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P a g e 1w w w. i n v e s t - i n - b a v a r i a . c o m
What’s insideFive minutes with … Beate Rank,
CEO of Rakuten Deutschland GmbH
Page 2
Focus Topic: Welcoming culture as an
opportunity
Page 3
Bavaria in your briefcase:
Kulmbacher Mönchshof
Page 4
Business Bavaria Newsletter
Issue 10 | 2013
Bavaria is popular among specialist staff from around the world and Munich now
offers them a new point of contact, the Service-Center for International Profes-
sionals. The state capital wants to set a new example with this centre, which
opened only a few days ago on October 1st, 2013, to smooth the path for foreign
managerial and specialist staff into their new employment relationship in Bavaria.
Initial assistance for international specialists
The staff in the new Service Center in Munich is responsible for all immigration and
residency issues – from the residency permit to naming contacts for all important
questions related to the first entry such as finding accommodation, reregistrating
the driving licence, enrolling children to school, etc. They speak English, French,
Italian, Russian and Spanish and there is also an in-house interpreting office for
those languages. One of the backdrops for this new facility was the establishment
of the Directive on Highly Qualified Workers in August 2012, which got numerous
relieves in terms of starting work off the ground. With the foundation of the Ser-
vice Center, Munich wants to promote the influx of international specialist staff in
the sense of an active welcoming culture even beyond the statutory requirements.
For more on that, see the Focus Topic on Page 3
Our top topic: Welcoming cultureWhat Bavaria is doing to increase its appeal to international specialists.
We are moving! New address
from 1st November 2013:
Prinzregentenstr. 22
80538 Munich | Germany
Pioneering strategies for increased competitiveness between processing companies
in Upper Franconia are the goal of the Technology Roadmap for Upper Franconia
project. Based on a scientific theoretical approach, the strengths and weaknesses
of interested companies are determined, their opportunities and risks examined and
possible ways for development demonstrated.
The Technology Roadmap for Upper Franconia project focuses on the manufacturing in-
dustry with the sectors metal, plastics, glass/ceramics, furniture/wood processing and
textiles in the administrative district of Upper Franconia. In order for these sectors to re-
main the economic flagships of the region, the second step of the project is to point out
the sector-specific strategic options to the companies so they can equip themselves for
new challenges early on, prepare for sector trends in a timely manner and initiate the de-
velopment of new products. After all, these sectors are subject to swift changes. Prod-
ucts that are successful and common today, might not be needed any more tomorrow.
Upper Franconia en route to the future
The Fraunhofer Process Innovation project group at the University of Bayreuth is re-
sponsible for the Technology Roadmap for Upper Franconia. The Manufacturing and
Remanufacturing Technology chair and the Fraunhofer project group work together
closely with the companies. The response to the offer is very positive and each com-
pany is analysed for one or two days. The project started in July 2011 and is designed
to run 3.5 years; the analysis phase will conclude by the end of 2013. The Bavarian
State Ministry of Economic Affairs and Media, Energy and Technology contributes
around EUR 1.1 million of funding to the Technology Roadmap for Upper Franconia.
Your contact at Invest in Bavaria:
Lisa Zeitler, Northern Bavaria office, lisa.zeitler@invest-in-bavaria.de
For more information visit www.roadmap-oberfranken.de/main.php
P a g e 2w w w. i n v e s t - i n - b a v a r i a . c o m
Five minutes with …
… “new inhabitants” from abroad have come to Bavaria since the beginning of the
1990s. Even within Germany, Bavaria can be considered as a land of immigration.
679,000 people have moved to Bavaria from other German regions between 1991 and
2010 (Federal Institute for Population Research 2012).
On the development of e-commerce and Rakuten‘s
prospects in Germany and Europe since the acquisi-
tion of Tradoria GmbH. Currently, over 6,200 online
retailers offering more than nine billion products
are under contract with Rakuten Deutschland. Over
800 retailers are setting up their shop and will go
online shortly. Beate Rank was the former manag-
ing director and co-founder of Tradoria before it was
taken over by the Japanese company Rakuten, Inc.
Rakuten is one of the world‘s ten largest internet
companies and is represented in 26 countries with
10,000 employees.
How important is the e-commerce market in Ger-
many for a global player like Rakuten in terms of its
expansion strategy?
Counting more than 41 million (50 per cent of the
German population) digital shoppers in 2012 (and an
estimated 46 million in 2016), Germany is among the
nations with the biggest potential in e-commerce in
Europe.
In 2012, German B2C online and mail-order trad-
ing generated total sales in excess of EUR 39.3 bil-
lion. E-commerce achieved EUR 27.6 billion and thus
accounted for 70 per cent of the sector‘s total sales.
