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Mar 14, 2013 ... Mr. Lübker has an academic background .... Beetle provided by VW, the competitors had to score six ..... 18th June PowerPoint Essentials (Eng).
REGIONAL NEWS | North China | Member Affairs

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Beijing Office

Tianjin Office

ECOVIS Beijing and Springer Gabler Cooperate in Publishing Book on Business in China ECOVIS Beijing and Springer Gabler (Springer Science and Business Media), both members of the German Chamber of Commerce in Beijing, recently signed a contract to publish a book on how to do business in China. Being one of the most experienced FDI, tax and legal consulting companies in Beijing and China, ECOVIS Beijing decided to work with Gabler, a major publisher in Germany well known for its business book program. The book is meant to be a guideline for those who want to do business in China or desire to improve their overall performance in their China business. The publication will cover topics like possible ways to set up companies in China, taxes in China, accounting, and HR issues, among others. It is scheduled to be published in the second half of this year. Ines (Beijing) Bike Company Limited and c2g-engineering GmbH Sign Exclusive Contract Ines (Beijing) Bike Company Limited has just signed a contract with c2g-engineering GmbH (Berlin) to be their exclusive distributor for China. c2g-engineering is the company behind the Schindelhauer bikes

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which target higher income urban dwellers. The German owner of Ines Bike Company, Ines Brunn, is very happy about this new partnership with Schindelhauer, as both companies have a strong motivation to promote cycling in urban environments for a greener and healthier lifestyle. For many years, Ines Brunn has been inspiring people in Beijing to use bicycles for short distances and commute in the city centre to reduce traffic congestion and improve the air quality. The number of people using bicycles in Beijing has been increasing since 2011. This company partnership will help target higher income residents with these stylish bicycles and hopefully get more mid and top level managers cycling.

Realising Product Localisation and Changing Made-in-China into Created-in-China

On Aprril 18th 2013, as the largest Asia mechanical drive manufacture base of Siemens, Siemens Mechanical Drive Systems (Tianjin) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter called SMDT) held a foundation laying ceremony for the first mechanical drive R&D centre in China. Mr. Joachim Heussmann, GM of SMDT, said that the establishment of the R&D centre would help SMDT transfer the practise of only manufacturing products innovated by Germany HQ to the pattern of developing applicable products locally, converting “made in China” into “created in China”, and increase the overall R&D capacity of advanced mechanical drive in China. Located in the area of SMDT, the new R&D centre covers 4300m2. When it begins operation in 2014, SMDT will make patented and independently developed mechanical drive products that meet the demands of local customers and overseas markets.

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Inaugural Student Event Held at Carl Benz Academy Beijing On April 2 nd and 3 rd 2013, the Carl Benz Academy held its inaugural student event at its new office and headquarters located in Wangjing, Beijing. Executives from Daimler Greater China Ltd., Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service Co. Ltd., Mercedes-Benz Auto Finance Ltd., together with professors from Free University Berlin, Peking University and Woodbury University attended the activity. Students presented the results of their first substantial research projects within the Academy’s MBA pilot program and engaged actively with professors on a range of challenges facing the automotive industry in China. Awards for academic excellence were presented to the top five students after the

first year of the programme, and students are now looking forward to their next face to face seminars at Woodbury University in Los Angeles, California. TUI China Voted “New PCO of the Year” for 2012 TUI China was recently named “New Professional Conference Organiser of the Year” at the “2012 Miracle Worker Award”. The awards committee chose TUI China for this distinction due to its excellent service and significant growth as a relative newcomer to China’s M.I.C.E. (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) industry. TUI China started offering inbound M.I.C.E. services to overseas clients in 2006. In 2011, it was granted one of the only three China Outbound Tourism Licences to a Chinese-foreign joint venture tour operator by the China National Tourism Administration. Ever since TUI China’s active practise has generated remarkable growth in its outbound M.I.C.E. business. The annual “Miracle Worker” competition is hosted by China BT M.I.C.E., a professional journal covering M.I.C.E. affairs in China. The event’s organisers seek to recognise the achievements of outstanding participants in China’s booming M.I.C.E. market.

Mr. Allen Wu Appointed as Director of Sales & Marketing at Crowne Plaza Beijing Sun Palace Recently, Crowne Plaza Beijing Sun Palace welcomed its newly-appointed director of sales & marketing, Mr. Allen Wu. With immediate effect, Mr. Allen Wu will inherit the Crowne Plaza brand strategy and concept and lead the sales and marketing team to stride toward a bigger market share and upgrade the brand influence. Graduated from Institute Hotelier “Cesar Ritz”, Mr. Wu possesses more than ten years experience in the market with outstanding achievements. He quickly developed himself and enjoyed a swift rise at the Dolder Grand Hotel in Zurich, Switzerland and Crowne Plaza Beijing before he joined Crowne Plaza Beijing Sun Palace in 2007, in his prior position as Director of Sales.

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REGIONAL NEWS | North China | Member Affairs

EUROIMMUN AG Rewarded for Outstanding Performance EUROIMMUN AG, which has been manufacturing laboratory diagnostic products for 25 years, has achieved 5th place in the new report “TOP 100 Small and MediumSized Enterprises” in Germany by the Munich Strategy Group (MSG) in 2012. As the most important member of EUROIMMUN subsidiary worldwide, EUROIMMUN China (AKA: Oumeng) was established in 2001 in Beijing and is responsible for R&D, manufacturing, marketing, technical service and distribution. With the business extending and continuous growth in the Asia-Pacific region, EUROIMMUN China has grown into the APAC headquarters in 2013 and will extend its success in APAC in the future.

Hensel-Electric Opens its own Office in the German Center Shanghai

For more than 15 years the Lennestädter Enterprise Group HENSEL has operated a subsidiary company in Qingdao. To intensify the sale department, Hensel has opened its own office on April 22th 2013 in the German Centre Shanghai. Together with Mr. Felix G. Hensel, manager of the Hensel Group, Mr. Christian Sommer, General Manager of the German Centre, and Mr. Jan Noether, President & CEO of the German Chamber of Commerce Shanghai, as well as many business partners and customers of Hensel attended the opening of the new office.

CAN’T

Mazars’ Beijing Office Strengthens its Tax Team and Receives ecoadvocate award O n 1 4 th M a r c h 2013, Mazars received the APELA (AsiaPacific Enterprise Leadership Awards) ecoadvocate prize for its support to the Million Tree Project (MTP) of the NGO Shanghai Roots & Shoots. APELA is organised by Asia-Pacific Enterprise Cooperation (AP-EC), a non-profit organisation which aims to promote sustainable economic cooperation between the countries in Asia Pacific, and rewards the companies for their corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects. In March, Mazars’ Beijing office strengthened its tax team with the arrival of Mr. Flame Zheng, Tax director transferred from Mazars’ Shanghai office. Mr. Zheng has more than 10 years of experience in PRC and international tax, specialising in M&A tax, transfer pricing and corporate tax. He is a regular speaker at the tax conferences held by the Chambers of Commerce and is also involved in establishing relations with universities.

FIND THE RIGHT

PERSON? We help you to find the best professionals for your China business.

Recruitment Services www.china.ahk.de/recruitment Dr. Oliver Prüfer Head of Recruitment & Training Department DEinternational is the service unit of the German of Commerce Worldwide Network. 54 June Chambers - July 2013

+86-10-6539-6680 [email protected]

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New Members North China For full contact information and company profiles of our new and existing members, please visit www.german-company-directory.com

Mr. Xinggang Wei Company Representative AndritzKufferath GmbH / Beijing Office

0 10 6590-0679

[email protected]

Mr. Yefang Zhang General Manager Dalian Schnellecke Logistics Co. Ltd

0 411 8733-8596

[email protected]

Mr. Ulrich Schumb-Falk General Manager GEDORE Tools (Beijing) Co., Ltd.

0 10 8361-3621

[email protected]

Mr. Vermeersch Koen General Manager SK China Real Estate

0 10 5929-7941

[email protected]

Mr. Bob Sun General Manager ElringKlinger Engineered Plastics (Qingdao) Commercial Co., Ltd

0 532 6872-2830

[email protected]

Mr. Georg Hofaecker General Manager Boysen Exhausts Systems (Langfang) Ltd.

0 316 2801-901

[email protected]

Mr. Zhiwen Zhang General Manager KHD Humboldt Wedag Machinery Equipment (Beijing) Co.,Ltd.

0 10 6500-4101

[email protected]

Dr. Jing Wang President Beijing Oumeng Bio-technology Co., Ltd.

0 10 5804-5000

[email protected] Mr. Ben Roos General Manager ZF Chassis System (Beijing) Co., Ltd.

