RaymondBrady - AHK Greater China · The best way to appreciate the culture is through speaking the lan-guage. Second to language comes the food culture in China, ... Show 2009 and

The German Chamber of Commerce in China

April - May 2009 | 44

Mem

ber

Mix

Meet the Member

Are your products mainly for export or the domestic market? Do you see this changing over the next 5-10 years?Our products in China are mainly geared towards the domestic market, especially tuned to the needs of companies operating in China. This perspective may change over the next 5-10 years as an increasing number of Chinese companies expand overseas and seek a partner to help them establish their business in new global markets.

What is your competitive advantage, what kind of benefits can companies using your services in China get? Ingenics AG has been providing consultancy ser-vices for over 30 years and successfully imple-mented over 2,700 projects worldwide. Customers can benefit from Ingenics’ wealth of knowledge and industry-wide experience, whether it’s from our headquarters in Ulm or from our office in Shanghai – we are always capable of forming the strongest constellation for project teams to meet individual customer needs.

Many of the companies Ingenics once provided services for in Germany are now operating in China. Having an office in China thus shortens the communication times and provides profes-sional bi-lingual consultancy services locally. This has proven to be a key selling point.

Do you enjoy living in China? What are your impressions of the country and its people?I enjoy living in China and have been to all corners of the country - yet I’m always amazed by the size and diversity of this nation and even more astounding is the unity that exists amongst the Chinese people: one language, one time zone, and one very long documented history.

The best way to appreciate the culture is through speaking the lan-guage. Second to language comes the food culture in China, where food is the basis for all important gatherings, whether private or for business. The diversity of the food and how food is shared at the table already reflects on how open and welcoming the Chinese people are.

What are the most valuable things you have learned from working and living in China?Statistics from China are mind-boggling as the country continues to set new superlatives in every field. Reading the slogans along most major streets in China: “Nothing is impossible, impossible is nothing, anything is possible” – may lead people to reflect on the level of cre-ativity of some companies in China. It reminds me that the Chinese often “make the impossible possible”, especially in the fields of con-struction, engineering and science. Other nations take much longer to complete similar projects, since the Chinese work according to the motto “Once there is a will, there is a fast way”.

Foreigners living in China must learn to cherish their spare time to maintain a balance in their lives, as China is fast tracked to becoming a 24/7 society, when the evenings and weekends very quickly become part of the normal working week.

What is your personal and business background? I was born and raised in Ireland. After graduating with degrees in both Mechani-cal Engineering and Mathematics, I worked in Germany for more than ten years mainly within the fields of logistics and automa-tion. In late 2003, I then came to China to take over the Logistics Automation division of a large German multinational engineering company. I was responsible for the airport, automotive, distribution, warehouse and real time logistics busi-ness units. During this time we were very successful in winning and implementing a multitude of projects of various complexi-ties and sizes all across the country.

To build on this success, I joined Ingenics Consulting (Shanghai) to use my experience gained over the past 15 years to provide professional consultancy services to compa-nies in China.

Tell us a little about your company and activities in China? Ingenics AG set up its first office in China in 2005, however the company has been very active in China over the past decade. Shanghai was chosen as the office location, as the city is central and our projects tend to be distributed all over the country.

What were the important milestones for the development of your business in China? Some milestone projects included the factory and production planning for renowned companies like BMW-Brilliance in Shenyang, BSH (Bosch Siemens Home Appliances) in Nanjing and Wuerth International AG in Shenyang. In addition to this, Ingenics has been very active in con-sulting customers in the fields of Increasing Production Efficiency, Logistics Planning, Quality Assurance and Supplier Development over the past years, with many noteworthy projects successfully imple-mented in China.

Do you target a mainly Western or Chinese customer base, and why?At Ingenics, to date our focus has been mainly on Western Companies moving to or already operating in China. Western companies usually have a higher appreciation of the benefits of contracting Engineering Consultancy Companies like Ingenics to help with their wide ranging experience in projects. As the service sector in China matures, we are confident that Chinese companies will also become increasingly open to involving consultants, rather than relying solely on the traditional in-house approach.

Engineering Consultancy Companies like Ingenics have the advantage of having an industry-wide perspective in different industries. When it comes to planning and efficiency programs, sometimes companies are so busy and they know their own production and industry inside out, however they cannot see the improvement potential. A methodologi-cal approach can help uncover these “hidden gems”.

BradyRaymond

Company: Ingenics Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.Job Title: General ManagerYear of Foundation: 2005HQ: Ulm, GermanyMain Business: Consultancy Services for Factory Planning, Logistics Planning, Increasing Production Efficiency, Increasing Office Efficiency and Supplier Development


April - May 2009 | 46

Mem

ber

Mix

Member News - Beijing

VW’s Dr. Winfried Vahland Receives Series of AwardsTo celebrate the 30th anniversary of China’s Reform and Opening Process from the perspective of the automotive industry, CAAM (China Asso-ciation of Automobile Manufacturers), SAE China (Society of Automo-tive Engineers) and CATARC (China Automotive Technology & Research Center) held a Commendation of ‘1,000 Automotive Industry Luminar-ies’, including a sub-category recognizing ‘30 International Friends’.

Thanks to his long-standing commitment, ongoing efforts and suc-cesses in contributing to the development of China’s auto industry, Dr. Winfried Vahland, President and CEO of Volkswagen Group China, received the prestigious Luminary Award. The selection process was based both on nominations from within the industry and from the general public, following a detailed review and evaluation process by the appraisal committee.

In November 2008, Dr. Vahland had also received the much coveted ‘Pioneer Leader Award’ from Global People magazine. Other notable winners included Mr. Li Kaifu, President and CEO of Google, China; Mr. Li Bingrong, President and CEO of Medtronic China and Dr. Christoph Stark, President and CEO of BMW Group Region China. Also in Novem-ber, at the Guangzhou Motor Show, Dr. Vahland had received the ‘Leader of the Year Award’ from Auto Magazine, one of the most respected awards in this industry.

VOK DAMS Expands to ShanghaiVOK DAMS China opened their second office in China in Shang-hai. The Events & Live Marketing specialist combines international event expertise with local knowl-edge and cultural understand-ing, and provides services for the

design and organization of gala dinners, press conferences, hospitality & incentive programs, trade fairs, company conventions, and the like. With its new local presence in Shanghai, VOK DAMS is better posi-tioned to offer local support for Shanghai events including the Auto Show 2009 and the Shanghai Expo 2010.

VOK DAMS China is a subsidiary of VOK DAMS Group and was estab-lished in 2004 as a Wholly Foreign Owned Enterprise in Beijing. Ger-many’s leading events and live marketing agency also has offices in Wuppertal, Munich, Hamburg and Frankfurt and further international subsidiaries in Bordeaux, New York and Dubai.

New One-Stop-Shop for German Foreign Trade and Inbound InvestmentAs of January 2009, the former German Federal Agency for the Promo-tion of Foreign Trade (bfai) and the former Invest in Germany have merged into one organization responsible for both the promotion of Germany’s foreign trade and for foreign investment in Germany. The new name is Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI).

Responsibilities of the organization include free support for foreign enterprises wishing to expand in the German market, including infor-

mation on structures, taxes, and promotional programs. Complete project management from site-selection to the handover of keys is also on offer for these inward investors. German companies that wish to expand into foreign markets can benefit from GTAI’s comprehensive data and intelligence on the economic, legal and tax environments, promotional programs and logistics landscape in more than 120 coun-tries.

Germany Trade and InvestGesellschaft für Außenwirtschaft und Standortmarketing mbHFriedrichstr. 60, 10117 Berlin | Tel.: +49 30 200 099-0Fax: +49 30 200 099-111 | E-Mail: [email protected]

Porsche Panamera’s Global Debut in ChinaDr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, will present its new Panamera model to the public at Auto Shanghai 2009. The show takes place April 20th through 28th. A press conference on April 19th will mark the official global kick-off for the new four-door gran turismo. The car will hit the market in the latter part of the summer.

Combining several opposing qualities, the Panamera maintains the sporty orientation of its Porsche stable mates while providing space for four and a variable cargo bay. Despite their high performance, the available V-6 and V-8 engines make highly efficient use of fuel. They range from 300 to 500 horsepower in output, using direct gasoline injection technology. Initially, a normally aspirated V-8 and a biturbo V-8 will be offered. Either a 6-speed transmission or Porsche’s new double clutch (PDK) 7-speed are available. Porsche Traction Manage-ment (PTM) is offered for all versions, as is a newly developed adap-tive air suspension, and Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC), which maintains stability during cornering.

Volkswagen Hits One Million Sales Mark in 2008In the Year 2008 Volkswagen Group China, together with its two joint ventures, Shanghai Volkswagen and FAW-Volkswagen, achieved a new sales record. 1,024,008 vehicles (up 12.5% from 2007) were delivered to customers in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. Both joint ventures contributed equally to the success.

Sales of the Volkswagen brand amounted to 844,491 (+8.2% y-o-y) including 12,649 imported vehicles. Audi delivered 119,598 vehicles to customers (+17.3%) including 13,640 imported units. Skoda sold 59,284 (+117%) cars. Bentley and Lamborghini sold 518 and 117 units in 2008 respectively. In 2008 the product portfolio was expanded by new models such as Volkswagen’s New Bora and Lavida, the Audi A4L and the Skoda Fabia. Volkswagen further improved and standardized its service to customers and opened the world’s first Phaeton centre in Shenzhen.

