Our intention was to reduce dependency on retail sales and to optimize production at our manufacturing facilities by reducing cyclical production with orders that aren't dependent on seasonal sales. This segment was initially promoted quite strongly in German speaking countries. The experiences of the first three years have shown that we have considerable potential in the German-speaking areas. Therefore, we are concentrating on these countries for the time being and will only expand our business to other EU countries sporadically.
The target customers in this area are diverse. They include industrial companies of all sizes, from companies that trade on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange to local southern German craftsmen's businesses. The customer portfolio also includes public authorities, associations and other public institutions.
The product range is correspondingly broad. It contains garments as well as backpacks of all kinds. Tents, sleeping bags and accessories also play a role. The range includes completely new product developments as well as articles from the collection that are adapted to the needs of the customer.
Products manufactured here in Obereisenbach are also very popular. These products include articles made from post-consumer recycled materials such as the discontinued fabric skins of zeppelins from Friedrichshafen.
For this business field, VAUDE also pays close attention to the application of its strict corporate code, which includes regulations regarding which industrial sectors, authorities and organizations in which countries may be supplied (white-list). Our strict ecological requirements for materials and the high social standards for producers apply here just as in the normal product range production process.
These factors are also issues that are very important for our customers and motivate them to buy VAUDE products.