0 10 6751-8966

[email protected]

Mr. Frank Hansen Chief Representative Eduad Wille GmbH & Co., KG Beijing Representative Office

0 10 8588-0082

[email protected] Ms. Xiaoying He General Manager Tianjin He Fu Ren International Trading Co., Ltd

0 22 2741-8195

[email protected] Mr. Chris Chua Managing Director LEI SHING HONG Properties (China) Ltd

0 10 8477-6688

[email protected] Ms. Beate Rogler DAAD FU Berlin-Beijing Office

0 10 6590-6676

[email protected]

New Benefit Partners North China For a detailed description about our Benefit Partner Program please visit our website: http://china.ahk.de/membership/benefit-program/shanghai/ Beijing Royal Smushi House ⪢⭨ㅃ㥢 No. 12, Dongzhimenwai Ave. East bld. Chaoyang District, Beijing 100027 Т࣠൯Ӝဥ౽‫ײ‬ᆸ૒ປվࢯ‫ބ‬ ‫ײ‬૒ུ੔ Contact: Ms. Dawn Yin Phone: 13901213585 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.smushihouse.com/en.html Benefit: 10% discount on drinks and food Asia Briefing Ltd. Suite 701, East Tower, Twin Towers, B-12, Jianguomenwai Avenue Т࣠൯Ӝဥ౽ࢁ‫ݛ‬૒ປվࢯၡ ‫ބ‬ඨሸ቞վ༸‫ײ‬㚶൱ Contact: Ms. Sammi Yang Phone: 010-65660088 Email: [email protected] Website: www.asiabriefing.com Benefit: 20% off on all our publications Grand Hotel Beijing Т࣠‫ݔ‬ѧ੔ٞ‫ד‬ No. 35 East Chang An Avenue, Beijing Т࣠൯‫ײ‬ӑυࢯ‫ބ‬ Contact: Ms. Li Jiajing Phone: 010-65137788 Ext. 247

Email: [email protected] Website: www.grandhotelbeijing.com Benefit: 15% discount off best available guestroom rate (discount and rate are valid from Jan 1, 2013 to Dec 31, 2013.) Beijing Suipian Food Co. Ltd (DIY Muesli) Т࣠෣௓൒௞Ⴝན‫܌‬ර Shunyi District, Shou Gang East Road No 1 ධၴ౽൶ۙ‫ײ‬੦‫ބ‬ Contact: Mr. Robert Herrmann Phone: 010-85653138 Email: [email protected] Website: www.diy-muesli.com & www.diy-nuts.com Benefit: 15% off by entering the code below on our website diy-museli.com during checkout process. Code: GC15 Puhua International Hospitals - Shuangjing Т࣠௼߇‫ࡅݛ‬૒ᆘҎႽན‫܌‬ᨊ 54 Wusheng North Road, Chaoyang Ӝဥ౽‫ײ‬ೠߔ໻ൄТ੦‫ބ‬ Contact: Mr. Byron Logue Phone: 15201214046 Email: [email protected] Website: www.puhuaclinic.com Benefit: 20% off on general out-patient services 10% off medicine and medical imaging Same day booking Discount on first aid training

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REGIONAL NEWS | North China | Chamber Affairs

1st March 2013

5th March 2013

6th March 2013

7th March 2013

11th March 2013

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Event: HR Seminar Topic: Unscrambling the new Labor Contract Law Regulations 2013 Venue: German Chamber Tianjin Office Speaker: Ms. Zhou Lixia | Partner, Winners Law Firm Beijing Ms. Mary Yang | Partner, Winners Law Firm in Tianjin Event: Interchamber Seminar Topic: Simple Techniques to Enable Managers to become Successful Future Leaders Venue: Radisson Blu Hotel, Beijing Speaker: Mr. Robin Ball | MDS Founder & Head, Learning and Development

Event: Kammerstammtisch Binhai Venue: La Seine French Restaurant Binhai Tianjin Event: HR Seminar Topic: New Labor Law Regulations in China and Implications for your Business Venue: Traders Hotel, Shenyang Speaker: Mr. Wu Yongxin | Senior Partner, Liaoning Kaiyu Law Firm Shenyang

Event: Kammerdinner Topic: Pressure of change Produktivitätssteigerung als strategische Notwendigkeit in China Venue: Kempinski Hotel, Beijing Lufthansa Center Speaker: Mr. Lars Eckerlein | Partner, Ernst & Young Ms. Stephanie Heydolph | Chief Representative, VDMA Beijing Mr. Frank Jäger | CFO, Nordex Windpower Engineering & Technology Co. Ltd.

12th March 2013

13th March 2013

Event: Praktikantenstammtisch Beijing Venue: Schindler´s Anlegestelle

Event: GM Roundtable Topic: New Amendment to Labor Contract Law and Labor Legal Compliance: A Toolbox for Foreign Invested Enterprises in Tianjin Venue: German Chamber Tianjin Office Speaker: Ms. Susanne Rademacher | Partner & Head, BEITEN BURKHARDT Beijing

The March 13th GM Roundtable was a successful start to the new German Chamber GM Roundtable series in Tianjin: Susanne Rademacher, equity partner and head at BEITEN BURKHARDT’s Beijing office, introduced the new amendments to the labour contract law and advised on the most critical matters regarding legal compliance for international companies in Tianjin. The GM Roundtable at the Chamber’s Tianjin office on March 13th was also attended by the members of the Chamber’s Tianjin Advisory Council Uwe Birnbaum und Zhong Wanli. In a highly interactive and lively discussion, the general managers exchanged views on issues such as labour law, social insurance, contract management and legal disputes, and reported about relevant cases in their own company. The GM Roundtable provides the opportunity to discuss important issues on a managerial level and will become a regular German Chamber event in the future.

14th March 2013

14th March 2013

18th March 2013

18th March 2013

Event: Seminar Topic: 2012/2013 PRC Tax Updates Venue: German Chamber Beijing Office, Landmark Tower II Speaker: Ms. Joey Zhou Yu | Senior Manager – Tax service, Mazars Mr. Flame Zheng Fuquan| Senior Manager – Tax service, Mazars

Event: German Chamber Meeting with the Exit-Entry Administration in Tianjin Visa Regulations in China and Services of the Exit-Entry Administration Venue: German Chamber Tianjin Office Speaker: Mr. Tian Xiaojian | Deputy Director, Exit-Entry Administration, Public Security Bureau Tianjin

Event: Kammerstammtisch Beijing Venue: Paulaner Brauhaus, Beijing Lufthansa Center

Event: Roundtable Mittelstand Topic: Personal und Gehaltsentwicklung in China Venue: German Chamber Beijing Office, Landmark Tower II Speaker: Mr. Roman Pfaffinger | Director & CEO, Sino-German IT Consulting, Member of the Board, German Chamber of Commerce North China Ms. Miriam Wickertsheim | Regional Director, Direct HR Ltd.

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REGIONAL NEWS | North China | Chamber Affairs

20th March 2013

Event: Interchamber Breakfast Seminar Topic: Nobel Prize Round Table Venue: New Huadu Business School, Beijing Speaker: Prof. Edmund Phelps | Professor of Political Economy, Columbia University | Director, Center on Capitalism and Society and Economics Nobel Prize Winner in 2006

27th March 2013

26th March 2013

31th March 2013

9th April 2013

21st March 2013

26th March 2013

26th March 2013

9th Event: SME Workshop in cooperation with the IPR Helpdesk Topic: Analyse Your Company's IPR and Learn How to Effectively Protect It Venue: Crowne Plaza Parkview Shenyang Speaker: Mr. Dominic Edmondson | Consultant, Rouse Ms. Cindy Kang | Trade mark attorney, Rouse

April 2013

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June - July 2013

Event: Interchamber Ladies Afterwork Venue: Face Bar, Beijing

Event: Young Professional Easter Brunch Venue: Royal Smushi House, Beijing

Event: Praktikantenstammtisch Beijing Venue: Schindler´s Anlegestelle Event: 13th Sino-German Communication Forum in cooperation with Storymaker Topic: Effective Social Media & Digital Strategies Venue: Kempinski Hotel, Beijing Lufthansa Center Speaker: Ms. Anne-Laure Maddy | Communications Manager, EU SME Centre Ms. June Tian | General Manager, Storymaker Mr. James Du | Marketing Manager, China Briefing

Event: SME Workshop in cooperation with the IPR Helpdesk Topic: What's in a Name? Branding and Trade Mark Protection in China Venue: Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Tianjin Speaker: Ms. Audrey Boisselet | Consultant, Rouse Ms. Amanda Yang | Trade mark attorney, Rouse Event: BIZ Socializer - Business Networking Venue: Indigo Hotel Tianjin

10th April 2013

th

Event: Kammerstammtisch Tianjin Venue: Drei Kronen 1308 Brauhaus, Tianjin

Event: Interchamber Breakfast Seminar Topic: Will Credit Situation Improve for Companies in 2013? Venue: Kempinski Hotel, Beijing Lufthansa Center Speaker: Mr. Sam Cheng | Manager Risk Department, Coface China

Event: Seminar Topic: How to Avoid and Solve Labor related Legal Risks for HR Management Venue: German Chamber Beijing Office, Landmark Tower II Speaker: Ms. Gao| Legal Manager, Heng Consulting Beijing

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10th April 2013

12th April 2013

15th April 2013

17th April 2013

17th April 2013

Event: Kammerstammtisch Binhai Venue: Delights Restaurant & Bar, TEDA Tianjin Event: Seminar Topic: Third Culture Kids in Tianjin – School Counseling Services and the German Mother Tongue Programme at IST Venue: International School Tianjin Speaker: Mr. Steve Moody | School Director Ms. Crystal Timmcke | School Counselor Ms. Shallene Austin | School Counselor Mr. Bill Elma | Secondary Principal Event: Kammerstammtisch Beijing Venue: Paulaner Brauhaus, Beijing Lufthansa Center Event: Breakfast Seminar Topic: Securing R&D Tax Incentives in China Venue: The Westin Tianjin Speaker: Mr. Roger Di | Tax Partner, KPMG

Event: Special Seminar Topic: Erläuterung des neuen Gesetzes für Ein- und Ausreise von Ausländern in China Venue: Kempinski Hotel, Beijing Lufthansa Center Speaker: Mr. Xu Ruoxin, Deputy Chairman, Foreign Visa Affairs Unit Mr. Chou Xuelei | German Translator, Police officer for Foreign Visa Affairs, Ministry of Public Security, Beijing

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REGIONAL NEWS | North China | Chamber Affairs

18th April 2013

18th April 2013

Event: Day of Logistics 2013 Topic: Visit of Siemens Electrical Drives (SEDL) in Tianjin Venue: Siemens Electrical Drives (SEDL) Speaker: Mr. Christoph Salentin | CFO, Siemens Electrical Drives Ltd.

