The Open Political Economy Network report is based on academic research on “Minority Businesses” in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium and Ireland. The analysis identifies the 50 top-selling companies in these eight countries that were founded and are managed by immigrants from non-Western countries or their descendants. Busch Vacuum Solutions ranks eighth among them. Within Germany, the company is in fourth place.

According to the report, Busch “unites the best of Germany and Turkey.” The company was founded jointly by Ayhan Busch and her husband Dr Karl Busch in 1963. Already 60 years ago, the couple lived an absolute equality. Ayhan Busch says: “My husband and I founded and built up the company together. In an equal partnership right from the beginning. That was unusual at the time. All important decisions were taken together.”

Thanks to Ayhan Busch’s contribution the company has grown into a global player with 3,800 employees in 66 subsidiaries. Ayhan and Dr Karl Busch always understood how to use their strengths to develop their company: “My husband was the technical genius while I was very strong on the commercial and strategic side of the business,” Ayhan Busch is quoted in the report. “I’ve always been a very entrepreneurial and market-focused person.”

When the first Busch company was founded outside Germany, the couple decided to have it managed by a local resident. “This has been our company philosophy ever since – go national internationally,” explains Ayhan Busch. Every year, the managing directors meet to exchange ideas. This helps identify new markets and applications for Busch products. “As our global network grew, I spent a lot of time calling our managers around the world and discussing markets, strategies and tactics with them. I was the force that always pushed them to be more customer-focused and grow. I made connections between them and tried to share information.”

Ayhan and Dr Karl Busch are still active in the company. To this day, they run Busch Vacuum Solutions together with their three children Ayla, Sami and Kaya Busch.

*The international platform OPEN is a non-profit organization. It is funded by Minority Supplier Development UK (MSDUK) and is committed to independent, strict and accessible research.