“Throughout 2008 we have continuously improved our results. With our unique participation in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, we strengthened the Volkswagen, Audi and Skoda brand images in China. Despite the negative development of the market in the second half of the year, we achieved the best result ever in the history of Volkswagen in China“, Dr. Winfried Vahland, President & CEO of Volkswagen Group China said.

www.china.ahk.de


47 | April - May 2009

Mem

ber Mix

Beijing - Member News


April - May 2009 | 48

Mem

ber

Mix

Member News - Beijing

OHL Signs Deal for PET Recycling Plants in ChinaOHL Engineering GmbH – PET Recycling Technologies, with its head-quarters in Limburg/Lahn and a representative office in Beijing, signed a cooperation agreement with the Chinese firm INCOM Tech-nologies (Beijing) on the delivery of turnkey PET beverage bottle-to-bottle recycling plants to INCOM at locations throughout China.

As part of an event during Chinese Premier Wen’s visit to Germany in January, INCOM und OHL presented their plans for cooperation in con-structing recycling facilities. Then OHL General Manager, Mr. Stefan Behnke, and INCOM’s President, Mr. Yao Yaxiong, signed the agree-ment in the presence of German Minister of Economics, Michael Glos, and the NDRC’s Vice Chairman, Zhang Xiaoqiang. Ms. Guo Xin, General Manager of INCOM Resources Recovery and Mr. Martin Schoeller, Head of Schoeller Holding GmbH (the owner of OHL), expressed their satis-faction about the deal.

OHL will supply INCOM recycling facilities in five provinces, each with a capacity of 30,000t of PET bottles or more. Used bottles are cleaned in a complicated washing and decontamination process and then ground into flakes, which are smelted for the production of new food-grade bottles. The end product reaches at least the quality of new PET mate-rial, but at slightly lower costs and with 50% less energy and water used, thus making an active contribution towards CO2 reduction.

Busy Quarter for DAAD and Germany-AlumniBetween September and December of 2008, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) had a full program of events for Chinese alumni of German educational institutions. In September there was a training program entitled ‘Job interviews and CV writing’ for younger returnees held in Beijing jointly with Career Service China (CSC). October saw a panel discussion called ‘Germany and China in the Media’ orga-nized with the Centre for German Studies (ZDS) at Beijing University. And in November a Germany-Alumni meeting took place in Lanzhou.

The DAAD was also significantly involved in the Germany and China (DuC) related activities that took place in Guangzhou in October and November: German higher education institutes were able to present themselves at the ‘Day of German Universities’. A conference for Ger-many-Alumni titled ‘Urban Development and Quality of Life’ as well as a TV talk show on the topic of ‘Careers Made in Germany’ followed. An Interdisciplinary Research Workshop on environmental technologies and a “One Day University for Children” workshop in cooperation with Sun-Yat-sen University rounded off the program.

CESL Accepts Applications for Second ClassThe China-EU School of Law’s application deadline for the second year of student admissions passed in March, while the school further expanded in size and scope. Inaugurated in October 2008 by European Commission President Barroso and Chinese Vice-Premier Li Keqiang, CESL now offers a Master’s program, professional training as well as research and consultancy services.

The Master’s program is open to outstanding students, who wish to gain an understanding of different legal systems and their underlying

approaches in addition to knowledge of European and international law. The deadline for application is March 15th of each year. Chinese judges, prosecutors and lawyers are being educated in selected fields of law within the framework of the professional training program. Other courses deal with new legislation and jurisdiction in China and the world, seminars on practical skills as well as courses on Chinese law for European practitioners. CESL’s research activities focus on China’s legal and administrative reform, China and the EU in a global-ized world, and legal theory.

The instructors and experts in the faculty are selected from among the international CESL consortium, the law faculty of the University of Hamburg, and leading international law firms. CESL is co-financed by the European Union.

Goethe-Institut Library in Beijing Opens New BranchIn December the Goethe-Institut Library in Beijing opened a branch in the building of the Haidian District Library in the northwestern part of the city. The self-contained facility with a large classroom,meeting area and numerous computer work stations, offers books and other media in German and in Chinese about Germany. Classes and other meetings will be held there in future, as the Children’s Introduction to German classes that have already started.

For further information please contact Ms. Zijuan Zaft at the contacts: Tel.: 010 8251 2909-121 | Email: [email protected]

China Sends First Karneval Princess to CologneOn a Saturday in February at the Landgraf Cologne Pub, Beijingers picked the first ever Chinese princess to send to the Karneval in Cologne as an ambassador for the capital and for all of China. At the Karneval cel-ebration, numerous young Chinese in dazzling costumes competed for the honor. The winner was Hongmei Wang, whose surname quite appropri-ately means “king.”

M s . Wang f l ew t o Cologne, Germany, to participate in numer-ous activities, includ-ing a visit to the Fes-tival Committee of the Cologne Karneval, the ‘Sternenmarsch’ on the Old Market and the bivouac of the ‘Rote Funken’ on the New Market. After stints at the ‘Mummenschanz’ honor guard, the Costumed Meeting of the Grand Cologne Karneval Society, and finally, the piece de resistance, her participation in the Carnival Monday Parade (Rosenmontagszug) with Lord Mayor Fritz Schramma and the ‘Dreigestirn’, Ms. Wang gave an exclusive interview on WDR, a national German TV channel.

www.china.ahk.de


49 | April - May 2009

Mem

ber Mix

Mr. Rolf DietmarProject DirectorSino-German Corporate Social Responsibility Project C505, Yonghe Plaza28 An Ding Men Dong Da Jie Dongcheng, Beijing Tel: 138-1119-0557Fax: 010 8419-5996Email: [email protected]

Mr. Robert GustavssonSales ManagerFinnair Plc, Helsinki, FinlandRoom 204, Scitech Tower22 Jian Guo Men Wai Da JieChaoyang, Beijing 100004Tel: 010 6512-7180Fax: 010 6512-7182Email: [email protected]: www.finnair.com

Mr. Jan HergeSenior Account ManagerScout Consulting Services(Beijing) Co. Ltd.14/F, IBM TowerPacific Century Place

2A North Workers Stadium RoadChaoyang, Beijing 100027Tel: 138-1197-3703Email: [email protected]

Mr. Christoph HezelPartnerTaylor Wessing Beijing Representative OfficeGermanyUnit 1503, Tower 2, Prosper Center5 Guanghua RoadChaoyang, Beijing 100020Tel: 010 8587-5886Fax: 010 8557-5885Email: [email protected]: www.taylorwessing.com

Mr. Matthias MuellerManaging PartnerSalans Beijing Representative Office13/F, China World Tower 1China World Trade Center1 Jian Guo Men Wai Road,Chaoyang, Beijing 100004 Tel: 010 6535-1700Fax: 010 6535-1711Email: [email protected]: www.salans.com

Mr. Armin LieblerGeneral ManagerBeijing GST Security Technique Consulting Ltd.Room 505, Building FWangjing Masion9 South Wangjingzhouhuan RoadChaoyang, Beijing 100102Tel: 010 6471-7120Fax: 010 6471-7129Email: [email protected]: www.gst-security.com

Mr. Thomas MerzDeputy Managing DirectorFontys InternationalHogeschool EconomieHulsterweg 2-65900 Venlo, ACTel: 0031 877-817-9262Email: [email protected]: www.fontys.nl

Mr. Christoph KoeppelChief RepresentativeWenfei Attorneys-at-LayZuerich, SwitzerlandRoom706, Office Tower ABeijing Fortune Plaza7 Dong San Huan Zhong Road

Chaoyang, Beijing 100020Tel: 010 6468-7331Fax: 010 6460-3132Email: [email protected]: www.wenfei.com

Mr. Konstantin SchamberGolden Gate LawyersTel: 150-0117-3820Email: [email protected]

Ms. Lei ZhuExecutive Vice PresidentGDF SUEZ Paris6/F, Tower WestBeijing Prosper Center5 Guanghua RoadChaoyang, Beijing 100020Tel: 138-1786-9463Email: [email protected]

Beijing - Member News

If you are interested in becoming a member of the German Chamber of Commerce in China • Beijing, please refer to our website: www.china.ahk.de/en/chamber/beijing/membership/benefits/

BIT Welcomes Second EMBA Class and Seeks Additional PartnersIn the presence of Daimler Northeast Asia CEO, Mr. Ulrich Walker, and the President of Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT), Dr. Hu Haiyan, the BIT and Constance and Ingolstadt Universities of Applied Sciences initiated the second intake for their joint Executive MBA program in Compliance and Corporate Governance.

The postgraduate degree targets local Chinese high potentials aged 30-40 with professional experience of 8-10 years, of which at least 3 have been in a leadership position. Six modules include, inter alia, courses in strategic HR management, compliance, value based man-agement, CSR, sustainability, coaching, change management and orga-nizational development.

As the inaugural first MBA class of 17 students is already two thirds of the way to graduation from the two-year program, employees of com-panies other than Daimler are being encouraged to join. Partnership with additional companies in supporting the project was planned from its inception and is now being actively sought.

For information please contact Prof. Mei Wenbo at the Beijing Insti-tute of Technology. | Tel.: 010 6891 5027 | Email: [email protected]

Siemens Further Invests in ChinaSiemens plans to invest an additional EUR 150mn in investments into China during the next three years to reach the planned total of EUR 1bn announced previously for the period 2007-2010. Dr. Richard Hausmann, President and CEO of Siemens Ltd. China commented: “China is our largest market after Germany and the US and a key driver of our world-wide business. With the planned investments we want to further expand our presence in this vital market.” He added that, although energy con-sumption in China showed signs of slowing down, the need for efficient and environmentally friendly technologies remained unchanged.