24th April 2013

Event: Interchamber HR Networking Topic: Human resource field Venue: egendale Hotel, Beijing

24th April 2013

19th April 2013

Event: Breakfast Seminar Topic: Money is Power – Frank Sieren explains China’s financial strategy Venue: Westin Beijing Chaoyang Speaker: Mr. Frank Sieren | Author, Documentary film maker, Asia specialist & Senior Asia columnist, Handelsblatt

24th April 2013

25th April 2013

23th April 2013

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Event: Special Event - Factory Visit at BMW Tiexi Plant Shenyang Venue: BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd., Tiexi Plant Speaker: Mr. Jack Zuo | Manager Communication, BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd.

Event: Seminar Topic: Dalians Real Estate Market Insights Venue: Kempinski Hotel Dalian Speaker: Mr. Nick Jones |Executive Director, Office & Agency Services Beijing Mr. Eli Ginossar | Head project and asset management, Kardan Land

Event: Seminar Topic: China National Carbon Emissions Trading Scheme Venue: German Chamber Beijing Office, Landmark Tower II Speaker: Ms. Zheng Shuang | Director CDM Management Center (Carbon Market Department), National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation of China (NCSC) Ms. Sang Yi | Head Trading Department, Shanghai Environment and Energy Exchange

Event: Kammerstammtisch Tianjin Venue: Drei Kronen 1308 Brauhaus, Tianjin

Event: Young Professional Event Topic: Ameco Company Visit & Networking Speaker: Mr. Ullrich Geidel | Executive Director Human Resources, Ameco Mr. Mathias Kurzewitz | Head Production Aircraft Overhaul, Ameco Mr. Hans-Heinrich Burmeister | Head Engine Services, Ameco

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Personnel Restructuring at the German Chamber of Commerce in China – North China Mr. Sebastian Suciu took over the position of executive chamber manager on May 1st, 2013. He succeeded Ms. Dr. Juliane Bielinski, who left the Chamber in April. Mr. Suciu has already worked at the Chamber for almost two years in his position as regional manager Beijing. Mr. Suciu was previously responsible for membership management and has built strong relations to the German Chamber members since. With his experience and knowledge Mr. Suciu will contribute to further developing the services and activities of the German Chamber. The Chamber’s new regional manager Beijing is Mr. Oliver Lübker. Mr. Lübker has lived in China for almost four years now. He studied Chinese at Peking University and worked for a green NGO as executive secretary-general as well as for a Chinese solar company as sales & project manager. Mr. Lübker has an academic background in philosophy and economics (BA), as well as public policy (MA) and is especially familiar with environmental and political topics. As the Chamber’s new regional manager Beijing, Mr. Lübker is the first contact person for all inquiries from German companies. He will be responsible for membership development and support the team in different projects and events, as well as in advertisements and sponsoring. Do not hesitate to contact Mr. Lübker at:

[email protected],

+86-10-65396661

Note of the Visa Support Service Due to the expected peak travel season between May and July, more visa applications will be sent to the German Embassy. This will probably lead to extended waiting periods. Consequently, we ask that you please plan ahead and send us your application for a Schengen visa earlier than usual. We cannot guarantee the issuing of a Schengen visa if you do not apply for it early enough. Moreover, the German Embassy has announced that from now on short-term applications may be refused due to an applicant’s lack of cooperation. For more information about our Visa Service please contact Ms. Li Nan at:

[email protected],

+86-10 6539 6633

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REGIONAL NEWS | North China | Chamber Affairs

A Day Full of Winners 2nd German Soccer Championship in Beijing by CORINNA SCHLAPPS

On May 11th, 2013, ten teams from different companies came together at the Si’de Park in Beijing to compete for the title in the 2nd German Soccer Championship Beijing. With ten teams, 150 players and around 1000 spectators, the tournament was attracted big attention among the Sino-German business community. What made the tournament so special is that the teams were composed of Chinese and foreign players. This offered participants a unique opportunity to get together outside the workplace and engage in a sporting cultural exchange. The event not only gave the teams the possibility to interact apart from their daily work routine, but also the audience to spent a sunny day packed with gripping games and excited cheers. Barbecue and cold draught beer, sponsored by “Der Landgraf”, were greatly enjoyed by everybody.

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Kicked off by Embassy, Supervised by League Referees The event started with an opening ceremony and speech by Dr. Riedel, Minister and Deputy Head of the German Embassy in Beijing, wishing for sportsmanlike and fair competition. After the team captains were introduced on stage, the teams of adidas, AMECO, Beijing All Stars, BMW, China Fortune Land Investment Development Co. Ltd., Daimler, International SOS, KPMG, Siemens and Volkswagen proceeded to the two pitches and Dr. Riedel kicked off the games. The games were supervised by professional referees of the Chinese soccer league. In the preliminary rounds the teams of adidas and China Fortune Land Investment Development Co. Ltd. (Group A) and BMW and AMECO (Group B) were most successful and proceeded to semi-finals. The match

for 5th place was to be won by either International SOS or Beijing All Stars, in the match for 7th place Volkswagen and Siemens had to fight for success and the 9th place was the aim of both Daimler and KPMG. AMECO and BMW emerged as winners in the semi-finals, the former only after a gripping penalty shootout. The game for third place was later on won by the team of China Fortune Land with the team of adidas placing fourth. BMW Wins After Tight Penalty Shooting The final was thus due to be played out between AMECO and BMW. In an enthralling game satisfying all expectations both teams fought furiously. Their skills were matching each other and the game ended after a regular time of 20 minutes with a tie. Only the penalty shootout could determine the winner of this year’s tournament. In the

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Sunny and warm May weather attracted numerous spectators, of which many were children. The kids had a good time on either the bouncy castle provided by Crown Relocation or by the kid’s entertainment area set up by House of Knowledge with face painting, an art and craft corner as well as a reading tent. The whole day all guests had the chance to try their luck in the soccer goal wall contest. To win a VW New Beetle provided by VW, the competitors had to score six successive goals .Though nobody won a car, the participants had a good time testing their kicking skills. Siemens provided household appliances for those who scored five or four times. For one, two or three scores the German Chamber Benefit Partners provided giveaways and vouchers. Practicing German and Chinese Chanting During the games, spectators got together to support and root for their favorite teams. Both German and Chinese cheers were heard throughout the day and the fans taught each other their favorite chants in Chinese and German. For commentaries, goals and

results of all matches we relied on the German and Chinese moderation by Corinna Heinrich and Stefan Schmutzler. They also reminded the teams of fair play when competition on the pitch heated up. Medical assistance for minor and major injuries was offered by the team of International SOS led by Dr. Emanuel Luttersdorfer, who luckily did not need to take much action during the games. The trophy was awarded to the winning team by Dr. Riedel. Besides the prize for the winning team BMW, further prices were given to 2nd, 3rd and 4th place, which were sponsored by “Der Landgraf”. The award for the most valuable player on the field went to Liu Peng from Ameco, Olivier Roux from International SOS was announced the best goalkeeper and Pei Zheng from Siemens got the trophy for top scorer.

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end BMW nerves proofed to be made out of steel and the team left the pitch victorious, congratulated by all other teams, who had a major share in throughout fair and fascinating games.

After the event guest, volunteers and players concluded the day at the Parksquare Restaurant & Lounge with finger food and drinks. The 2nd German Soccer Championship lived up to its expectations and brought the event closer to a cherished tradition in Beijing. A final thank you goes here again to the organizers who made this tournament a memorable and enjoyable day for everyone involved.

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Dr. Riedel hands over the trophies

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REGIONAL NEWS | North China | Chamber Affairs

New Visa Regulation Standing Committee Revises Laws Becoming Effective on July 1st

by BABETTE BERNHARDT The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress passed a new Exit-Entry Administration law that will become effective on July 1st, 2013. China herewith reacts to the increasing number of foreigners (220,000 in 2011) in the country and adapts China’s immigration policy to the current circumstances. The new law introduces harsher punishments as and strengthens enforcement of the regulations. Short Stay Now Possible Without Visa Before a tourist or business visa will be issued, stricter examinations are conducted to clarify if employment exists or is planned that is not covered by the visa. Employment for more than 90 days requires a working permission and hence a working visa. According to the new law the authorities do not have to explain the reasons for their refusal to issue a visa. In case of transit, it will be possible to stay in China for 24 hours without a visa if the airport area is not left. In Beijing, a new type of permission upon arrival allows foreigners to stay in the city for 72 hours provided that they leave the country in due time. Extension of Visa and Residence Permit New within the visa application process is that applications for visa extensions must be submitted seven days before the period of stay, which is stated on the visa, expires. Applications for residence permit extensions must be submitted 30 days before the period of stay expires.. The application for extension of a residence permit will be examined in a period of 15 days. Beijing is planning to establish a system that will make online applications possible. Instead of 15 days, the authorities will then keep passports for only one day. Foreigners Required to Carry Identification at all Times The new Exit-Entry Law states that foreigners shall carry with them their own passport and other documents, such as the residence permit or registration certificate. Copies of the documents are not sufficient, but will be occasionally accepted by the authorities. If the passport is at the authorities, Shanghai issues a “yellow note” as a substitute to foreigners. However, this is not possible in Beijing and the note will not be accepted by many airports and hotels outside of Shanghai. In case of longer trips abroad, foreigners are advised to notify the police about their temporary absence. Otherwise they might be

