Back to the topic of the thread:
Nürnberger Zeitung said:
Unterstützung war daLieß Familie LGB entgleisen?
NÜRNBERG — Die Pleite des Modellbahn-Herstellers LGB war gestern auch Thema bei der Sitzung des Nürnberger Stadtrates.
OB Ulrich Maly widersprach Vorwürfen, das Wirtschaftsreferat der Stadt hätte nicht beizeiten eingegriffen. Schon vor Monaten habe Wirtschaftsreferent Roland Fleck in Gesprächen zu vermitteln versucht. Die Gesellschafter - Wolfgang Richter, sein Sohn Rolf sowie sein Neffe Johannes - hatte vor allem die Banken für die Schieflage von LGB verantwortlich gemacht. Bei der Stadtratssitzung wurde aber deutlich, dass die Kredit gebenden Banken im Frühjahr 2005 einer Tilgungsstundung zugestimmt hatten, die bis 31. August dieses Jahres verlängert worden war. Die Geduld der Banken war offenbar zu Ende, als die Richters ihre US-Vertriebstochter ohne Rücksprache verkauft hatten. Die Kreditinstitute hatten dem Vernehmen nach den Einstieg eines US-Investors präferiert. Die Produktion für die nächsten drei Monate sei gesichert, um das Weihnachtsgeschäft mitzunehmen.
HJ translation said:
The support was availableDid the Family let LGB go off the rails?
The insolvency of model railway producer LGB was yesterday on the agenda of city council.
Mayor Ulrich Maly contradicted the accusations the city’s economic development department had wasted time to intervene. Roland Fleck, an industrial management consultant, had been in mediation talks with the parties months ago. The owners - Wolfgang Richter, his son Rolf Richter as well as nephew Johannes Richter - put the blame for the difficult position on the banks. But statements during the council meeting clearly indicated that the banks agreed in the Spring of 2005 to a credit repayment stop, which was extended to August 31, 2006. The patience of the banks apparently reached an end, when the Richters sold their American distribution arm without informing the creditors. The understanding is that the banks would instead have preferred the addition of a US investor. The production for the next three months - the Christmas sales - is assured.
I have a feeling the information that surfaced at the Nürnberg city council meeting is very unlikely to appear in a LGB press release and most certainly not in the English version.
I have read a few statements by the president of G45 on the various fora; while I appreciate that this is a difficult situation I am still astounded by the continuing spin that this receives. I would have hoped that past experience would have been a lesson. Today’s world is a small place, communications have never been better and it isn’t like the “good old days”! As the president of “G45” one can’t afford the luxury of a “time out” when the questions get more precise, the “good old days” of the G-Scale Group or for that matter the “benign” atmosphere of the “LGB Club” forum just don’t apply elsewhere. There are plenty of people who are looking forward to getting the straight facts, instead of a sob story.
Of course this is, as always, strictly my opinion!