Chinese Court Orders Compensation for MANThe First Intermediate People’s Court of Beijing ordered three Chinese vehicle manufacturers to pay a total of RMB 21.16mn in damages and legal fees to Neoplan Bus GmbH, a subsidiary of MAN. Neoplan had alleged that the A9 coach, manufactured by the three companies, was essentially identical to its patented Starliner model introduced in 2005 and produced in Germany and in Zhejiang province. The court agreed, ordering the manufacturers to stop production of the A9 and provide financial restitution. The decision is seen as a significant step towards better IP protection in China.

Bayer Schering Brings Global R&D to BeijingBayer Schering Pharma AG, the pharmaceuticals division of Bayer HealthCare (BHC), is expanding its global research and development capacity by establishing a new R&D center in Beijing. The strategic move represents an investment of EUR 100mn over five years. Asian patients will benefit most from this development, as their clinical profile and medical requirements can be incorporated in early develop-ment stages.

“We are continually building our presence in the Asia-Pacific region and are achieving our highest growth percentage in China. An out-standing team of experts at the new R&D center will further strengthen our international expertise and our resources,” said Andreas Fibig, a member of the Bayer HealthCare Executive Committee and the CEO of Bayer Schering Pharma AG. “China has outstanding talent both in medicine and in science. Beijing will become an important site for us for the global development of innovative medications.”

According to industry information provider IMS Health, Bayer is the largest healthcare enterprise in China with a 43% increase in sales in 2007. The company is currently in discussions regarding a strategic partnership with Tsinghua University to determine new epidemiologi-cally driven goals.


April - May 2009 | 50

Mem

ber

Mix

Member News - Guangzhou

arvato Opens 4,000m² Warehouse in Shenzhen

arvato services is celebrating its expansion into the South China market with the opening of arvato logistics services China Ltd. in Shenzhen. The new 4,000m² warehouse and headquarters of arvato logistics services China will focus on the warehousing, customizing and distribution of high-value electronics for the domestic Chinese market, as well as value-added services and aftersales management.

The addition of this new logistics business complements the exist-ing operations of arvato in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Foshan and Beijing, where the focus is on call centers, marketing services, CD replication, technical documentations and translations and nationwide B2C logis-tics. The Shenzhen warehouse is the company’s first step in creating a network of distribution centers that will cover all of Mainland China. Using state-of-the-art paperless WIFI technologies in the warehouses and a newly developed IT-platform, arvato logistics services China will offer the same quality of service, transparency and dependability that arvato’s clients are used to worldwide. According to its own forecasts, arvato logistics services Shenzhen will distribute at least 7mn mobile phones in its first year of operations in South China.

CITS Guangzhou Welcomes New Colleague C. Illies Trading (SHANGHAI) Co.,Ltd. (CITS) is pleased to announce the arrival of the new team member Mr. Kristopher Rodenbusch in its Guangzhou office as of 2nd February 2009. Mr. Rodenbusch has been with the company ILLIES for more than six years and graduated from the Wirtschaftsakadamie Hamburg in 2005. Since then Mr. Rodenbusch has been active in the sales departments for Rubber & Plastic Machin-ery as well as for Textile Machinery. His predecessor in Guangzhou, Mr. Niels Plate, has taken over the overall responsibility for CITS’ opera-tions throughout China with immediate effect and will be stationed in Shanghai.

Francois J. Cnockaert Named “Outstanding Volunteer of 2008”

Francois J. Cnockaert, General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton Guang-zhou has been awarded “Outstanding Volunteer of 2008” by the Guang-zhou government. The award, given to a foreigner for the first time, was presented during a ceremony at Sun Yan San Memorial Hall that was

attended by key government officials and 4,000 volunteer representa-tives from all walks of life. Mr. Cnockaert was described in a Guang-zhou Daily feature story as “the first expatriate that received this outstanding award and set a benchmark for Guangzhou volunteerism”. The media credited Cnockaert with his commitment to host “Ritz-Carlton Service Excellence Seminars” for the Guangzhou taxi industry from January 2008 until the opening of the 2010 Asian Games. As of December 2008, Cnockaert has hosted the seminar for more than 800 drivers and management from over 30 taxi companies.

TÜV Rheinland Opens Food Safety & Quality Center in Shenzhen TÜV Rheinland officially opened its Shenzhen Food Safety & Quality Center with a grand opening ceremony at the group’s laboratories in Nanshan District on 26th February. The event formally introduced the group’s comprehensive ‘one-stop solutions’ service to local food manu-facturers. The center was established out of TÜV Rheinland’s confi-dence in the development of China’s food industry and its determina-tion to contribute to the growth of the country’s food exports.

The group has set up one of the most advanced food testing laboratories and devel-oped a whole suite of corre-sponding food services. The new laboratory can perform most of the advanced testing, such as Screening of Heavy Metals, Allergens and GMOs,

Species/Pathogens Identification and Nutritional Analysis. TÜV Rhein-land complements this with advanced lab testing, site inspections, comprehensive system auditing, professional training, an on-line track & trace ‘Food Compliance Platform’ and a mature network of labs in China. This new service consolidates TÜV Rheinland’s offering of one-stop testing and certification for global purchasers.

Franco Io Returns to The China Hotel as GMAfter an absence of more than six years, Franco Io has returned to Southern China as the new General Manager of The China Hotel, A Marriott Hotel – an evergreen in the five-star hotel segment of the Flower City. Having previously served as Director of Rooms and Director of Marketing at The China Hotel, Io honed his hospitality skills at the Renaissance Kota Bharu and the JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai at Tomorrow Square, before launching into the mammoth construction and opening of Marriott’s 3,000th property - the JW Mar-riott Hotel Beijing.

The China Hotel has recently undergone a massive renovation and Mr. Io plans nothing less than returning The China Hotel to its grand standing. The German Chamber of Commerce thanks predecessor Mr. Meng Lo for three years of successful cooperation, especially on the occasion of the Oktoberfest, which has been traditionally co-organized by The China Hotel.

www.china.ahk.de


51 | April - May 2009

Mem

ber Mix

Guangzhou - Member News

New MembersMr. Henry GrantMarketing & Sales ManagerDEKRA CTI3/F, Front BuildingScience City Info Mansion111 Science Avenue, Science CityGuangzhou 510663Tel: 020 3229-6000Fax: 020 3229-6001Email: [email protected]: www.dekra-cti.com

Mr. Anders HenrikssonWealth ManagerNoble Apex Advisors Ltd.1901-3 Sino Plaza255 Gloucester RoadCauseway BayHongkongTel: 00852 2230-1000Fax: 00852 2230-1099Email: [email protected]: www.nobleapex.com

Mr. Raoul KuetemeierManaging Directorarvato Logistics Services China Ltd.B-1F Xinghong Science &Technology Industrial ParkFenghuangguang VillageXixiang, Bao’an DistrictShenzhen 518102Tel: 0755 3386-1666Fax: 0755 3386-1000Email: [email protected]: www.arvatoservices.com.cn

Mr. Tim LeitschuhGeneral ManagerBOC International LimitedJintaiyuan Industry DistrictHongtian VillageXinyu, Huiyang DistrictHuizhou 516233Tel: 0752 3598-167Fax: 0752 3598-168Email: [email protected]: www.bockonline.de

Mr. Mathias LinManaging DirectorSYSVISION LIMITEDRegal Rivera30E, 11 Haojing StreetYizhou Road, Haizhu DistrictGuangzhou 510620

Tel: 020 6129-9640Fax: 020 6282-4355Email: [email protected]: www.sysvision.com

Mr. Soenke Oberste-Kleinbeck11/F, Fortune Plaza West Tower114 East Tiyu Road, TianheGuangzhou 510620Tel: 020 2238-6803Fax: 020 3893-1778Email: [email protected]

Mr. Torsten PinterGeneral ManagerSwissôtel Foshan, Guangdong1 West Chengmentou RoadFoshan 528000Tel: 0757 8236-2888Fax: 0757 8236-2999Email: [email protected]: www.swissotel.com/foshan

Mr. Michele SchiavoGeneral ManagerMr. Ante FranicevicCFOGourmedis (China) Trading Co. Ltd.Unit A1, 20/F, Sanxin Plaza33 West Huangpu RoadTianhe DistrictGuangzhou 510620Tel: 020 3820-2810Fax: 020 3820-1422Email: [email protected]: www.gourmedis.com

Ms. Britta SieperGeneral ManagerSieper Hardware & Plastic (Dongguan) Co. Ltd.No. 2, Western Industrial Park IHengli TownDongguan 523460Tel: 0769 8101-6798Fax: 0769 8101-6799Email: [email protected]: www.siku.de

Opening of the The Ritz-Carlton Shenzhen The Ritz-Carlton Shenzhen, strategi-cally located in the heart of the Futian Central Business District, opened its doors on 15th March, 2009. Residing in the important hub of Pearl River Delta, the luxury hotel comprises 273 guestrooms, including 43 suites and a

446m² Ritz-Carlton Suite spanning on two floors. Seven dining options range from a lobby lounge and all-day dining to Chinese and Italian restaurants. In addition to flexible space designed for conferences and special social events, extensive recreational facilities include The Ritz-Carlton Spa®, a top-of-the-line Fitness Center and the landscaped roof garden including an outdoor heated swimming pool.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the German Chamber of Commerce in China • Guangzhou, please refer to our website: www.china.ahk.de/en/chamber/guangzhou/membership/benefits/


April - May 2009 | 52

Mem

ber

Mix

legal matters, including software licensing, software distribution and domain name proceedings.

