Deciphering BMW Family'S Centennial Business History

Perhaps few people know the name of the family of covant, but no one has never heard of the names of world-famous companies such as BMW, Mercedes Benz and ALTANA.

Covant, one of the most successful and wealthy families in Germany, is the major shareholder of these famous companies.

In the past more than 100 years, this family is like a German industrial development history, full of legends.

The rise of the four generation of Holland's immigrant families began with the great grandfather Emil Cowant of the Cowant family.

Amir was born in 1849. When he was more than 20 years old, he founded a textile mill in the small town of Prince, Land Brandenburg, Germany. Because of its good operation, he became a designated manufacturer of the Royal Navy's uniform scarf, and the company developed rapidly.

But before and after 1895, because of the springing up of German companies, Amir's company was facing increasingly fierce competition, and he was in poor health and the company was in serious condition.

Fortunately, Amir's son, Kant, stirred up the beam.

He has inherited his father's business talent and has taken on the task of expanding his family business.

After the first World War, he bought the Alfa Conn, who produced batteries, and supplied it to the arms industry around the world.

Not only is he a smart businessman, he also has an accurate prediction of the domestic situation, and is better at improving relations with the government.

During the German Empire of third, the Cowant family's factory belonged to the most important arms supplier of the army.

In the period of economic recovery after World War II, he also had the eye to invest in the auto industry.

With the painstaking efforts of two generations, the Cowant family has been firmly foothold in Germany.

The internationalization of the family industry has become the task of the third generation of Herbert and his younger brother Harald.

Among them, Herbert made a great contribution.

Although at the age of 10, elab.icxo.com had to bid farewell to school due to serious eye diseases, it did not affect his success in the business world.

In the late 50s of last century, the chairman of the body was bought by the sick BMW car factory at the time, despite the opposition of his family and managers.

Herbert gave more power to managers, encouraged employees to participate in company management, and greatly stimulated their initiative, so that BMW after rectification would soon become full of vitality.

At that time, Herbert was almost blind, and his business correspondence was recorded on the tape and then sorted out to his subordinates.

In the fourth generation of the Cowant family, the famous male is the German "super diamond old man" - Stefan.

Stefan, who is humble and low-key, is rated "super cute" by the German photo magazine.

People rarely see him. He only occasionally appears on the island in Beihai, Germany or on the bleachers of a football field.

The women of the Cowant family, who are hurt by their feelings, are Hitler's mistresses and Jewish wives.

The second generation of Magda was the most astonishing.

After divorcing her, she married Goebbels, propaganda minister of Nazi Germany.

The author of the book "Hitler's women" wrote Magda as the second important woman in Hitler's life. "Magda is married to Goebbels, and intends to take the opportunity to approach her hero Hitler.

She is a tragic figure of the times. When the Nazis were finished, because they were worried that their children would suffer in the future, she brought her 6 children with Goebbels to the grave.

Now, women are becoming the real masters of the Cowant family.

Johanna, the third generation "little secretary", was born in a worker's family.

When he was more than 20, he became Secretary of Herbert.

Because of her ability and intelligence, she quickly became an assistant and became Herbert's third wife at the age of 30.

At that time, the British Sunday times commented: "becoming a personal assistant to the most successful German businessman after the war is a great reward for every female secretary.

For Johanna, her dream came true when her head tightly held her hand.

After the death of her husband, Johanna's private life was hardly known. German manager magazine used only two words to describe it: conservative and reserved.

Johanna, daughter of Susanna, is now the richest woman in Germany.

However, she did not live as much as she expected. There was no big social party, no luxurious life, no horses, no expensive clothes.

In the third generation of 1967, he died in a flight accident and left five golden flowers.

Among the five sisters, Gabrielle, the second sister, is most famous. He married Florian, the German publisher. Katharina was also a celebrity. Her Equestrian Club bought many Olympic equestrian champions. Her parents died, so that the four sisters Bettina reexamined their lives and married a devout Jew who sought the spiritual home in religion.

It is the motto of the family, Cowant, the author of the biography of the family and the famous German journalist Yongbo Lu, who is admired by the family. He concluded: "the history of this family runs through a line: the members of the ancient Kwan ant never cling to a certain industry.

Once a certain industry is changed, they will redeploy quickly. "

That is why several generations have adjusted their business focus in time.

However, in order to maintain the "independence" of the family, members of the Cowant family sometimes show a stubborn side.

In early 1990s, Ford Motor Company of the United States was interested in annexing BMW.

But the Cowant family resisted the temptation and insisted on selling their shares to competitors.

This practice is also in line with Herbert's aim in 1959: enterprise must rely on its own strength to develop.

The Cowant family has always been low-key.

Yong Bu Lu said, "to do more and speak less is the motto of this family.

Because they feel that the economic problems can be better handled without the attention of public opinion. "

In the top 30 of the German riches list recently announced, there are 4 Cowant family members, and their property is estimated to be more than 20 billion euros.

However, few members of the family members are seen in the German media.

Billionaire, who lives in Germany's small town such as badunhorn, has never been publicized and has lived a "secluded" life.