of Procurement, Environmental and Energy Management, in Ense. Also at the table were IBU Managing Director Bernhard Jacobs and Angelo Castrignano, IBU Board member and Managing Director of Plettenberger Schürholz GmbH & Co KG Stanztechnik.
The association representatives appealed to politicians to exploit all energy potentials - to which Hellmich emphasized that politicians are aware of the consequences of a prolonged war: "The disruptions in supply chains will increase and the ability to plan will decrease." Climate tariffs, which are distressing for SMEs, were also addressed. The Franz Pauli company - a stamping and forming technology specialist with around 200 employees - is active in international markets through its customers. Wolfgang Hellmich advised the associations to insist on their position regarding the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBM) and the need for protection of steel and metal processors in Brussels. He said that the coordination between the EU Parliament, the Commission and the country representatives was not yet at the decisive stage.