With offices in Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai BEITEN BURKHARDT’s China Practice combines strong local expertise with the network and resources of an international law firm. The practice provides legal assistance to medium-sized and large international corporates with respect to their China and Hong Kong related business activities.

ContiTech Consolidates Forces in ChinaContiTech AG, a worldwide leading specialist for rubber and plastic technology in the non-tire rubber sector, has laid the cornerstone for a new produc-tion site in Changshu, Jiangsu Province. The industrial park located 100km northwest of Shanghai will bring together all ContiTech Chinese production facilities in Fluid Technology, Air Spring Systems and Vibration Control business units by the end of 2009.

ContiTech, a division of the international automotive supplier Conti-nental, has invested EUR 30mn in the first phase of construction and is substantially expanding its activities in China. A second building phase through 2011 will see a further increase of production capaci-ties at the 120,000m² site. A center for rubber compounds will round off the production spectrum. ContiTech plans to double its turnover in China by 2013 to achieve annual sales of around EUR 250mn.

Bertelsmann China Corporate Center Expands its ReachIn the past two years, Bertelsmann China Corporate Center has orga-nized the Chinese-German Media Forum together with the State Council Information Office and participated in the “hope school” proj-ects together with its other China divisions. In addition, Bertelsmann AG, through the support of its corporate center in China and “Plan International”, contributed to earthquake relief efforts in Han Zhong Ning Qiang County of Shan Xi Province.

Bertelsmann is an international media company encompassing televi-sion (RTL Group), book publishing (Random House), magazine publish-ing (Gruner + Jahr), media services (Arvato), and media clubs (Direct Group) in more than 50 countries. The group has been present in China for over ten years. As one of only three such centers around the world, the 2006-opened Bertelsmann China Corporate Center in Beijing reflects the extremely high impor-tance of China for the group and its commitment to dialogue with the country’s fascinating culture.

Interested parties from the cultural, business and political spheres are welcome to contact this new member of the GCC • Shanghai family:

Bertelsmann China Corporate CenterMs. Yan Pan, Senior Director Government RelationshipsShanghai office: 162 Luo Xiu Road, 200231 ShanghaiTel.: 021 5463 0606 Email: [email protected]

Member News - Shanghai

ADEN Services Creates China Key Account DepartmentADEN Services, a leading Facilities Management, Foodservice and Remote Site Management provider appointed Mrs. Dilek Dogan–Kuepeli to lead its newly created China-wide Key Account Sales Department. The appointment comes as part of the company’s strategy to better serve existing customers and prospects across the country.

Born and raised in Ulm, Germany, Mrs. Dogan-Kuepeli focused her career on sales from the very beginning. After graduating from the Uni-versity of Augsburg, she gained working expe-rience at several multinational companies in Germany and China. At ADEN Services, Dilek is now in charge of serving German compa-nies across China, as well as further develop-ing the company’s integrated services, such as

maintenance, security, employee catering and cleaning. She will also promote the newly created ADEN Services concepts: Security Opera-tions Command Center, and Maintenance Energy Audit.

Allianz China – Changes at the TopAfter successfully leading Allianz’ life operations in China as CEO for four years, Mr. Christian Molt returned to Germany for a new senior appointment within the group. His successor as of Dec 20th, 2008 is Mr. Wilfred Blackburn, who was previously the CEO of Allianz’ life insurance in Thailand. Dr. Benno Freiherr von Canstein, former CEO of Allianz China Life (1996-2004) and former member of the Board and Chairman of the German Chamber of Com-merce in Shanghai was appointed Chief Representative of Allianz SE in China from January 1st, 2009, based in Beijing. Dr. von Canstein is assuming this role from Dr. Michael Luther, a former GCC • Beijing Board member, who went into retirement after having spent more than ten years in this position, laying the groundwork for the present Allianz operations in China. The photo shows Mr. Wilf Blackburn, Mr. Christian Molt and Dr. Benno von Canstein (from left to right) at the German Ball 2008 in Shanghai.

New Head of BEITEN BURKHARDT ShanghaiMr. Willi Vett has been appointed as Head of the Shanghai office of BEITEN BURKHARDT’s China Practice as of 1st January 2009. Mr. Vett was previously based in Hong Kong as Head of the Intellectual Property Desk China, and he will continue to head the IP China Practice out of Shanghai. His practice covers conten-tious anti-counterfeiting, registration of intel-

lectual property rights in the PR China and Hong Kong and assistance in technology transfers as well as licensing and assignment of intel-lectual property rights. Mr. Vett also handles a range of IT related

www.china.ahk.de


53 | April - May 2009

Mem

ber Mix

Weidmuller Held 2009 Distribution MeetingThe 2009 d i s t r i b u t ion meeting of Weidmuller Inter-face International Trading (Shanghai) Co., Ltd con-vened at Le Meridien She Shan in Shanghai in January. Distributors from all over Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan got together to review the past year and share their outlook for 2009. The company’s General Manager, Mr. Wan Chen, gave a welcome speech and summa-rized Weidmuller’s excellent sales performance in 2008, concluding 15 successfull years in China. How to further strenghten the company’s key competences under the difficult economic situation was also an overarching topic of the meeting.

GSN Creates Supervisory and Management BoardsGSN, the German provider of property services in China, has created supervisory and management boards reflecting its recent business development. Besides Dr. Andreas Ermann as CEO, Dr. Klaus Neubert has been appointed as COO and Philippe Zwahlen as CFO. The company now employs over 2,000 staff for technical, cleaning, security, gar-dening and customer services in high-end properties for industrial, administrative, residential and retail use out of its offices in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Beijing.

Freudenberg IT now also in Guangzhou Freudenberg IT (Suzhou) has opened a new office in Guangzhou at the end of 2008. Together with Freudenberg Nonwovens the IT arm of the German group of companies is using the office facilities at Huajing Zone of Tianhe Software Park in Guangzhou’s Tianhe District.

As it’s newly appointed Regional Manager, Mr. Christian Kampf has taken on the task of expanding the market position of the glob-ally active IT provider across southern China as well as developing the existing client business. “Satisfied customers and a high level of service orientation are my number one priorities. Only when we can consistently guarantee added value in these areas, can we ensure the high

quality and efficiency of our offering as a full-service IT provider and expand it within the southern China region,” says Kampf, outlining his ideas of successful collaborations.

GRC Held Technology Forum in SuzhouGIF Research Center (GRC) held its 2008 Transmission Technology Forum under the theme ‘Impulse for Innovations’ at the Kempinski Hotel in Suzhou last September.

Numerous renowned experts from companies such as Bosch, BorgWarner and Conti-nental joined the conference as guest speakers to present their most recent research results. As part of the event, GRC prepared and hosted a variety of activities around the latest innovations. The audience had the chance to experience different luxury cars with different transmissions and enjoyed a get-together at the end of the forum.

New GM at Crowne Plaza Century Park Mr. Dominic Brennan has been newly appointed as General Manager of the Crowne Plaza Century Park Shanghai. This is Mr. Brennan’s second appoint-ment in Shanghai with InterContinen-tal Hotels Group after his transfer from the Holiday Inn Downtown Shanghai, where he also held the post of General Manager. Mr. Brennan has more than 20 years of working experience in the hospi-

tality industry, having served in many countries on three continents. He came to China in 1991 and worked in renowned hotels in Beijing, Tianjin and Hong Kong before moving to Shanghai.

Crowne Plaza Century Park Shanghai opened in May 2008 as an upscale business hotel with 319 rooms and suites. The hotel has convenient access to the Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone, Shanghai New Interna-tional Expo Centre and Shanghai Pudong Expo.

Shanghai - Member News


April - May 2009 | 54

Mem

ber

Mix

EWM Moves to New Kunshan LocationTo meet the overwhelming increase in demand for advanced high-tech welding machinery in China, EWM HIGHTEC WELDING has relocated to its new production site in Kunshan at the beginning of February. The ultra modern building will also serve as the company’s new Asian headquarters, from where it will continue to service and develop its Chinese customers, six years after entering the market. The 12,000m² factory is equipped with state-of-the-art production facilities and a training center, which will be staffed and run by the German welding society (DVS). Companies can enroll for practical training programs under German instruction. A new showroom at the compound will allow customers to familiarise themselves with EWM’s product range and to witness innovative welding processes.

Clients and guests are welcome to visit the new headquarters at the contacts below: 10 Yuanshan Road, Kunshan New & High-Tech Indus-try Development Zone, Kunshan, Jiangsu, 215300 ChinaTel.: 0512 5786 7188 | Fax: 0512 5786 7182

Eclipse-City Prepares for Historic EventEffective February 2009, Eclipse City Ltd. opened its liaison office in Shanghai. This expansion is to reinforce Eclipse City’s local presence and activities in China, dedicated during 2009 to organize the eclipse event in the Shanghai region. On Wednesday July 22nd, between 8.30am and 11.30am, Shanghai locals will be able to witness the longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century. Eclipse-City, a market leader in eclipse event management, has chosen Yangshan Island as the best observa-tion location. Also as a warm up for the eclipse, Eclipse City will host the 2nd International Solar Eclipse Summit (InterSoles 2) on Tuesday July 21st at one of the leading 5-star hotels in downtown Shanghai. This event will be open for the public, addressing both eclipse novices and experts of all ages to come and enjoy speeches, exhibitions, work-shops and shows around the topic of solar eclipse. For more informa-tion, please visit the website www.eclipse-city.com.