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discovered absent during one of the regular police checks, which can result in the residence permission not being extended. Stricter Surveillance and Penalty Provisions Surveillance is expected to increase with the implementation of the new law. Not only will authorities be allowed to keep biometrical data, such as fingerprints, of foreigners, but employers, schools and citizens are also encouraged to report suspicious cases of illegal residence or employment. Penalties for violating the Exit-Entry Administration law will be harsher with the new regulations and employers as well as employees have to expect stricter sentences. A foreign national who illegally resides in China shall be warned and if circumstances are serious, shall be fined RMB 500 for each day of illegal residence but not more than RMB 10,000 in total, or be detained for 5 to 15 days. A foreign national who is illegally employed shall be fined not less RMB 5,000 – 20,000; or if the circumstances are serious, shall be detained for 5 to 15 days. Whoever illegally employs foreign nationals shall be fined RMB 10,000 for each employment but not more than RMB 100,000 in total, and any illegal income shall be confiscated. The practice of keeping employees in China on the basis of a business visa over a long term will bear a high financial risk. If foreigners provide incorrect information during the visa application process, they must expect financial penalties of RMB 2,000-5,000. If the circumstances are serious, they may be detained for 10 – 15 days and be fined RMB 5,000 – 20,000. In the case of suspected violation of the law, a foreigner may be detained for investigation for up to 30 days, or 60 days in complicated cases. In addition, the new law allows Chinese authorities to prohibit foreign nationals to exit China. Reasons might be the involvement in an ongoing litigation in civil matters or the default in paying labor remuneration to workers. In the recent past, several exit-prohibitions have been applied to legal representatives of German companies in China. Foreign nationals who violate the Exit- Entry Law with serious circumstances may be deported to their home country and prohibited from entering China within ten years from the day of deportation. If you are interested in the full commentary of the new regulations you can download them on our website at www.china.ahk.de/newvisa-regulations

www.china.ahk.de

Annual General Meeting a Success Goals Announced and Panel Discussions Held

On May 6th, 2013 the German Chamber of Commerce – North China held its Annual General Meeting at the Kempinski Hotel Beijing. As the Board of Members has already been elected last year, there was room to concentrate on topics regarding the recent change within the Chinese government. As for the official part Ms. Voss summarized the activities of the chamber in the last year. She mentioned the positive development in terms of membership and events, especially outside of Beijing (in Liaoning, Shandong and Jilin). Furthermore, she outlined some of the event highlights and surveys in 2012. Mr. Jan-Willem Sudmann, treasurer of the Chamber in North China, gave a budget overview over the chamber’s finances of last year. The chamber has been very healthy and revenues as well as expenses developed as planned.

earlier governmental slogans, the Chinese Dream includes not only opportunities for the achievement of individual goals, but also for the achievement of improvement on a national level, making "the Chinese dream" a dream for the entirety of Chinese society. Ms. Ulrich was joined at the panel by Mr. Joerg Wuttke, Chief Representative at BASF China and Mr. Wu Yongxin, Vice President Government Affairs at Siemens Limited China. They added that the first actual measurements are to be expected probably in autumn, on the 3rd plenary session. However, all of the speakers claimed to sense the winds of change, because decisive positions have been filled with reformers in the new government.

This year, the chamber plans to reach a size of 520 members, to increase member satisfaction, and to further develop in the regional centers of Tianjin, Shenyang, Dalian and Changchun. Event highlights in 2013 include a farewell event for the German Ambassador Dr. Michael Schaefer in June, the German Ball in November, and two new kinds of roundtables. Keynote and panel discussion focused on the recent leadership change in China. Ms. Jing Ulrich, Managing Director & Chairman of Global Markets at JP Morgan China named declining growth rates and, more importantly, a decreasing investment efficiency as the main future challenges in China. However, ongoing urbanization and a growing middle class might compensate this trend, boosting growth. Ms. Ulrich pointed out how the new Chinese government bundles this issue in calling it “The Chinese Dream”. Much more tangible than June - July 2013

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Regular Social Events - North China



Training Calendar Beijing Date

Beijing: Kammerstammtisch – every third Monday of the month at Paulaner Brauhaus, Beijing Lufthansa Center, 7.00 pm Praktikantenstammtisch – every second Tuesday of the month at Schindler´s Anlegestelle, Beijing, 7.00 pm Tianjin: Kammerstammtisch – every last Wednesday of the month at Drei Kronen 1308 Brauhaus, Tianjin, 7.00 pm Kammerstammtisch in Binhai - every first Wednesday of the month in Binhai Tianjin, alternating Venue 5.30 pm

11th & 12th June 18th June 11th July th 25 & 26th July

Training Leading High Performance (Cn) PowerPoint Essentials (Eng) Excel-Database Management Communication and Negotiation



Training Highlights - North China Excel-Database Management on July 11th



Event Highlights - North China Preparation for 13th German Ball 2013 Under Way

The German Chamber of Commerce in North China is pleased to invite you to the 13th German Ball, the largest social event for the German community in Beijing. The German Ball has become an established institution since 2000 and attracts over 700 guests including business executives and leaders in politics and administration.This annual Gala Ball brings together members and friends of the chamber for a funfilled evening. The German Ball will take place on November 16th, 2013 at the Kempinski Hotel Beijing Lufthansa Center. After immersing into the Roaring Twenties in 2012, right now we are working on a unique theme for this year’s German Ball. Get ready for an exclusive gala dinner, surprising acts and amazing live bands that guarantee a memorable night in Beijing. Spend an unforgettable event and dance the night away with friends and colleagues. Companies interested in sponsoring the German Ball should contact Ms. Corinna Schlapps at: [email protected]. ahk.de before July 8th, 2013. The individual ticket sale starts in September 2013. As last year we will have Dinner&Dance tickets available after all regular tickets are sold out. Our traditional dance courses to review and brush up on various dance styles will start after the October holiday.

If you manage databases using Excel, you will want to attend this course. IPS will walk you through the steps of working with multiple workbooks and merging them into one easily managed database. If you accumulate databases on a regular basis from your sales team, research or events, you will most likely want to update your master database with information while removing all duplicate information. The full day course will provide you with the knowledge to start using Excel to manage your information more effectively, while saving you hours of frustration. Training content: „Enhance Excel understanding and familiarise with common Excel tasks „Speed up tasks through knowing where to go for tips „Manage multiple workbooks and share information „Formulas and Functions „Working with Text „The Data Menu „Advanced Features „Tables and Charts „Introduction to Macros Communication and Negotiation 25th July & 26th July 2013 Communication and negotiation skills are vital and the key success factors to all kind of business nowadays. The trainer will lead the participants understand their own and others interpersonal style and by applying the most updated tools. Participants will learn to improve the relation with co-workers, customers, friends and family members so as to achieving success in all kind of negotiation situations. The Trainer will make use of actual business cases sharing, role play, to let participants be involved and experience the latest communication skills and negotiation process from a different angle.

GCC members receive discounted rates on training courses. For further information please contact: Ms. Jiang Ying

010 6539-6712  010 6539-6689

[email protected]

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www.china.ahk.de

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Welcome to Braeugaudi the German Tent at The Biggest Kunshan International Beer Festival in Greater Shanghai 2013

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REGIONAL NEWS | Shanghai | Member Affairs

Thanks to Our Yearly Sponsors 2013/14

Shanghai Office

Stoller China Signs Agreement with Bayer CropScience Bayer CropScience and Stoller China signed an agreement today, and Bayer CropScience formally became Stoller’s exclusive foliar fertilizer distributor in China. Apart from sales of complete series of foliar fertilizer products, Bayer has worked with Stoller to develop a special series of “Bayller” products to be used on cash crops to enhance crop nutrition and health. Bayer CropScience has been granted the right to import, sell, and commercialize the products, as well as to exclusively access and use the products’ registrations and trademarks in China. In addition, the parties agreed to seek further opportunities to broaden the scope of the agreement to include product formulation and new product development. When talking about the cooperation, Mr. Rob Hulme, Country Head of Bayer CropScience Greater China, commented: “this agreement is fully in line with Bayer’s concept of providing from seed to shelf solutions and promoting crop health. We have been dedicated in propelling agriculture development by using innovation and technology to contribute to food security and safety. Bayer is very pleased to work with Stoller, supplementing each other to jointly improve plant health, yield and quality

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IEC61215 and IEC62109. Gaochuangte was the EPC service provider, as well as the provider of the PV Modules. Being the first PV Power Plant to be awarded the certificate in China has proven Gaochuangte’s high standards in building PV power plants and their commitment to safety and efficiency through working with TÜV SÜD by technical support in the areas of power plant construction and financing. improvement.” He added: “we would like to have more opportunities to cooperate with other companies to complete each other’s packages and provide better products and services to farmers.” Suzhou Gaochuangte Awarded with TÜV SÜD PV Power Plant Certification TÜV SÜD Greater China recently issued its first PV Power Plant Certification in China to Canadian Solar Inc. (CSI) and Suzhou Gaochuangte New Energy Sources Development Co. Ltd., a joint venture Company. This certificate demonstrates that the 8MV Photovoltaic (PV) Power Plant, which is a part of the 50MW Capacity Ningxia Hongsibao PV project, complies with the certification standards formulated by TÜV SÜD with reference to IEC62446, IEC60364,

Mr. Frank Lorenzetto Appointed as New CEO of M+W China Mr. Frank Lorenzetto is an Australian national with over 25 years of experience in the Engineering and Construction Industry. With an Engineering background, Mr. Lorenzetto has worked as a Construction/Project Manager across a diverse range of projects in Australia, New Zealand and Greater China.

www.china.ahk.de

Mr. Lorenzetto has worked for a number of large Multi-National Engineering and Construction companies in General Manager, Director and Managing Director roles. During this time he also spent six years – from 2001 to 2007 – as managing director Greater China of M+W China, leading 300 employees across China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. HDD 2013 Reflects the Booming Hospitality Industry in China

