District President Dr. Rudolf Kühner and Ms. Graf from the Regional Administration Authority in Karlsruhe visited the Schmalz headquarters during a tour of the economic region of Freudenstadt on 18 December 2007. Other members of the party were District Administrator Peter Dombrowsky, the Mayor of Glatten Tore-Derek Pfeifer and Klaus Dölker, Economics Officer of the Administrative District of Freudenstadt.

After short speeches of welcome by District Administrator Peter Dombrowsky and Mayor Tore-Derek Pfeifer, who both praised the environmental and social responsibility of the Schmalz company, Dr. Kurt Schmalz moderated a company presentation. After this, there was plenty to discuss, particularly on subjects which are close to the hearts of the two Schmalz brothers. One of the most important was the lack of a good connection to the motorways in the area. This not only causes Schmalz problems, but also the many other companies in and around Freudenstadt. "We have difficulties attracting executive staff from the large cities, such as Stuttgart, to Glatten," said Dr. Kurt Schmalz. President Kühner stated that he was familliar with the local conditions, but could not promise that a motorway connection would be available in the near future.

Further subjects of discussion were a faster data link for which Schmalz has been fighting for a long time and which can, at the moment, be achieved only at a very high price, and the many different applications and regulations for the construction of roads, buildings, etc., which Schmalz can meet only by spending a lot of time and money. After a guided tour of the company premises, accompanied by Wolfgang Schmalz, Kühner thanked the company for the interesting insights and expressed his satisfaction that the companies in the area of Freudenstadt are prospering.