New Management Team at DEKRA ShanghaiMr. Christoph Großmann (right) and Dr. Joachim Rau (left on the photo) have been appointed as new General Managers of DEKRA (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., a 100 % subsidiary of DEKRA AG in Stuttgart. Mr. Großmann will oversee the company’s automotive business, while Mr. Rau will be in charge of its industrial services division.

Both executives have extensive experience in the inspection and certification business. Mr. Groß-mann has spent 20 years in differ-ent management positions in the automotive sector in Japan and China and is an expert in the field of vehicle homologation. Dr. Rau has held various positions in certi-fication in Germany and has been working in China as General Manager since 2005. They will lead DEKRA (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. together with Mr. Günther Strobel, who has been the Managing Director of DEKRA in China for the past few years.


Continental Opened 500th Store in ChinaContinental Tires celebrated the opening of its 500th authorized retail store in China late last December in Zhejiang Province. The company chose Jiashan Daben Auto Parts Co., Ltd. as the investor for the 1,150m2 retail outlet. Leading up to this milestone event, Continental has expanded its sales & marketing network in China at the speed of one store opening per day since its market entry in 2007. The estab-lishment of an authorized retailer network guarantees the complete service and quality to China consumers.

“All retailers are looking for reliable ways to cope with this difficult eco-nomic period”, said Mr. Klaus Kreipe, General Manager of Continen-tal Tires China, at the opening ceremony. “In times when many car owners postpone the purchase of new cars, Continental offers tires of highest quality and latest technology to extend the use of cars without compromising safety and comfort.” Continental continues the expansion of its sales & marketing network in 2009.

Freudenberg Reorganizes its Filtration BusinessEffective 1st January 2009, the Filter Division of Freudenberg Nonwo-vens was reorganized as an independent global Business Group within the Freudenberg Group and is now operating under the new name Freudenberg Filtration Technologies. The group is recognized as one of the global leaders in industrial air, gas and liquid filtration.

Freudenberg Filtration Technologies is managed by Dr. Jörg Sievert, President & CEO, and Dr. Andreas Kreuter, Managing Director. The new Business Group is headquartered in Weinheim/Germany and has approximately 1,000 associates at 35 sites around the world. The company’s products are used in many applications, particularly in the form of micronAir® cabin air filters and engine intake air filters for the automotive industry and under the Viledon® brand for industrial air filtration and human protection solutions as well as for industrial liquid filtration applications.

With nearly 400 employees in Changchun and Suzhou, Freudenberg Fil-tration Technologies has built a strong presence in China over the past ten years with its partner Japan Vilene Company and is continuing to grow dynamically.

Sulzer Metco Opens New Production LineSulzer Metco Surface Technology Shanghai Co., Ltd. provides its services in thermal spray, heat treatment and PVD technology to industrial sectors such as aerospace, power generation, automo-tive, mechanical engineering, tooling and others. With the operation of a new PVD coating production line in late 2008, Sulzer Metco is now able to provide an even wider range of PVD coating solutions to protect surfaces against wear and chemical interaction in addition to the capabilities in heat treatment and synchronizer ring coating.

www.china.ahk.de


55 | April - May 2009

Mem

ber Mix



April - May 2009 | 56

Mem

ber

Mix


received a broad echo in the Chinese and international media.

The Beijing First Intermediate Court has found the Chinese defen-dants liable for infringing the Neoplan Chinese design patent, through manufacturing and selling a bus, which was an almost identical copy of the Neoplan Starliner 2 model. Historic was also the amount of damages the Court has awarded to Neoplan: RMB 20mn plus costs.

Doehler Moves to New FactoryDoehler Shanghai, member of the DöhlerGroup, a leading provider of integrated beverage and dairy solutions, moved to a new factory, which also serves an R&D, applications, logistics and innovation centre for China. The factory is located in Shanghai’s Xinzhuang Indus-trial Park and covers an area of 19,932m².

The product portfolio of Doehler Shanghai includes fruit juice blends, compounds, flavours, emulsions, ingredient systems and Bag-in-Box. After the upgrade of its production facilities, the company is now able to produce 60,000t aseptic and non-aseptic beverage bases, 1,000t fla-vours and 1,500t of emulsions per year. The local development and pro-duction in Shanghai allows Doehler to service its customers in China more effectively. Access to the group’s worldwide innovation network also makes it possible to provide local customers with global solutions.

BIZERBA Enlarges Business Scope in ChinaBizerba GmbH & Co., KG is a technology company, providing system solutions in the fields of weighing, information, communication and food service technology. In early 2009, Bizerba made a strategic investment in Bizerba WeighTech, its subsidiary company in Shang-hai’s Songjiang Industrial Zone. Through the enlarged production line of industry products, Bizerba is now able to produce locally and dis-tribute the Chinese market with state-of-the-art weighing facilities and solutions at market-oriented prices.

Dräger Medical Opens Greater China HQStefan Dräger, Chairman of the Executive Board of Drägerwerk AG, for-mally opened the Greater China headquarters of the Dräger medical division, located in the Shanghai International Medical Zone in Nanhui District. The new building complex covers office and production space of 11,000m² and provides a new working environment for over 320 employees.

In addition to R&D, produc-tion and commercial func-tions, the new building also houses Dräger’s training center for in-house edu-cational programs of Asia-Pacific regional staff and for seminars aimed at Chinese physicians and healthcare

professionals. Being located in the Shanghai International Medical Zone, the new site is ideally suited for this purpose as it combines access to research, technology development and clinical practice through the companies and hospitals located in this area.

Executive Changes at Shanghai VolkswagenWith effect from January 1st, 2009, Jörn Hasenfuss (48) became Deputy Managing Director and Commercial Executive Director at Shanghai Volkswagen, replacing Dieter Seemann (51), who became Vice President for Finance at SEAT, S.A. in Spain.

After graduating in business man-agement, Mr. Hasenfuss joined the Volkswagen Group in 1987. Since 1993 he managed world-wide sourcing, until his move to Audi AG in Ingolstadt, where he was in charge of commodity metals. He returned back to Volk-

swagen AG in 2002, responsible for international project controlling. Since May 2005, Hasenfuss has been the Head of Worldwide Group Procurement for Interiors. Dieter Seemann had last rejoined Volkswa-gen Shanghai in 2002. The company thanks him for his contribution in China and wishes him success in his new assignment.

10 Years of Verlag Dashofer in ChinaAlong with local festivities and promotions, Dashofer Management Consulting (Sha) Co., Ltd completely modernized its web presence in January 2009 with a new user friendly interface and more stylish and interactive free e-newsletters. Web 3.0 has finally arrived!

Now Dashofer offers state-of-the-art online monitoring related tools, not only for HR and finance managers but also for CEOs, sourcing man-agers and lawyers. “Seeing is believing - trying is convincing”, said General Manager J. Alexandre Gruss in his invitation to test his com-pany’s new internet presence.

Bureau Veritas with New Chinese NameWith the aim to launch its new Chinese name and celebrate its 180th anniversary in 2008, Bureau Veritas organized a banquet in Shanghai last December. The event drew over 200 VIPs, among them govern-ment officials, key clients and top management representatives.

The new Chinese name of Bureau Veritas – 必维 (Chinese pronuncia-tion: Bi Wei) translates the core values of the company. Bureau Veritas Group helps its clients comply with standards and regulations relating to Quality, Health & Safety, Environment and Social Responsibility. In this rule BV must safeguard – or 必维 in Chinese – common interests of all stakeholders in an impartial and professional manner. To further promote its new name in China, the Group planned to host another two events in Shenzhen and Beijing this spring.

SNB Helps MAN to Win Historic LawsuitThe IP team at Schulz Noack Bärwinkel in Shanghai, lead by Dr. Jörg-Michael Scheil and IP litigation specialist Dr. Paolo Beconcini, has represented and led Neoplan Bus GmbH, a company of the MAN Truck and Bus Group to a historic victory in a patent infringement lawsuit in China. This is the first time that a German vehicle manufacturer has won a patent infringement lawsuit in China. The judgment therefore

www.china.ahk.de


57 | April - May 2009

Mem

ber Mix


20 Years of FUCHS in China With over 250 guests, the CEO of Fuchs Lubricants (China), Dr. Wu Feng cel-ebrated the company’s 20th anniversary and its new headquarters’ inaugura-tion in Shanghai last October. Stefan Fuchs and Dr. Alexander Selent, board member for the region, also attended the ceremony.

Dr. Wu and Mr. Fuchs expressed their gratitude and appreciation for the support and collaboration over the past 20 years and their convic-tion of an even brighter future for FUCHS in China. As a concrete step towards this, the company’s R&D laboratory in Shanghai will take over the role as R&D center for the entire Asia-Pacific region. Stefan Fuchs emphasized the strategic importance of the Chinese lubricants markets for the FUCHS PETROLUB Group. The Vice Mayors of Jiading and Nanxi-ang, Fei Xiaomei and Chen jinfang, stressed the importance of Fuchs Lubricants for the local economy. Today, FUCHS is already one of the largest employers in the district.

Hella Takes Over its Relay JVIn the course of its ongoing strategic alignment and acceleration of operational enhancements, Hella KGaA Hueck & Co., takes over the remaining shares (30%) in Hella Hongfa (Xiamen) Automotive Elec-tronics Co. Ltd. (HAE), China from its former partner Xiamen Hongfa Electroacoustic Co. Ltd. HAE will become a 100% subsidiary of the Hella Group. The company HAE, established 2003 as a Joint Venture, is specialized in the development and production of relays for the automotive industry and generates a turnover of EUR 13mn with 220 employees. The transaction is an important step for further improve-ments in Hella’s relay business and ensures a successful future devel-opment of the company HAE.