Organised by the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration, the China Tourism Hotel Association and UBM Sineoxp., Ltd, HDD (Hotelex + Design & Deco) show 2013 was held on 3rd April, 2013 at the Shanghai New International Expo Center and Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center. HDD is a top hospitality show dedicated to hospitality products and facilities plus design and decoration solutions. The three day event embraced 2800 exhibitors from all over the world and attracted 84,477 visitors from 124 countries and regions, covering the exhibiting area of 230,000m2 in total, a 20% increase from to last year’s edition. Over 100,000 Cutting edge hospitality products were showcased at HDD. The China Barista Championship, China Master Bartender Competition, Italian Chefs on Stage, and the Gelato Championship were some of the highlights of the more that 50 onsite events during HDD. io-consultants Supplies KnowHow to JZJT for High-Performance Production in Jiangxi Jiangzhong’s (JZJT)new facility in Jiangxi, incorporates pre-treatment, fill and finish processing, automatic stereoscopic warehousing and auxiliary facilities. JZJT plans to produce the oral liquid TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) products Shen Ling Cao and Chu Yuan with a capacity

of 20mn bottles per year 90mn bottles respectively per year. io-consultant’s design provides Jiangzhong’s new facility with fully automatic operations for high-end oral liquid production, energy saving and environmental protection, including photovoltaic energy production integrated into the south façade. The modern architectural concept evolves out of blending with and emerging out of the surrounding landscaping and creates a unique future-oriented complex where all functions are clearly legible. SEEBURGER, hartung:consult and Industrie Informatik Established Joint Beijing Office To meet increased customer demand in the Northern China market, SEEBURGER, hartung:consult and Industrie Informatik are pleased to announce that they have opened a new joint office in Beijing (China). SEEBURGER China was established in 2006 and has gained strong market position over the past few years in China. SEEBURGER is committed to providing the Chinese market with the highest quality B2B Integration services. hartung:consult was established in Shanghai in 1995 and became the first local SAP Partner in China. Since its founding in 1991, Industrie Informatik has established itself as a leading producer of MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems) on the market with its product line cronetwork. The office is located in one of the most bustling commercial areas (CBD area) in Beijing, at C529, CBD International Mansion, No16 Yongan Dongli, Changyang District. Grand Opening of Vibration Control R&D Center ContiTech China Rubber & Plastics Technology Ltd. On March 6th, 2013, ContiTech China Rubber & Plastics Technology Ltd. celebrated the grand opening of Vibration Control R&D Center in Changshu / Jiangsu Province. 150 people, including representatives of government authorities, important customers, suppliers, and major Chinese media have attended the ceremony. This is the first R&D Center of ContiTech Vibration Control in China. Inside the brand new 2,000m² building, 50 Chinese R&D engineers will work to design, build and test the high-tech prototypes. The main purpose of Vibration Control R&D Center is to set a new benchmark to enable ContiTech Vibration Control products to become even more valued in Chinese vehicles. ContiTech wants to grow together with its customers in Asia – such as Geely, Great Wall Motor Company, Volkswagen Shanghai and Shanghai General Motors – in a profitable manner .

Schaeffler Continues Along its Growth Path in 2012 Schaeffler AG successfully continued its growth strategy in 2012. Revenue increased by 4% to approximately EUR 11.1bn, exceeding the very encouraging level reached in 2011. Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) was approximately EUR 1.4bn. At approximately 13%, the EBIT margin remained high. Dr. Juergen M. Geissinger, CEO of Schaeffler AG, stated that: “Schaeffler Group continued its course for growth in 2012 despite a market environment that weakened increasingly over the course of the year. Our long-term operating strength enabled us to further grow our revenue and again maintain our earnings quality at the top of the industry.“ The Schaeffler Group’s global structure and its excellent position in the growth markets, particularly in the North America and Asia/ Pacific regions, have contributed to this encouraging development. Revenue increased by 18% in the North American market region while the Asian market reported an increase in revenue of 10% from the already high prior year level. SCHOTT Introduces German Apprenticeship Program The specialty glass manufacturer SCHOTT is investing in its future glass production management. At its Suzhou site, the company has teamed up with the German Chamber of Commerce and the ChienShiung Institute of Technology to offer a theoretical and practical education program in glass processing skills. The first group of five apprentices, who joined from their second year of college, will graduate from the three year-program in July. “We see it as our responsibility to train young people so that they receive a fair chance to succeed on the modern job market,” Dr. Stefan Laetsch, CEO and President SCHOTT Asia, explains. “We aim to support the growth of talents and to strengthen our technical team at our Suzhou site. We need young and enthusiastic employees who master the advanced skills of modern manufacturing and offer strong potential in management skills,” said site manager Mr. Charlie Simadds.

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Edith Weymayr Company: Commerzbank AG Age: 48 Job Title/Position: Regional Board Member Asia Year of Foundation: 1870 HQ: Frankfurt (Germany) Main Business: Banking Number of Employees: Approximately 56,000 Sales/Revenue: Just under EUR 10bn

What is your personal and business background? Starting with my education, I carry a degree in business administration at University of Bayreuth. Later on, I further qualified as a certified credit analyst of DVFA (German Association for Financial Analysis and Asset Management GmbH). I have been with Commerzbank for 20 years now. In 1990, I started as a credit analyst and later worked as a corporate relationship manager in Berlin. In 2001, I moved to the area of financial engineering. After working as advisor at KPMG Corporate Finance segment during 2004-2006, I took over Commerzbank’s FEC (Financial Engineering Centre) East in Berlin in 2006 and the FEC South in Frankfurt in 2007. From 2010 to 2012, I was responsible for the corporate banking-sales and credit management departments at our headquarters. Since February I have been heading Commerzbank’s business in Asia as regional board member Asia and I am very happy to be here. Tell us a little about your company and activities in China? Our business in Asia is our most significant market after Western Europe and Poland. We are focussing on the expansion of our core business with the German ‘Mittelstand’ and our remaining clientele from German industries. At the same time, Commerzbank also accompanies selected Asian companies

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on their way to Germany, Western Europe and Poland – our core markets. Clients profit from a wide range of products like various credit products, cash management, trade finance, customer related investment banking services, interest rate, FX hedging and many more. How long has your company been active in China? Have there been any major shifts in strategy in that time, and why or why not?

Commerzbank starts off where it is best: its broad customer base with the German ‘Mittelstand’ – whether it leads them to China or other countries in Asia. We think we are experts in understanding German companies and the German market and therewith focus on our main competence. In addition, Chinese companies profit from our expertise on their way to the German market. We will be happy to support more and more Chinese clients in the near future. What is your competitive advantage/selling point, what kind of benefits can companies using your products/services in China get? Commerzbank is positioning itself as a niche player on the Chinese market. We believe that the only way for a foreign bank to prevail on the mainland is to provide insight into our core markets. We consider ourselves to be a relationship bank, meaning that we put our focus first of all on our clients and their needs. The product itself ranks second. For German companies it is easier to obtain financing from a bank that knows them through an existing relationship at home. That is exactly where Commerzbank can add value for its German clients. Our Chinese clients, on the other hand, profit from our expertise when operating in the German market. Furthermore, our clients benefit from our dense correspondence bank network. They will find excellent service in every part of the world. What are your aims and hopes for the future?

Commerzbank has been active in China for more than 25 years now. Our branches cover all important economic centres, such as Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai. As one of the first German banks, we have also settled in Tianjin. Our general track record in Asia is much longer: we opened our first branch in Japan more than 50 years ago. Why did your company choose to locate where it did? We have decided to locate where there is a high presence of German companies, as in Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin and Hong Kong. Our Asian headquarters for Corporate Banking is in Shanghai, because this is where the majority of our customers is based. Furthermore, it demonstrates our high commitment to the Chinese market. We believe that Shanghai is well on its way to become one of the world’s leading financial centres. Do you target a mainly Western or Chinese customer base, and why?

China already is the third most important trading partner for Germany and I am convinced that it will even gain more weight in the future. We see increasing numbers of German small and medium-sized enterprises venturing into the mainland. Furthermore, increasing numbers of Chinese enterprises enter the German and e.g. Polish market. We want to be the bank at their side. In your experience, what are the problems German investors in China encounter most frequently? Of course, there are substantial differences between the German and Chinese culture. A significant number of market entries in China fail because of a lack of knowledge of the local framework and culture. Therefore, it is absolutely essential to be open and to get to know each other. A deep understanding of one another is the best basis for a productive and successful business relationship.

www.china.ahk.de

Reis Robotics Opens new Headquarters

On April 18 th 2013, Reis Robotics China held an opening ceremony at their new headquarters in KSND, Jiangsu. The opening represents another milestone in the Reis globalization strategy. Mr. Stefan Möbs, German Deputy General Consul in Shanghai and Mr. Xuechun Zhang, Vice Secretary of Kunshan City, met with Mr. Walter Reis, Founder of the Reis Group, and Dr. Michael Wenzel, Managing Director of Reis Group, to deliver their congratulations and good wishes for the break-through of Reis China. Other attendees included Dr. Manfred Emonts, General Manager of Reis China, and Mr. Jianwen Zhang, Deputy Secretary of KSND communist party. In the evening around 200 guests from Reis headquarter in Germany, clients, Kunshan city-hall, the media and the financial sector celebrated this event.

Bosch China Continues Steady Business Performance in 2012 “After many years of strong growth, our business in China stagnated on a high level in 2012 and generated consolidated sales revenue of RMB 41.7bn. Even so, China remains Bosch’s second largest overseas market. For 2013, we again expect to see considerable growth in China,” said Mr. Uwe Raschke (G5) at Bosch 2013 Annual Press Conference held in Bosch China Headquarters on April 19 th. He added: “The compound annual growth rate of 25% over the past decade makes China a Bosch success story, and we strive to achieve double-digit growth in the future.” A number of measures were introduced to improve local agility in 2012, and these will continue in 2013. They include greater local decision-making powers, a

higher share of local value add and supplies, more products oriented to local markets, and a continuation of the company’s longestablished policy of substantial local R&D activities. Nimbus Participates in China International Construction Lighting Fair

From April 1st to 3rd 2013, German Nimbus participated in the China (Shanghai) International Construction Lighting Fair with the theme of "Bright Everywhere” at Shanghai New International Expo Center and displayed artistic and high-end lighting products. As an established furniture brand for high-end offices, MATSU participated in the exhibition with its partner Nimbus as the main actor.