The German E-Commerce and Distance Selling Trade
Association even predicts that the e-commerce vol-
ume will increase by another 21 per cent in 2013, which
can mainly be attributed to the rising popularity of
smartphones and tablet devices in Germany. These
figures alone highlight Germany‘s significance in the
context of international strategies.
We are of course extremely delighted about the oppor-
tunity to actively contribute to this growth and suc-
cess with the international expertise of the Rakuten
Group and with our dynamic team here at Rakuten.de.
Perhaps we are even able to accelerate it.
Which advantages of Bavaria as a business location
(e.g. economic power, infrastructure, purchasing
power, quality of life) are particularly important for
Rakuten?
Bavaria not only is home to global companies such as
Adidas, Audi, BMW or Siemens, it is also a strong base
for small and medium-sized companies in industry,
retail and the service sector. The reasons are obvious:
What is being offered in the fields of transportation,
telecommunications and energy is quite extraordi-
nary and the high standards in education achieve top
values in the international arena. All these criteria of
course encouraged Rakuten, Inc.‘s decision. The critical
factor, however, was our proximity in terms of content
to the business model Rakuten has been very success-
ful with on the Japanese market since 1997, and which
is becoming more and more popular in Germany, too.
Thinking about the digital infrastructure: Do you
think Bavaria is well-equipped for the future?
Compared internationally, Bavaria achieves top marks
regularly – be it with regard to the digital infrastruc-
ture or other important areas such as education and
purchasing power. If nothing else, this is the reason
why we are convinced that Bavaria is really well-
equipped for the future.
Do you cooperate with regional partners or maintain
research activities with Bavarian universities?
We collaborate with local postal delivery services,
among other things, and plan to extend our activi-
ties with Bavarian universities and other educational
institutions. For years, Bavarian pupils have been
among the best of all European countries and numer-
ous international schools as well as a growing number
of multilingual learning opportunities give evidence of
the international demand for education. In combina-
tion with the German e-commerce market‘s growth
rates, we want to invest in the specialist staff of
tomorrow as partners in a professional way and fur-
ther expand our activities in this area.
Number of the month million …1.3
Beate Rank, CEO of Rakuten Deutschland GmbH
The IT specialists, business economists, engineers and other specialist staff com-
panies are specifically looking for come from all around the world – China, India,
Vietnam, New Zealand or Eastern Europe – and Bavaria is at the top of their list.
However, this is no reason to rest on one’s laurels. Bavaria places great value on a
welcoming culture with services that make the transition into a new employment
relationship for international top talents even easier.
Since 1st October 2013: Service Center in Munich
The recently opened Service-Center for International Professionals employs a total
of 15 workers who are responsible for all immigration and residency issues. Precise
requirements (necessary documents, evidence to be presented) are settled before-
hand with network partners such as Invest in Bavaria, the Employment Agency and
embassies of the countries of origin, etc. Ideally, one appointment is sufficient to
get the ball rolling. If the necessary requirements are fulfilled, the electronic resi-
dence title (e-AT) can already be applied for at the first visit and usually be handed
over within four to six weeks. For more information or to make an appointment with
the Service Center Munich, send an e-mail to migration.kvr@muenchen.de or call the
call centre at 089/233-96010.
A warm welcome – clearly leading the way
Specially established service and welcome centres do not only assist in getting voca-
tional qualifications approved or in visiting authorities for the naturalisation, they also
see to finding accommodation, arrange language courses or provide information on
public transport, sports facilities and much more. The Roth district, too, sets a good
example: “In a way, we point people in the right direction and help foreign special-
ist staff with questions about resident permits, finding translators for qualifications
gained abroad and also with finding apprenticeship or internship positions for their
children,” emphasises Christof Liebel, head of the Welcome Service Center Roth. His
institution is closely linked to and works with the Chamber of Industry and Commerce,
the Chamber of Crafts and the Employment Agency as well as with the foreigners’
registration office. As a regional hub, the Service Center is part of the Unternehm-
erfabrik Landkreis Roth GmbH, the regional economic promotion society of the Roth
district. http://www.unternehmerfabrik.de/willkommensservice-fuer-fachkraefte/.
Showcase project “Allianz pro Fachkräfte” (Alliance pro skilled professionals)
The Welcome Service Center is also integrated in an ambitious project launched last
year not far from Roth. The idea to secure specialist staff for the economy in a net-
work consisting of strong partners, including, among others, the Federal Employment
Agency, the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region, the Bavarian Ministry of Labour and the
Ministry of Economic Affairs, has achieved a lot of recognition in Germany and around
the world. The “Allianz pro Fachkräfte” was honoured as the most innovative network
in Germany by the Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Mrs. von der Leyen, in
2012 and has ranked second in the category “unconventional projects” of the Interna-
tional Chamber of Commerce’s world chamber competition in Doha, Qatar, in early 2013.