Evonik Selects Shanghai for its 5th Global PlantEvonik Industries, based in Essen, has commenced building a precious metal powder catalyst manufacturing plant in Shanghai, which will start operations in the fourth quarter of 2009. Precious metal powder catalysts are used in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals and industrial chemicals.

Evonik is a leading supplier of precious metal powder catalysts and currently has manufacturing facilities at four locations: Hanau (Germany), Tsukuba (Japan), Americana (Brazil) and Calvert City (Kentucky, USA). With the new plant in Shanghai, Evonik is further enhancing its global activities. The pharmaceutical and fine chemicals industries are currently growing at annual rates of more than 15% in China.

A key advantage of the Shanghai site is its proximity to the Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, where a number of pharmaceutical and fine chemical companies are located. In addition, Evonik will provide pre-cious metal recycling at the new plant through its existing partner-ship with Heraeus. This will provide a complete precious metal service enabling customers to optimize their supply chain efficiencies.


April - May 2009 | 58

Mem

ber

Mix

Powered by WM Motors in ChinaNot only the giants of German industry have dipped their toes into the Chinese market, but also German SMEs have started to discover China. Not ‘Made in China’, but ‘Innovated in China’ will be the chal-lenge for German companies in China. This is the reason why WM Motoren GmbH, a trading company specialized in marketing of industrial engines, under its Board & Managing Director Ms. Isabel Wiedenroth, has decided to enter China late last year. Even times of economic turbulences can hold business opportunities, especially for small and medium-sized companies with prevision and innovation.

An opening ceremony combined with a decennial jubilee was held at the Le Meridien SheShan in Shanghai on 10th October with numer-ous VIP guests attending from Italy, Korea and Germany. “Facing challenges posed by pollution, environment protection and limited resources in the world, in order to meet the increasing demands of the industrial equipment, marketing low or zero-emission power solution for the sake of CO2 reduction is one of our commitments beside profit pursuit”, emphasized Ms. Wiedenroth in her speech.

KÄRCHER in Shenzhen and GuangzhouIn order to provide the best possible service to its customers in South China, KÄRCHER Shanghai opened in February 2009 another office in China, this time in Shenzhen. The new office in FuTian Dis-trict is responsible for managing and servicing operations in the Southern Provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and Hainan.

In December, KÄRCHER attended the 15th Session of the Guangzhou International Hotel Equipment Exposition, where it presented new professional cleaning products for hotels and the commercial indus-try, including hot water high-pressure cleaners and deep carpet cleaning machines. KÄRCHER – the world’s biggest manufacturer of cleaning equipment, headquartered in Winnenden, Germany – has been present in China for over ten years, with offices in Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen.

Machwürth Team International Establishes WOFEIn times of economic crisis the need to strengthen the competence of the workforce is crucial to the success in increasingly competitive markets, such as China. In order to serve this growing market better Machwürth Team Inter-national (MTI) has just set up a wholly foreign owned company in Beijing ( 玛提爱管理咨询（北

京）有限公司 ), one year after entering China. At the same time an office in Shanghai was opened and Ms. Katrin Braun was appointed as MTI’s managing director in China. The new company enables MTI to serve its customers more effec-tively and strengthen its offering of local solutions based on global standards. With its pool of senior local consultants – all with inter-national experience – MTI offers solutions in training and organi-

zational development focused on management development, sales / marketing and service excellence, team development and change management.

AMDL to Implement Kingdee SoftwareAMDL, Inc., a vertically integrated pharmaceutical company with operations in China and the US, announced in January that it would soon be implementing a state-of-the-art, westernized enterprise accounting system across its US and China-based operations, devel-oped by China-based Kingdee International Software.

The new accounting system will run on a high-speed, point-to-point dedicated server system to completely streamline end-to-end accounting practices, financial reporting, taxation, corporate gov-ernance and controls to deliver real-time financials. The accounting system has already been implemented in AMDL’s US-based headquar-ters and implementation across the Company’s China-based pharma-ceutical operations is underway.

Zhuhai HARTING Received Olympic VisitorDuring the XXIX Olympic Games in Beijing last August, Michael Haaß, handball player from German team GWD Minden was in China for contests with the German national handball league. Together with other senior representatives of GWD Minden and the German national handball team, Mr. Haaß paid a visit to the HARTING Tech-nology Group’s new production plant in Zhuhai. The guests of honor were given an overview of the organization of the HARTING Technol-ogy Group before embarking on an extensive tour of the factory.

The HARTING Technology Group has sponsored GWD Minden for just over a year as part of its overall strategy to promote sports, culture and science and to enhance the attractiveness of eastern Westpha-lia as a location. Zhuhai, a rapidly growing city, also attracted the German national handball team, which set up its training camp there for the Olympic competitions.

Kerkhoff Signaling its Presence in East AsiaRecently, Kerkhoff Consulting GmbH has appointed Ms. Chunping Yu as the Managing Director of Kerkhoff Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. In her new role, Ms. Yu is in charge of project planning and supervision. In the meantime, Ms. Yu will also be responsible for the ongoing strategic development of the company and work as a bridge between China, South-east Asia and Europe.

Kerkhoff Consulting is one of the leading management consultancies for purchasing and procurement. Its headquarters are located in Düs-seldorf with eight foreign offices in Istanbul, Cape Town, Mumbai, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Warsaw and Vienna.

The company currently employs a pool of over 200 consultants from various industry backgrounds with multi-disciplinary know-how in procurement.


www.china.ahk.de


59 | April - May 2009

Mem

ber Mix

WACKER and Dow Corning Open China’s Largest Integrated Silicone SiteIn November 2008, WACKER Chemie AG and Dow Corning Corporation officially started production in the first stage of their new pyrogenic silica and siloxane plants in the Jiangsu Yangtze River Chemical Indus-trial Park, Zhangjiagang.

The new plants are key facili-ties of an integrated silicone manufacturing site developed by both companies to produce materials used extensively in industries including construc-tion, beauty and personal care, power and automotives. Total

investment from both companies for the site is expected to reach USD 1.2bn. Covering an area of 1mn square meters, it is China’s largest facility of this kind and among the world’s largest and most advanced integrated production complexes for silicones. This integrated produc-tion approach not only plays an important role in reducing emissions, but also helps to reduce logistical flows, which benefit the local com-munity and improve production efficiency.

Through their Zhangjiagang production complex, WACKER and Dow Corning intend to serve growing customer demand for silicone materi-als in China and throughout the Asian region.

R&M Announces New MD for Greater China R&M, the cabling specialist from Switzer-land, announced the appointment of Sam Ho as the company’s new Managing Director for Greater China. Mr. Ho joined R&M last November and brings more than 20 years of experience in the cabling infrastructure business in the Asia Pacific region, the US and China. In his new position, Sam’s focus will be to lead R&M in China to reach its vision of being number 1 for Layer 1 cabling solutions. With R&M’s high-quality products and a newly opened Asia Supply Chain Hub in Singapore, Mr. Ho is convinced to be able to duplicate the success of being one of the three major players in Europe and Middle East also in Greater China.

GWS Expands Presence in ChinaGerman Wine Specialist has been running its business in China for over three years out of its head office in Regensburg, Germany. After having established regional sales outlets in Guangzhou (Foshan) and Changzhou in 2007, GWS has now furthered its expansion in China through a partnership with a well-known local wine expert in Shanghai.

Through this partnership GWS can now provide its clients with a select choice of German wines combined with a German-speaking order hotline and a home delivery service. GCC members receive special dis-counts. See the Benefit Program updates later in this issue.

Wine Hotline: 1367.1685788 | Mr. Zhang Xiaodongwww.german-wine-specialist.de



April - May 2009 | 60

Mem

ber

Mix

Roland Berger Welcomes New PrincipalRecently Dr. Marcus Hoffmann was appointed as Principal to join the management team of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. Dr. Hoffmann is an expert in the global auto-motive industry and has managed consult-ing projects in Germany, France, Italy, the USA, Russia and China. Since 2002 he has worked on all main functional topics such as

operational performance, integrated efficiency, business strategy, cor-porate excellence and restructuring and organizational improvement. At Roland Berger Strategy Consultants Greater China, Mr. Hoffmann is overseeing international automotive suppliers and OEM clients.

Roland Berger Strategy Consultants was founded in 1967 in Europe and operates 36 offices in 25 countries. The Chinese market is a key pillar of Roland Berger’s international expansion. Since the foundation of it’s Shanghai office in 1994, the consulting firm has established long-term partnerships with both leading Chinese and international companies.

ZSB Supplies China’s Wind Energy SectorA f t e r a t w o d a y audit of its plant in January, ZSB (Zhenji-ang Siemens Busbar Trunking Systems Co., Ltd.) has been success-fully certified as the unique busbar product supplier in China for wind energy by REpower Systems AG, a German company developing, producing and assembling wind turbines and a key supplier of wind energy systems in China.

A rapidly growing demand for energy in China makes the construction of renewable energy sources increasingly important for the country’s sustainable development strategy. With its high-quality products, ZSB is entering this new environmentally friendly energy production sector and makes its own contribution to the reduction of CO2 emissions.

TÜV Rheinland Group Launches Global Testing Network in ShanghaiOn February 24th, TÜV Rheinland Group hosted the China launch of its Global Photovoltaic Product Testing Network at the Group’s Huatsing laboratory facilities. The event forms part of a four stage global launch, which aligns testing experts from the US, China, Japan and Germany. The Group also held a PV Business Forum that highlighted the latest trends in the industry and showcased how local customers can leverage the world’s first integrated international solar technology testing laboratory network.