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EMC Testing Facility in China

Fujian Benz (FBAC), a Daimler AG joint venture in China, is investing several million Euros in a technology park in Fuzhou. The EMC testing facility is an important part of the project. Through the experience of the EMC testing facility in Mönsheim and the demanding schedule, a state-of-the-art EMC testing facility oriented on Mönsheim was set up in China in record time. MBtech EMC served as the general contractor and was assigned the task of installing and starting up the complete measurement facility in order to ensure trouble-free completion. The facility was fully accepted by Fujian Benz on 7th December 2012 without any restriction. The importance of the testing facility and its ongoing operation was established in a cooperation contract between Fujian Benz and MB SIM technology. Renowned automobile manufacturers have shown great interest in trying out this state-of-the art testing facility, and highly concrete enquiries are currently being processed. Io-consultants Announces new Corporate Name i+o Industry Planning + Organization (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. would like to announce that it has officially changed its corporate name to io-consultants (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., in accordance to its new global corporate identity. Additionally, io-consultants would like to announce the appointment of its new Asia management team members Mr. Karsten Wachholz, Dr. Ralf Luening, and Mr. Thomas Le. ioconsultants provides leading consulting services in the areas of process planning for pharmaceutical and food industries, supply chain management and logistics planning, integrated building design, and management consulting. It is the intention of the new regional management team to make ioconsultants into an elite industry known name synonymous with its European brand. With its new corporate identity and new Asia management team, io-consultants would like

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to welcome your inquiries for any potential cooperation. io-consultants’ new address is Room 2901, 1088 West Yan’an Road 200052, Shanghai. Optima Rolls out New Corporate Design Since 2012, Optima has developed a worldwide unified appearance. Following rapid growth over the past few years, Optima decided to accentuate the unity of the company with a new corporate design. The Optima Group has now rolled out its new image worldwide. “We want to present ourselves with the single brand Optima in the future”, explains the company president Mr. Hans Bühler. “We are one company, have one spirit, and speak one language.” The most obvious change is the new company logo, which focuses on the essentials: it is simple and easily legible. The wordmark appears in bright blue and stands as the corporate brand for Optima worldwide. Optima is operating in four sectors: pharma, consumer, nonwovens and life science. The company manufactures filling and packaging lines, and further includes in its portfolio manufacturing systems for medical and pharmaceutical products. KUKA-Robotics Shanghai Successfully Implements SAP Go Live In 2012 KUKA-Robotics Shanghai aligned their SAP Systems according to their global SAP template guidelines. With ORBIS Consulting Shanghai as their SAP Partner in China, KUKA successfully implemented SAP in their plant in Shanghai, and is now able to run their SAP system in alignment with other subsidiaries and their HQ in Augsburg, Germany. The processes in the financial area have been adjusted according to Chinese laws, e.g. Golden Tax. A mixed team of German and Chinese members – up to 30 people in peak times – have worked hard to get an up-to-date SAP system running.

Bureau Veritas Acquires 7Layers BUREAU VERITAS has completed the acquisition of 7Layers, a specialist in mobile and wireless electronics testing and certification headquartered in Germany. The expertise and global coverage of 7Layers’ complements Bureau Veritas’ existing presence within global brands and their supply chains and positions it as a global

leader in wireless testing. 7Layers offers integrated solutions to mobile device manufacturers, suppliers of electronics parts and telecommunication network operators through testing services to assess security, reliability, functionality and interoperability of a wide range of mobile devices. Bureau Veritas’s new partner has 220 highly qualified employees and has engineering centres and accredited laboratories in Germany, China, South Korea, and the United States as well as representatives in Japan, Taiwan and South Europe.

New Tax Partner at International Accountancy Firm Mazars Mazars is strengthening its tax team with the arrival of Mr. Anthony Tam, who will be in charge of developing the tax practice in Mainland China. Mr. Tam has more than 20 years of professional experience in international taxation as well as Hong Kong and China tax, specializing M&A and transfer pricing. Prior to joining Mazars, Mr. Tam was a Tax Partner at the Canadian practice of a Big 4 firm before he was transferred to the Hong Kong practice, and appointed Deputy Tax Managing Partner of that firm’s Southern China tax practice. He has extensive experience in cross-border M&A projects in Asian Pacific region (including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Korea, Philippine and India) as well as a proven track record in transfer pricing in China, and was the advisor to two Bilateral Advance Pricing Agreements (“BAPA”).

In Person | www.china.ahk.de

Hannes Streeck Company: FIEGE Group Position: CEO Fiege Far East Year of Foundation: 1873 HQ: Greven, Germany Main Business: Contract logistics & freight forwarding Number of Employees: 11,000 Sales/Revenue: EUR 1.5bn

What is your personal and business background?

Dedicated fashion solutions.

I studied International Management in Paris, Oxford and Berlin and joined Fiege after a short excursion into strategy consulting. My eight years at Fiege brought me to several projects across Europe. In 2005, during a hiking trip to Tibet, I set the foundation for my passion for China. Since March 2012 I have been based at our Far East headquarters in Shanghai. Tell us a little about your company and activities in China. FIEGE Far East has operated in China since 1981. We provide freight forwarding and logistics services from our 12 locations in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. As a pioneer of contract logistcis, FIEGE establishes holistic supply chain solutions customised to the needs of our customers. In our core sectors we are a strategic partner to optimise processes and improve our customers’ competitiveness. Flexibility and time-to-market are crucial.

Our fashion services

Where do you see key challenges of the Chinese logistics market? The key challenge will be an efficient and eco-friendly supply of a fast growing middle-class in China. As a logistics service provider we need to provide the right IT infrastructure, short lead times and efficient returns management: E-Commerce promises great opportunities but is highly complex regarding its logistics requirements. Second, the infrastructural connection of Central Chinese provinces to International transport networks becomes crucial. We may see a change of today’s forwarding paradigm to Europe and witness the rebirth of rail.

Our logististics network

Is FIEGE prepared for these challenges? Definitely. FIEGE proved its E-Commerce know-how in multiple projects across Europe during the past years. In China, we offer the same services, adjusted to local specifics, such as different payment methods for example. In our logistics centers, we provide customised services and prepare orders for its final destination. Last year we opened three new warehouses and established a web-based vendor management system. Our customer enjoys full visibility of its supply chain while administration costs are reduced. Let’s take a look ahead into the future. Our joint venture Apollo Fiege extends our portfolio with 39 branches in India and will enrich our offerings for our Chinese customers. Supporting Chinese companies going international will also be exciting, and FIEGE offers a perfect toolkit with a network of more than 190 branches in Europe.

Contact: Mr. Blade Zhang | Business Development Manager Mail: [email protected] | Mobile: 135 6454 0330 www.fiege.com

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Alf Mehlig

with proper design, where service quality also varies significantly. There are many local design institutes in China offering discounts; however, they often lack the understanding of German planning depth and the technology background. Can you give an example of a particular problem you encountered in your work here?

Company: Bencer Project Management (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. Job Title/Position: General Manager Year of Foundation: 2007 HQ: Shanghai Main Business: Engineering & Construction Project Management Number of Employees: 150

What is your personal and business background? As a civil engineer I have worked in Asian countries and in the Middle East on various interesting construction projects. My affinity for Asia finally brought me to Shanghai in 2006, when I was working as the Director Asia Pacific for CBP International, a German Engineering and Project Management Consultant. Starting from scratch I established the firm’s China operations, and after CBP was taken over by a large construction group I decided for a management buy-out of the project management division and founded Bencer. Despite challenging times – particularly during the crisis in 2008 – my team and I managed to grow the business steadily and today we are proud of having achieved a reputation of being one of the leading German project management consultants in China. I am happily married and have three wonderful children, who I enjoy see growing up in a multicultural environment with all the daily challenges of being a GermanChinese family. Tell us a little about your company and activities in China? Bencer is a private construction project management firm headquartered in Shanghai. The company’s focus is on industrial buildings and we offer a one-stop service to mainly German investors from the initial steps of

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the site selection and project registration throughout all further stages – such as design, tendering and construction – until the project handover. What are the main challenges you encounter operating an international business in a Chinese environment? Staff! As a consultant we promise our clients German quality engineering and a Western management attitude combined with knowledge of the local markets and practices. This requires the recruitment and training of qualified Chinese personnel, which with increasing salary levels becomes one of the main challenges in our daily business. How do you ensure Western building quality, and how does this affect project costs? Nowadays, one could differentiate into two types of investors: clients that have a long term perspective for China and in most cases have already established a successful business, and others that have just entered the market. For the latter group the market entry budgets approved by their HQs are often limited. Then it is on us to advise clients on alternative building materials using local brands and suppliers that offer both better pricing and proper quality. We’re also seeing increasing demand for sustainable and energy efficient buildings, and those investors are willing to invest more overall, applying state of the art building technologies such as geothermal, heat recovery systems, etc. Another key to control the project cost starts

A major issue is communication. Especially during the design stage of a project it is crucial that all parties involved have the same understanding. When it becomes very technical this sometimes can be tricky. Any top tips for doing business in China? Closing the gap between the Western and the Chinese way of doing business requires a lot of patience, an open mind and often nerves. I have seen large Western groups that struggled, as they were trying to put their own hat onto their China business. Our management concept is a strong Chinese operation and middle management with Western strategic leadership, which has proven to be very functional and successful. What are the most valuable things you have learned from working and living in China? Truly experiencing and understanding the Chinese culture and the “art” of doing business here is one of the most valuable experiences I gained. China is a tough market and the setting up of a successful business with my own hands is a great achievement. As an entrepreneur one has to take care of all aspects of the business, and this certainly has resulted in broader development of my overall skills. How do you select a reputable contractor? Our competence in procurement includes deep market knowledge of both suitable construction companies and the “black sheep”. In order to provide full transparency we always run the contractor tender together with a client representative. The first step is the pre-qualification, which selects potential candidates based on predetermined criteria. Following this we hold several bidding rounds using tender documents and contracts that follow strict international FIDIC standards. The process involves not only the proposal submission and evaluation but also individual meetings with the aim to achieve the best price and also learn about each candidate’s project commitment, the assigned staff and other facts that are important for choosing the right contractor.

