An important visit for the HARTING Technology group occurred last Thursday, April 19, 2018. At the head of an approx. 20 people delegation the Governor of Illinois, the Honorable Bruce Vincent Rauner, was a guest of the Espelkamp family business. HARTING was one of the stops of an 11 day journey for the Americans to visit important and influential companies in Poland and Germany.
In addition to Governor Rauner, who was elected in November 2014, the group included business leaders and representatives from industrial organizations. The group met with various companies in Germany to learn about and discuss mutual interests. In the NAZHA (HARTING’s new training center), the Americans learned about the apprenticeship program in Germany and the special concept at HARTING, where trainees and students learn under one roof with and from each other. In addition, the delegation visited the HARTING Quality and Technology Center.
Governor Rauner, who was a very successful businessman before his political career, was also interested in the further development and prospects of the HARTING production plant in Elgin and its importance for the economy of Illinois. The US is an important market for the technology group. In the past fiscal year, the group's sales in the Americas rose by 22 percent to 73 million euros ($88.17 million). The company plans to expand scientific and entrepreneurial partnerships and co-operations in the US in the long term. These partnerships include a US car manufacturer, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC).
Other topics at the meeting were tax cuts for companies and other economic policies recently adopted by President, Donald Trump, as well as the training and qualification of employees.