The network links TÜV Rheinland PTL, LLC – a newly formed JV with US’ Arizona State University – with the group’s recently enhanced photovoltaic centers in Shanghai, Cologne and Yokohama. The result-ing combination strengthens TÜV Rheinland’s leading position in the field of photovoltaic testing and certification sector by offering solar

technology producers the market’s most precise testing services in the shortest lead time. The Shanghai launch shows the group’s commit-ment to promote sustainability.

Ruhlamat Celebrates 10th Anniversary Ruhlamat Automation Technologies (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., a German spe-cialist in customized automation equipment, celebrated its 10th anni-versary in China at the beginning of this year and expressed its grati-tude to all customers, partners and agents.

The company entered China in 2009 with the intention to supply the Chinese market with the required resources to develop customized auto-mation system solutions and machines specifically designed for the auto-motive components sector. Ruhlamat’s customized automation systems adopt the latest technologies and the company’s conveyor systems, work stations, assembly machines and extruded aluminum profiles are widely used in automotive, electronics and electric equipment manufacturing.

Tebodin Acquires Remaining Shares in Tebodin APNetherlands-based Tebodin bv has acquired the remaining 50% shares in Tebodin Asia Pacific from its joint venture partner Century Three. Through this acquisition Tebodin has now obtained full ownership of its subsidiary in Shanghai, China.

Tebodin Asia Pacific consists of 100 employees with an annual turn-over of EUR 4mn. The company was established as a JV in 2004 and has successfully completed projects for locally and internationally operating clients, including BMW (car manufacturing in Shenyang), DSM (composite resins factories), Danone (reconstruction of baby food factory in Shanghai) and Shell Hydrogen (filling station). Tebodin Asia Pacific provides engineering, consultancy and construction manage-ment services to the chemical, industrial and real estate sectors.

LANXESS Appointed New CEO for Greater ChinaMartin Kraemer has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer Greater China of specialty chemicals group LANXESS effective January 1st, 2009. Before the appointment, Mr. Kraemer was the Chief Financial Officer of LANXESS Greater China.

Martin is looking forward to the new challenge: “I have already had the opportunity to spend half a year here in the China organization as CFO. Our staff here are highly motivated, well trained and commit-ted to LANXESS. It is an honor for me to serve as president in such an environment.”

Mr. Kraemer started his career in 1991 with Bayer AG. He relocated to Korea in 1994 as deputy managing director and head of admin-istration of Bayer Korea Ltd. and returned to Germany in 1997. Mr. Kraemer then held various leading positions in marketing, plan-ning and controlling in the Bayer Chemical Division. After the foundation of LANXESS, he

was appointed head of the Treasury Group Function, before assuming the post of CFO Greater China in April 2008.


www.china.ahk.de


61 | April - May 2009

Mem

ber Mix


April - May 2009 | 62

Mem

ber

Mix

Mr. Marc O. BernardGeneral ManagerFreko China Co. Ltd.Room 309, Building 1No. 27, Lane 258 Caoxi RoadShanghai 200235Tel: 021 5158-0876Fax: 021 5158-0875Email: [email protected]: www.freko.cn

Mr. Matthias BurhenneRoom 620, 68 Changping RoadShanghai 200041Tel: 021 5228-8112Fax: 021 5228-8119Email: [email protected]

Mr. Rainer BurkardtPartnerSquire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP Shanghai Representative OfficeSuite 1207, 12/FShanghai Kerry Centre1515 West Nanjing RoadShanghai 200040Tel: 021 6103-6300 ext. 6360Fax: 021 6103-6363Email: [email protected]: www.ssd.com

Mr. Jeffery CaiGeneral ManagerShanghai Muller + PartnerInternational Logistics Co. Ltd.Room 2305-2308, Lucky Target Square500 North Chengdu RoadShanghai 200003Tel: 021 6327-5859Fax: 021 6327-5812/ 13Email: [email protected]: www.mnp.de

Mr. Tobias ErnstHotel ManagerSheraton Shanghai Hotel &Residences, Pudong38 Pujian RoadShanghai 200127Tel: 021 5089-9999Fax: 021 5089-2100Email: [email protected]

Web: www.sheraton.com/pudong

Mr. Xin GaoRepresentativeAsia Solution CorporationAsia Solution Corporation C210GIENKEE Plas Center1221 Hami RoadShanghai 200335Tel: 021 5217-7225Fax: 021 5217-9434Email: [email protected]: www.asiasolution.de

Mr. Philipp GeorgiCEOShanghai SpringerDistribution Co. Ltd.Room 1808, Shui On Plaza333 Middle Huaihai RoadShanghai 200021Tel: 021 6385-7111Fax: 021 6385-5079Email: [email protected]: www.autobild.com.cn

Mr. Andreas GuipGeneral Managercomepack (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.Room 1307, 13/F, Huaihai China Tower885 Renmin Road, Huangpu DistrictShanghai 200010Tel: 021 6355-5268Fax: 021 6355-5269Email: [email protected]: www.comepack.com

Mr. Michael HagerGeneral ManagerEisenmann (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.Room 1705-06, Antai Office Building107 Zunyi RoadShanghai 200051Tel: 021 6236-2640 ext. 0Fax: 021 6236-2643Email: [email protected]: www.eisenmann.com

Mr. Eric HuangGeneral ManagerVorwerk Autotec (Suzhou) Ltd.Unit D, 128 Xingpu Road, SIPSuzhou 215126 , JiangsuTel: 0512 8555-0033

Fax: 0512 8555-0030Email: [email protected]: www.vorwerk-autotec.com

Mr. Friedrich G. HummelDirector of Food & BeverageShanghai Marriott Hotel Hangqiao2270 Hongqiao RoadShanghai 200336Tel: 021 6237-6000 ext. 6601Fax: 021 6237-6175Email: [email protected]

Mr. Markku HyvarinenRegional Director E.C.Schueco International (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Shanghai BranchRoom 601, 899 Lingling RoadShanghai 200030Tel: 021 5489-3380Fax: 021 5489-3382Email: [email protected]: www.schueco.com

Ms. Karen JohannsenGeneral ManagerKaufland Commercial and Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.A-B, 26/F, Lucky Mansion660 Shangcheng Road, Pudong DistrictShanghai 200120Tel: 021 6163-3300Fax: 021 6163-3309Email: [email protected]: www.kaufland.de

Mr. Eric JostRoom 1406, Building C, Tomson Center188 Zhangyang Road, PudongShanghai 200122Tel: 021 5879-0186Fax: 021 5879-0669Email: [email protected]

Mr. Graham KiyGeneral ManagerShanghai Zendai Himalayas Real Estate Company Ltd.3/F, 1208 Dingxiang Road, PudongShanghai 200135Tel: 021 5033-8683Fax: 021 5033-3393Email: [email protected]: www.zendaihimalayas.com

Mr. Otto KurzendorferGeneral ManagerHoliday Inn Shanghai Vista700 Changshou RoadShanghai 200060Tel: 021 6276-8888Fax: 021 6266-1888Email: [email protected]: www.holidayinn.com

Mr. Andreas LangoschChief RepresentativeVTS GmbHShanghai Representative OfficeUnit A, 8/FShanghai Industrial Building18 North Caoxi RoadShanghai 200030Tel: 021 6427-2906/ 2907Fax: 021 6469-3555Email: [email protected]: www.vts-logistics.comwww.duisport.de

Mr. Thomas Hans LaueApartment 1002, House 171155 Jiaozhou RoadShanghai 200060Tel: 134-8217-7898Email: [email protected]

Mr. Si LiuOperations ManagerEclipse City Ltd.Room 1815, Quyang Road 440Hongkou, Shanghai 200092Tel: 138-1603-4084Fax: +49-(0)-6173 324579Email: [email protected]: www.eclipse-city.com

Mr. Meng LoGeneral ManagerRenaissance Shanghai Zhongshan Park Hotel1018 Changning RoadTel: 021 6115-8888Fax: 021 6115-8988Email: [email protected]: www.renaissancehotels.com


Sino-German Testing & Certification Cooperation Last November, TÜV SÜD Ch ina o rga -nized an event com-memorating the 10th Anniversary of Sino-Germany Testing & Certification Cooper-ation in conjunction with the relocation ceremony of the com-pany’s new Shanghai

office. The forum with the theme ‘Certification • Economics • Society • Environment’ drew a total of 150 guests and main stakeholders from the Chinese Government, TÜV SÜD’s business partners and clients. After the forum, the guests attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the official opening of the new Shanghai office, followed by a tour of the premises and laboratories.

VAG Increasing Production FacilitiesIn the past five years since its establishment, VAG (Taicang) has been able to considerably increase its sales turnover and market share in China. In order to develop the potential market and provide Chinese customers with a more diversed product and service range, VAG has purchased a new piece of land with an area of 47,000 m2 to extend its production facilites. The total investment will amount to EUR 12mn and the opening ceremony of the new workshop is scheduled for May 8th. After the expansion, the annual production capacity of VAG Taicang will reach RMB 350mn.

VAG Water Systems (Taicang) Co., Ltd. is a valve manufacturer, fully owned by German VAG Group. Headquartered in Mannheim, VAG has own subsidiaries in the Czech Republic, Chile, India and China, and a well-organized sales network across the world. With its roots dating back to 1872, VAG Group has been steadily developing from a valve manufacturer into a professional provider of tailor-made solutions in the water industry.