Blaurock & Nuglisch, Foto: Brigitte Bonaposta/archipoch, Fotolia.com

Your vision becomes reality.

German Engineering Ingenuity & Construction Quality If you plan a Greenfield construction project or intend to retrofit an existing building, Bencer will be your reliable partner in China. Specialized in industrial facilities we operate China wide and offer: ●

Project Management



Design & Engineering



Tendering Management



Construction Management



Technical Facility Management

Approval & Permission Management We provide a one-stop service, representing our clients on all construction related matters. Our team of Western and Chinese



engineering and construction professionals will be on your side from the very beginning throughout the entire project until hand over.

For more information please contact Dipl. Ing. Frank Schulze [email protected], Tel. +86 152 5324 9298 Shanghai Room 1701, Tower A Hongwell International Plaza No. 1600 Zhongshan Road Shanghai 200235 P.R. China

www.bencer.com

Qingdao Room 810, Tower A Top Yihe International Building 10 Hong Kong Middle Road Qingdao 266071 P.R. China

Hefei 1588 Dabieshan Road Nangang Technology Zone Hefei 231283 P.R. China

Stuttgart Jusistraße 2 72124 Pliezhausen Germany

REGIONAL NEWS | Shanghai | Member Affairs

MAUSER Welcomes German Expert The international packaging company welcomes Mr. Alexander Hessenbruch to Shanghai to support its growth in the Asian market. Beginning his career with an apprenticeship as a mechatronic skilled worker in 2002 in the Mauser machinery department, Mr. Hessenbruch subsequently obtained a diploma in mechanical engineering at the University of Applied Sciences (RFH) in Cologne. In various projects for Mauser he developed expertise in plastic and steel packaging manufacturing. Relocated from his hometown and location of Mauser´s headquarter – Bruehl (NRW) to Singapore in 2011, Mr. Hessenbruch was leading a project to set up a new steel drum production plant. “I´m a child of Mauser,” says the 32 year old, who is now located in Shanghai as head of engineering Asia. TÜV Rheinland Builds Biodegradability Lab in Shanghai TÜV Rheinland recently announced that its newly built biodegradability lab in Shanghai was recognized by DIN CERTCO and has

now been commissioned. TÜV Rheinland is the latest DIN CERTCO-recognised thirdparty testing organisation in China for testing according to EN 13432 packaging - requirements for packaging recoverable through composting and biodegradation. DIN CERTCO is a certification organisation run jointly by the TÜV Rheinland Group and the Deutsches Institut für Normung (DIN). This in-depth collaboration aims to provide local manufacturers and exporters with a comprehensive solution for biodegradable product testing and to speed up their access to global markets. Biodegradable products tested by TÜV Rheinland can apply for the internationally recognised Compostable Mark (“Seedling”) which is a certification system developed by DIN CERTCO and European Bioplastics e. V.. Our customised service, which includes testing, consulting and support on acquiring certification provided by local experts, greatly shorten the lead time. Voith Paper Strengthens its Market Position in China by Investing New Workshops in Kunshan Plant Voith Paper has invested more than EUR 105mn for two new workshops at its Kunshan site to support business growth across Asia.

Kunshan German Industrial Park locates in the south of Kunshan city, just 50km from Shanghai. Over 7000 FDI projects and more than 35,000 domestic companies have run their business in Kunshan. The investors of GIP mainly come from Euro-American regions, especially from Germany. As a highly open industrial park, GIP focuses its industry on precision machinery, auto parts, molds and dies. As an innovative and vibrant park, GIP holds the concept of “from ant to elephant” to meet the diverse requirements of investors by providing different sizes of factories and land. GIP is not only an attractive land for business opportunities, but also a blessed place for business practices and life experiences. You are welcome to start business and explore pleasure here in GIP. Contact person: Bill Yi, deputy director of GIP Tel: +86-(0)512-57458129 Mobile:+86-(0)13913220479 Email: [email protected] Website:www.ksgip.com

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The Voith Paper System Manufacturing workshop will produce dewatering elements, doctors and etc. It started in April 2011 and was completed in February 2012. The Voith Paper Fabric II workshop, a top 10 producer of gold rated projects in China which has been granted the LEED Gold Certification, is designed to produce forming fabric, press felt and belt with a production capacity double its current level. The project was launched in May 2011, and is expected to be officially put in use in October 2014. With the two new workshops, Voith Paper will be able to respond more quickly to the customers, lower product costs compared to Germany, and create a lead time advantage over the competitors.

Porsche Consulting Ltd. Opens Shanghai Office The international management consultancy Porsche Consulting GmbH, based in BietigheimBissingen, Germany, is further extending its presence in Asia with a wholly owned subsidiary in China: on February 28th, 2013, the newly founded Porsche Consulting Ltd. opened their Shanghai office. The range of consultancy services are geared towards the needs of both Chinese and foreign companies: adapting business processes to the high growth rates and dramatically increasing demands of Asian customers. “To ensure future profitable growth, companies need to strongly improve productivity, quality and delivery reliability”, says Dr. Heiko Rauscher, CEO of Porsche Consulting Ltd. The Porsche consultants are concentrating on their core competencies in the fields of production strategies, production systems, supply chain management, distribution, and supplier management. Topic of the 8th BME China Sourcing Conference Announced Future supply chain management strategies to control and moderate supply risks, opportunities to build sustainable supplier relationships in China as well as ways to support global economic recovery will be the main topics of this year’s China Sourcing Conference, BME has announced. Their annual 1½ day conference, scheduled for September 9th-10th in Shanghai, hosts speeches, workshops and expert panels of experienced industry professionals with latest market insights, and provides a networking platform to meet sophisticated business experts, potential future suppliers and partners. The conference will be followed by the 12th Shanghai International Sourcing Fair, which is known as China’s largest INVERTED fair.

www.china.ahk.de

New Members SHANGHAI For full contact information and company profiles of our new and existing members, please visit www.german-company-directory.com

Mr. Thomas Bolz President GEA Bock Compressors (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd.

0571 8673-0437 www.gearefrigeration.com

Mr. Lars Jacobsen Taicang

0512 5337-6000

[email protected] www.modexenergy.com

Mr. Scott Boyer Director of Marketing Four Seasons Hotel Pudong Shanghai

021 2036-8888

[email protected] www.fourseasons.com/pudong

Dr. Lei Kan President ZF Lenksysteme (Shanghai) Management Co. Ltd.

021 3761-7026

Mr. Laurie Chan General Manager Eirich Machinery (Jiangyin) Co. Ltd.

0510 8162-5811

[email protected] www.eirichfme.com

Mr. Ralph Klaunig General Manager MAN Diesel & Turbo China Production Co. Ltd. Shanghai Branch

021 5897-6758

[email protected] www.mandieselturbo.com

Ms. Wendy Chi Chief Representative Herbert Kannegiesser GmbH Shanghai Representative office

021 6479-9819

[email protected] www.kannegiesser.asia

Mr. Christian Kurtsiefer General Manager KMA Environmental Technology (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.

021 6167-5131

Mrs. Agnes Cohade Owner & Gallery Director ART+ SHANGHAI GALLERY Shanghai

021 5608-6067

[email protected] www.artplusshanghai.com Ms. Schulze Zuralst Cornelia Chief Representative/General Manager Charles Voegele Fashion(HK) Limited. Shanghai Representative Office

021 6162-7111 www.charles-voegele.com Mr. Peter G. Diehl Director Electric Vehicle Qoros Auto Co. Ltd. Shanghai

021 3857-1515 www.qorosauto.com Mr. Tony Ge General Manager Wafios (Shanghai) Machinery Co. Ltd.

021 6496-5899

[email protected] www.wafios.de Mr. Thomas Hornung Regional President of ED Asia Bosch Automotive Products (Changsha) Co. Ltd. Shanghai Branch

021 2218-1111

Mr. Jan Lambacher Commercial Manager Lederer (Shanghai) Fastener Trading Co. Ltd.

021 5433-5280 www.lederer-shanghai.com Mr. Terry Larson General Manager Sauer Shanghai Hydrostatic Transmission Co. Ltd. Shanghai

021 2035-8100

[email protected] www.sauer-danfoss.com Mr. Xiang Li Chief Representative Weinmann Geraete fuer Medizin GmbH+Co.KG Shanghai Representative Office

021 3226-2698

[email protected] www.weinmann.cn Mr. Juergen Dieter Lutz General Manager Kiener (Shanghai) Mechanical and Electrical Equipment Co. Ltd.

021 2898-6406

[email protected] www.kiener-shanghai.com Mr. See Steven Pinghu

0573 8562-0112

[email protected]

Mr. Uwe Marquart President Shanghai Marquart Technology Co. Ltd.

021 6403-6488

[email protected] www.s-mar-t.net

Mr. Muhammad Umair Lahore Cantt

+92-3004263-875

[email protected]

Ms. Julia Oduro-Boadi Shanghai

138 1647-9684

[email protected]

Mr. Wolfgang Veit General Manager Raumtechnik Event Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.

021 5030-3665

[email protected] www.raumtechnik.com

Mr. Jan Oesterreich General Manager Komtur Pharmaceutical Technology Services Co. Ltd. Shanghai

021 6249-9977

[email protected] www.komtur.com

Dr. Jing Wang President Euroimmun (Hangzhou) Medical Laboratory Diagnostics Co. Ltd.