Giving the green light with the blue card
Since August 2012, the newly introduced EU Blue Card residence title has been mak-
ing it easier for highly qualified workers from non-EU-countries to begin their work
in Germany. The requirements to apply for the EU Blue Card are
– a German or comparable foreign university degree and
– an employment contract with a gross annual salary of at least EUR 46,400
(EUR 3,867 per month).
Special advantage for Blue Card holders: They can apply for a permanent residence
permit after 33 months of employment with compulsory pension insurance, and even
already after 21 months if they can provide proof of a good command of German.
www.work-in-bavaria.com
Welcoming culture as an opportunity
“The state capital Munich is setting an important example with the es-
tablishment of the Service-Center for International Professionals and
sends the clear message that foreign managerial and specialist staff
and their families are welcome in Munich. The close collaboration with
our network partners, in particular with Invest in Bavaria, allows us to
guarantee that all questions with regard to immigration and residency
are settled beforehand and for example new company settlements can
be realised quickly.”
Dr. Klaus Kirchmann, deputy head of the Munich foreigners’ registration
office (KVR)
P a g e 3w w w. i n v e s t - i n - b a v a r i a . c o m
Focus Topic
P a g e 4w w w. i n v e s t - i n - b a v a r i a . c o m
Kulmbacher Mönchshof
Bavaria in your Briefcase
Those who want to know how industrialisation changed even the traditional art
of brewing in Bavaria can learn about this in Kulmbach – a city known all over the
world for its beers and home to one of the most impressive castle complexes of
Germany, the Plassenburg. The Kulmbacher Mönchshof is located at the foot of
the castle; here, the Franconian art of brewing has been cultivated for more than
600 years. Alongside the brewery and the beer garden, it hosts a brewery and
bakery museum. This is why the Kulmbacher Mönchshof is a popular destination
for work outings as well as for conferences, meetings and business lunches. The
history of the complex dates far back and the name Mönchshof (monk’s court) can
be taken literally. Though it has not been clearly documented who first started
brewing beer, the hard-working monks of the Cistercian Monastery or the wander-
ing Augustinian monks, the brewery in the monastery was mentioned already in
1349, which marked the beginning of a long-standing tradition that is still alive
today. One can enjoy the Franconian way of life both in the historic rooms of the
Mönchshof brewery and in the cosy beer garden during the summer season. From
medieval times to today’s state-of-the-art brewing techniques, experience the
history of brewing first hand at the Bavarian brewery museum. Next door, the
bakery museum offers everything you always wanted to know about baking, from
sowing to the everyday bread.
www.kulmbacher-moenchshof.de
Where visitors go to indulge and quench their thirst for knowledge
Image sources
P. 1: © Thinkstock
P. 2: © Rakuten Deutschland GmbH
P. 3: © Thinkstock
P. 4: © Kulmbacher Brauerei
Publisher
Invest in Bavaria – The Business Promotion Agency of the Bavarian Ministry of
Economic Affairs and Media, Energy and Technology and Bayern International
Widenmayerstr. 34
80538 Munich | Germany
Phone +49 89 24210-7500
welcome@invest-in-bavaria.com
Business Bavaria
Coordination: Alexandra Schmidhuber
Art Direction: Alex Podolay
Editorial Department: www.red.de
Translation: www.aa-boundless.com
Layout: www.red.de
HTML Version: www.kirchbergerknorr.de
Trade Fairs and Events
… in Munich
PTS Umwelt Symposium 6th – 7th November 2013 The paper industry’s forum for water, energy, waste and environmental legislation
www.pts-umwelt-symposium.com
Electrical Energy Storage 12th – 15th November 2013 International Trade Fair for Batteries, Energy Storage and Innovative Production
www.ees-munich.com/en/Home
… in Nuremberg
SPS / IPC / Drives26th – 28th November 2013 Electric Automation – Systems and Components, International Exhibition and Conference
www.mesago.de/en/SPS/home.htm
... by and with Invest in BavariaInvest in Bavaria at the European Space Solutions 5th – 7th November 2013 in Munich | Bavaria European space travel conference at the Alte Kongresshalle in Munich
Your contact: Bernd Buchenberger | Tel.:+49 89 2162-2582 Bernd.Buchenberger@invest-in-bavaria.com
Invest in Bavaria at the 3rd German-Turkish Business Days 22nd November 2013 in Nuremberg | Bavaria
Your contact: Caglar Bektas | Tel.:+49 89 24210-7525 caglar.bektas@invest-in-bavaria.com
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