The Japan Times WORLD EYE REPORTS GERMANY'S RHINE-MAIN REGION
©THE JAPAN TIMES	Thursday, October 25, 2001

A winning wrap gets other uses When the Best TOP 100 Germany Gold Trophy was awarded in 2000, it was given to Kalle's President and CEO Dr Walter Niederstatter. The company epitomizes the trophy's attributes -- overall innovation spanning from company culture, customer orientation, projects, and products - although it is not involved in what many consumers would exactly call a high-tech sector. In fact, capitalizing on the German taste for sausages, Kalle mainly produces the casings which retain a good wurst's form and freshness.

Though the production of sausage casings is the company's mainstay, the wider application of its products showed the extra innovation which won Kalle its trophy. The company first produced the material used to make its sausage casings, Nalo, in 1929. The name comes from the German word nahtlos (meaning seamless). In keeping with the company's innovative philosophy, Kalle then developed a range of products which could all be made from the same material. They range from other sausage casings to sponge cloths and even sutures. Kalle applies its understanding of raw materials to the creation of other products. One might call it an ingenious form of diversification within a strict specialization.

Seamless technology guides Dr Walter Niederstatter.

This same philosophy has permeated all of Kalle's business methods. Kalle is one of the few companies which truly tailors its product in response to the market's needs.

One such instance occured when the company initially tried to launch its sponge cloth in the Japanese market. It was not the explosive success they had hoped. The problem lay in the cloth being designed for German hands, not those of the more petite Japanese consumers. The sponges were cut to smaller scale and launched again, to great success.