0571 8887-0555

[email protected] www.oumeng.com.cn

Mr. Xiaobo Pan General Manager Kunshan Veritas Automotive Systems Co. Ltd.

0512 8367-0090

[email protected] www.veritas.ag

Ms. Yanping Wang General Manager iba China Ltd. Shanghai

021 5840-2768

[email protected]

   

 Head of Global HR Global Safety Textiles Changshu

0512 5283-1711 www.global-safety-textiles.com Ms. Miao Sun Marketing & Sales    

GmbH - Shanghai Office

021 3133-2649 www.sw-machines.de Mr. Sunny Tao Deputy General Manager Hellmann Worldwide Logistics (China) Ltd. Shanghai

021 2898-0000 Mr. Gokhan Tektas General Manager Tristone Flowtech (Suzhou) Ltd.

0512 6237-5830 www.tristone.com Mr. Daniel Tweer Vice General Manager ROSLER International Shanghai Representative Office

021 6428-1083

[email protected]

Ms. Ilona Weber Wirtschaftsingenieur Shanghai

138 1804-0638

[email protected] Ms. Liping Wei Country Manager China LAP GmbH Laser Applikationen Shanghai Office

021 5047-8881

[email protected] www.lap-laser.com Ms. Xiaoyong Xu Managing Director Dr. Knoell Consult Shanghai Co. Ltd.

021 6155-1800

[email protected] www.knoell.com Mr. Jianfeng Zhang General Manager Carl Stahl (Ningbo) Co. Ltd.

0574 8622-8106

[email protected] www.carlstahl.cn Mr. Zaibin Zheng Deputy General Manager AUXEL-FTG Shanghai Co. Ltd.

021 5859-4088 www.auxel-ftg-sha.cn

June - July 2013

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REGIONAL NEWS | Shanghai | In Person

Gerwin Gaedigk Company: Voith Industrial Services (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. Job Title/Position: Managing Director Year of Foundation:1998 HQ: Shanghai Main Business: Voith Industrial Services is one of the leading suppliers in the area of industrial services: from electrical/ mechanical installation and automation, dis- and reassembly/ relocation, through to production equipment maintenance, technical cleaning, facility management and manufacturing support services. Number of Employees: Over 1600

What is your personal and business background? I studied mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Berlin and worked for many years in the machine tool industry. After joining Voith as managing director of Hörmann Industrietechnik I became part of the advisory board of Voith Industrial Services China in January 2009. In October 2010 I became the managing director of Voith Industrial Services China. Can you tell us a little about your company and activities in China? Voith as a group is one of the largest familyowned companies in Europe, with 42,000 employees worldwide. In the last fiscal year the sales volume of Voith was EUR 5.7bn. Voith concentrates on five markets: energy, oil and gas, paper raw materials, transport and automotive. As part of the industrial services group division, Voith Industrial Services China (VISH) has more than 10 years’ experience in China. Our workforce is over 1,600 people – the great majority experienced maintenance service engineers - at 37 different locations in China. We have grown our annual turnover by 35% per year for the past three years. We have focussed on technical services and are now maintaining the production equipment of more famous foreign and local customers across China. What has been your strategy in terms of localisation: of staff, R&D, production, etc. To provide local high technical services to our customers we need local highly qualified employees. We partnered with ECUST – East

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China University of Science and Technology – to enhance the technical level of our employees. We have also just celebrated the 2nd anniversary of the Voith Industrial Services & ECUST Training Centre on the 11th of April 2013. The training course covers electronic controls, mechanical and hydraulic equipment and robot programming, but also leadership skills, maintenance strategies and processes, so it is a mixture of practical and theoretical training customized for our needs. We will underline our long-term commitment in China through the training centre. What is your competitive advantage/selling point? What kind of benefits can companies using your products/services in China get? We help the customer to concentrate on their core business and at the same time help them to save money by making more and better use of their expensive equipment. If a multimillion RMB investment can be utilized a few more percentage points each year it is a big contribution to the cost structure of any enterprise. We are experts in setting up teams and processes, qualify and retain our people and have a vast global network to pull in additional resources if needed. We guarantee high quality services with local high quality employees. Do you enjoy living in China? What are your impressions of the country and its people? China is a great place to live. As long as you don't read German newspapers, which mostly give a biased and one sided picture of the living conditions here, life is definitely enjoyable. All you really need to avoid is

going sightseeing during public holidays, but of course being a part of "People Mountain - People Sea" is also part of the experience. I have found the Chinese people to be friendly and hardworking individuals. Seeing China grow and develop because of their diligence and commitment despite the many problems and obstacles of this nation faces is truly inspirational when you look at the comparatively minor challenges in Germany or Europe. Are your main competitors domestic or foreign? Has this changed and how do you see the future? Industrial service is a Western concept and relatively new in China. Since the 1990s, as part of the migration of global industrial manufacturing, Service suppliers have also appeared in China. Most of these suppliers were formed from the original equipment manufacturers, so they simply focus on their specific one or two service lines, such as facility management, logistics, automation etc. As an integrated service provider Voith Industrial Services has competences to fulfil the many needs of our customers. Though there is currently no other company matching our portfolio of services here in China, we do have local competitors for some service lines. Since we are very strict in adhering to local laws and compliance some competitors might have a cost advantage. We need to have a high-quality strategy to cope with the lowestcost approach of some competitors. That’s why we cooperate with ECUST to deepen our localization strategy. With this solid partnership we’re looking forward to the next five years, during which we plan to triple our turnover here in China.

www.china.ahk.de

June - July 2013

79

REGIONAL NEWS | Shanghai | Chamber Affairs

5th March 2012

6th March 2012

12th March 2012

12th March 2012

12th March 2012

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Event: Position Paper European Chamber Topic: Presentation of the Position Paper of the European Chamber of Commerce Venue: Office of the German Chamber of Commerce Shanghai Moderator: Mr. Titus von dem Bongart | Partner, Tax / Head of GBN Greater China, ASEAN and Korea, Ernst & Young Speakers: Dr. Ioana Kraft | General Manager, European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, Shanghai; Dr. Iris Duchetsmann | Member of the Board, European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, Shanghai

Event: Workshop Business & Society Topic: Learn about trends for social innovation Venue: Shanghai Social Innovation Park Moderator: Ms. Katja Hellkoetter | Member of the Chamber Constellations Speaker: Mr. Richard Lytle | Solar Ear Social Enterprise Cooperation with Boehringer Ingelheim; Ms. Leigh-Anne Russell | NonProfit Incubator NPI Event: JV Workshop HR & GC Roundtable Topic: Strengthening Leadership through Agility & Resilience Venue: Le Royal Meridien Moderator: Mr. Rolf Koehler | General Manager, Freudenberg Management (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. Speakers: Ms. Noriko Takagi | General Manager, Steinbach und Partner Consulting China Ltd.; Mr. Bart de Backker | Founder of B-Integral Pte. Ltd. Event: Workshop Taicang Topic: Als deutscher Expatriate in China gut versichert Venue: Kaifa Building, Taicang Moderator: Mr. Fabian Schneider | Regional Manager Jiangsu & Zhejiang Province GCC China Shanghai Speakers: Mr. Klaus-Peter von der Eltz | Insurance Agent, E.I.C. Expatriates Insurance Consulting GmbH; Dr. Iris Duchetsmann | Member of the Board, European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, Shanghai Event: Deutscher Stammbaum – Shanghai Venue: Paulaner Braeuhaus

14th March 2012

Event: Chamber Meeting March 2013 Topic: Taicang – No Wonder!!! Venue: Hyatt on the Bund Shanghai Moderator: Ms. Nina Trentmann, Reporter Speaker: Mr. Manfred Krost | KROST Business Consulting (Taicang) Co., Ltd.; Dr. Ing. HansJochem Steim | Hugo Kern und Liebers GmbH & Co. KG; Mr. Thilo Koeppe | PMC Asia, AMETEK Inc.

Why has Taicang become such a success story in terms of SinoGerman economic cooperation? At the second Chamber Meeting in 2013, taking place at the Hyatt on the Bund in Shanghai, representatives of German companies in Taicang discussed this question with the city’s mayor Wang Jianfeng. Subsequent to a dinner buffet, Mr. Wang presented his city and explained how it is quite “German”, with an Oktoberfest and German restaurants among other features and amenities. Taicang is the first industrial city in China that has specialised in German companies. “Our good infrastructure in particular makes the city highly attractive for investors”, Mr. Wang explained. Since 1993, many German companies have settled there. As of today, their number has exceeded 180. Afterward, the German journalist Nina Trentmann moderated a panel discussion on the pros and cons of Taicang. Dr. Hans-Jochem Steim, whose company Hugo Kern und Liebers was the first German firm to set up its business in Taicang, explained this decision with the proximity to Shanghai and the airports of the region. “Moreover, we wanted a city which is not too big so people know each other”, he stated. Manfred Krost from KROST Business Consulting stressed the importance of the close harbours, the support of local authorities and special tax conditions for new companies. In recent years more and more German enterprises have come to Taicang and exchanged ideas, experiences and even machines. The “Taicang Roundtable” was created as a platform for this exchange between German and Austrian entrepreneurs. Within this framework, in cooperation with the German Chamber of Commerce, a “Gentlemen’s Agreement” has been issued that obliges the signees not to entice employees away from competitors. Despite being quite well-suited for German small and mediumsized companies, Taicang also faces several challenges. The double digit wage increases of the past can no longer be granted. Therefore, the pressure to realize economies of scale is rising, and enterprises need to become creative to win and keep qualified staff. Moreover, there are no special schools or kindergartens for German children. The panellists called for such institutions to be established. In response to the remaining difficulties expressed by the panellists, the mayor of Taicang assured them that the city will invest more in education, infrastructure, environmental protection and the attraction of skilled workers. Taicang’s aim is to increase the number of German companies to 300 by the end of 2014.