Business Model Home >> Business Model >> Focus: The Network of Municipal Utility Companies of the MVV Energie Group

Executive Board members and Managing Directors of the MVV Energie Group (from left to right)
Wolfgang Thurau, Köthen Energie GmbH
Dr. Werner Dub, MVV Energie AG
Dirk Fieml, Stadtwerke Ingolstadt Beteiligungen GmbH
Dr. Rudolf Schulten, MVV Energie AG
Stefan Grützmacher, Stadtwerke Kiel AG
Hans-Jürgen Farrenkopf, MVV Energie AG, seated
Arthur Bächle, Stadtwerke Kiel AG
Matthias Brückmann, Energieversorgung Offenbach AG
Karl-Heinz Trautmann, MVV Energie AG, seated
Dr. Kurt Hunsänger, Energieversorgung Offenbach AG

Further Executive Board members and Managing Directors of our network of municipal utility companies
Matthias Gruber, Management Stadtwerke Buchen GmbH
Kurt Hemberger, Management Stadtwerke Buchen GmbH
Joachim Kistenmacher, Stadtwerke Kiel AG
Dr. Christian Becker, Stadtwerke Solingen GmbH
Conrad Troullier, Stadtwerke Solingen GmbH
Ivo Slavotinek, MVV Energie CZ s.r.o.
Beata Glaba, MVV Polska Sp. z o.o.
Daniel Heiler, MVV Polska Sp. z o.o.
Thomas Stepputat, MVV Polska Sp. z o.o.

 

Since its stock market flotation in 1999, MVV Energie AG has opted for the strategy of becoming an independent regional energy distribution and energy-related service company with a national and international presence. In contrast to the energy generation business, distribution does not involve any unadulterated benefits of scale in view of the fact that it is a regional business. Over the past five years we have therefore built up a network of municipal utility companies. Apart from MVV Energie AG, the German network comprises the energy suppliers and/or municipal utility companies in Offenbach, Ingolstadt, Solingen, Kiel, Köthen and Buchen. Our group of companies also includes three district heating companies in Poland and eight district heating companies in the Czech Republic.

The horizontal integration and networking of multi-utility companies means that our strategy differs from that pursued by the large German energy generators, which focus on vertical integration in the German energy market. They integrate companies from generation through to distribution.

We see the horizontal integration of multi-utility companies in our network of municipal utility companies as having the following benefits:

  • multiplication of successful business models and processes as examples of best practice in economically interesting regional markets
  • expanding the customer base and accessing new customers
  • new locations as a platform for marketing energy services and innovative product ideas which have proven to be successful
  • exploitation of synergies in energy trading, technology, IT and procurement


We aim to expand our network of municipal utility companies further, to strengthen the links and raise the level of cooperation between the individual companies even further. We consider the prospects for acquiring further shareholdings to be good in view of the fact that prices for municipal utility companies have fallen sharply as a result of anti-trust restrictions on large German energy generators. However, we will only acquire shareholdings in those companies whose core business fits in with ours and which are profitable.

During the year under report, we initiated a joint project with our shareholdings in Offenbach, Ingolstadt and Solingen aimed at standardising all processes, procedures and organisational structures. Our shareholdings in Offenbach, Ingolstadt and Köthen have executed an SAP implementation project enabling them to use a uniform software platform with the MVV Energie AG parent company.