Germany spreads the love

摘要

"IT'S IMPORTANT to understand the minds of pigs and chickens," says Bernd Meerpohl, as he shows off his company's wares. Big Dutchman, the firm he runs, designs sophisticated machinery, housing units and software tools, with names like EggFlowMaster and BigFarm-Net, to help farmers get more from their beasts. These innovations have lifted sales 27-fold in real terms since 1985, to €96om ($1.1bn) last year. Such success means ambitious locals from Vechta, the small town in north-west Germany in which Big Dutchman is based, can often find professional satisfaction without having to leave home. In nearby Lohne, Tanja Sprehe, digital sales manager at Poppelmann, a high-end plastics manufacturer, thought she'd never return to the area after building a career in Hamburg. But the demands of family brought her back. Now, having secured a good job and wallowing in the pleasures of small-town life, the only thing she misses about her former home is good sushi.