New Members

www.china.ahk.de


63 | April - May 2009

Mem

ber Mix

Dr. Detlef MelzerGeneral ManagerH.C. Starck Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.Room 302, City Gateway398 North Caoxi RoadXuhui District, Shanghai 200030Tel: 021 6090 5255Fax: 021 6090 5256Email: [email protected]: www.hcstarck.com

Ms. Ginger MerrittGeneral ManagerWacker Polymer Systems (Nanjing) Co. Ltd.Room 403, Area 4, NCIP Building168 Fangshui Road, Liuhe DistrictNanjing 210047, JiangsuTel: 025 6662-6400Fax: 025 6662-6466Email: [email protected]: www.wacker.com

Dipl.-Wirt.Ing Michael MiowitzLondorfer Str. 6535301 GruenbergGermanyTel: +49-6401-807275Fax: +49-6401-807279Email: [email protected]

Mr. Andreas MuenzebrockVice General ManagerLenze Drive Systems (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.2989 Jiangshan RoadLingang Heavy Industrial ZoneShanghai 201306Tel: 021 3828-0200Fax: 021 3828-0210Email: [email protected]: www.lenze.cn

Mr. Joerg-Guenther NeumannDonaustauferstrasse 22b93059 RegensburgGermanyTel: 0049-941-4610 9913Email: [email protected]

Ms. Yan PanSenior DirectorGovernment RelationshipsBertelsmann China Corporate CenterUnits 2804-2805, SK Tower6A Jianguomenwai AvenueBeijing 100022Tel: 010 6563-0026Fax: 010 6563-0376Email: [email protected]: www.bertelsmann.com.cn

Mr. Manfred RaaschManaging DirectorRAFI Electronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.Building No. 8, 1855 Tianchen RoadQingpu Industrial ZoneShanghai 201712Tel: 021 5922-7500Fax: 021 5922-7599Email: [email protected]: www.rafi-electronics.cn

Mr. Christian SchaedlichCFOWacker Chemicals (Zhangjiagang) Co. Ltd.78 Changjiang RoadJiangsu Yangtze River International Chemical Industry ParkZhangjiagang CityZhangjiagang 215633, JiangsuTel: 0512 8164-2012Fax: 0512 8164-2017Email: [email protected]: www.wacker.com

Wacker Chemicals Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.Part A, Mingtai Building351 Guoshoujing RoadZhangjiang High Tech ParkShanghai 201203Tel: 021 6100-3500Fax: 021 6165-5697

Wacker Polymer Materials(Shanghai) Co. Ltd.Part A, Mingtai Building351 Guoshoujing RoadZhangjiang High Tech ParkShanghai 201203Tel: 021 6100-3500Fax: 021 6165-5697

Mr. Claus SchensemaManaging DirectorGAC Forwarding & Shipping(Shanghai) Ltd.Room1110, Cross Tower318 Fuzhou RoadShanghai 200001Tel: 021 6391-2777Fax: 021 6391-2208Email: [email protected]: www.gacworld.com

Mr. Jochen SchleissManaging DirectorDesign2Living Furniture Co. Ltd.Block 18Undertaking Industrial WorkshopLoufeng North ParkSuzhou Industrial ParkSuzhou 215600, JiangsuTel: 0512 8718-5181 ext. 8000Fax: 0512 8718-5830Email: [email protected]: www.design2living.com

Mr. Sebastian SeitelJin Mao Tower88 Century Avenue, PudongShanghai 200121Tel: 021 5047-1234 ext. 8652Fax: 021 5049-1156Email: [email protected]

Mr. Lothar SommerExecutiveBaumgartner & PartnerUnternehmensberatung GmbHKurze Mühren 13D-20095 HamburgGermanyTel: 0049-40-28 41 64-0Fax: 0049-40-28 41 64-11Email: [email protected]: www.baumgartner.de

Mr. Robert-Jan StuesselChief RepresentativeBuhlmann ShanghaiRepresentative Office1605G, 16/FFei Diao International Building1065 Zhaojiabang RoadShanghai 200030Tel: 021 5158-1697Fax: 021 5158-1686Email: [email protected]: www.buhlmann.de

Mr. Reiner WaffenschmidtGeneral ManagerBachmann ElectronicTechnical Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.Room 726, Tower 288 Keyuan RoadZhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, PudongShanghai 201203Tel: 021 2898-6070Fax: 021 2898-6071Email: [email protected]: www.bachmann.info

Mr. Bernd WalosekDeputy General ManagerThyssenKrupp Materials (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.328 Xinteng RoadSongjiang Industrial DistrictShanghai 201612Tel: 021 5768-6710Fax: 021 5768-7823Email: [email protected]: www.tkm-shanghai.com

Mr. Lun WangPartnerECOVIS RUIDE Certified Public Accountants Co. Ltd.18E, Double Dove Tower438 Pudian Road, Pudong New AreaShanghai 200122Tel: 021 6105-7333Fax: 021 6105-7330Email: [email protected]: www.ecovis.cn

Prof. Mike WangAnDeFu Hotel investment and Hotel management Ltd. (Germany)Unit E, 17/ F, Tower 12601 Xietu RoadShanghai 200030Tel: 139-1659-1316Fax: 021 6426-1675Email: [email protected]: www.andefude.com

Ms. Rachel WangGeneral ManagerPilz Industrial Automation Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.Room 704-706457 North Wulumuqi RoadShanghai 200040Tel: 021 6249-4658Fax: 021 6249-1300Email: [email protected]: www.pilz.com

Mr. Dietmar WinterVice General Manager

Director Marketing & SalesVEKA Plastics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.39 Minyi Road, Songjiang DistrictShanghai 201612Tel: 021 5768-6111Fax: 021 5768-6222Email: [email protected]: www.veka.com.cn

Mr. Jack WuManaging DirectorConec (Shanghai) Int. Trading Co. Ltd.Room 715, Yongding Building3388 Gonghexin RoadShanghai 200436Tel: 021 6630-0930Fax: 021 6630-0911Email: [email protected]: www.conec.com

Ms. Cheng YangChief Representative OfficerSultex Limited Shanghai Representative OfficeRoom 3605, United Plaza1468 West Nanjing Road Shanghai 200040Tel: 021 6289-4018Fax: 021 6289-4016Email: [email protected]: www.itemagroup.com

Ms. Peggy YangMarketing ManagerEUROMED MANAGEMENTRoom 207, Antai Building535 Fahuazhen RoadShanghai Jiaotong UniversityShanghai 200052Tel: 021 6293-2598Fax: 021 6293-2591Email: [email protected]: www.aemba.com.cn

Ms. Vicky Ruiming YangChina RepresentativeA’B’C’ Asian Business ConsultantsDr. Hann & Partner GbRRoom 1701, Building 4North Huaqing RoadTel: 136-0178-4452Email: [email protected]: www.asia-hann.de

Mr. Michael ZimmermannRegional ManagerMaschinenfabrik Gerd Mosca AGGerd-Mosca-Strasse 1D-69412 EberbachGermanyTel: 0049-6274-932-0Fax: 0049-6274-932-240Email: [email protected]: www.mosca-ag.com

Mr. Lukas ZuestAttorney-at-LawWenfei Attorneys-at-Law Ltd.Room 501, Office Tower 3X2 Creative Park20 North Chaling RoadShanghai 200032Tel: 021 5170-2370Fax: 021 5170-2371Email: [email protected]: www.wenfei.com


New Members

If you are interested in becoming a member of the German Chamber of Commerce in China • Shanghai, please refer to our website: www.china.ahk.de/en/chamber/shanghai/membership/benefits/


April - May 2009 | 64

Mem

ber

Mix

What is your personal and business background?After studying Mechanical Engineering, I was working for a German mid-sized company with global reach in setting-up factories in India and South China. During that time I learned to appreci-ate the Asian and especially the Chinese people and culture. Later on, I was put in charge of coordinating the com-pany’s worldwide production network. The international environment appealed to me, hence I completed an executive MBA in International Business.

Prior to becoming a “Lean Consultant”, I have experienced the fast gains of a lean transformation in the industry. I joined the Staufen Group in Germany in 2004 in order to support the company’s business and projects in China. Begin-ning of 2008, I became CEO of Staufen in China.

Tell us a little about your company and activities in China?Staufen runs two offices in China – in Shanghai and Beijing. Together with our team of experienced Chinese consul-tants, we strive to optimise our clients’ processes with a focus on the imple-mentation of proven Lean principles.

Besides manufacturing, our second pillar is sourcing and the development of the purchasing functions. While we will not re-invent the wheel, we do implement BestPracticePrinciples together with the clients’ core-team, primarily in “bottom-up workshops”. This approach increases the acceptance and ensures fast results.

To add sustainability to these projects, we also qualify the clients’ core team members in our Staufen Academy. “See, Learn and Act” – is our well accepted concept, which we have implemented with our Best-PracticePartners Deckel Maho Gildemeister and Homag Machinery in China. “Open the eyes and recognize the need to act” – is the Staufen starting point to lowering costs and increasing the speed and flexibil-ity in our client’s processes.

Why should a manufacturing company in China implement LEAN principles?Bad times require good companies. China can no longer compete by only playing the low cost card. Other countries are cheaper. It needs smart business and manufacturing processes to stay competitive as a manufacturing base. The Lean philosophy thus fits the status quo in China perfectly. Implementation of Lean culture and processes helps to avoid excessive machinery and increase the space efficiency dras-tically. It also results in cost savings by eliminating the waste. The involvement of the operational management and shop floor staff leads to empowerment and will make them proud of their job. Combined with a systematic “Improvement organization”, the strong integra-tion of all employees increases their loyalty and reduces staff turn-

over. The “Just Do It” approach is highly appreciated by Chinese employees and will enable the company to have quick results.

What is your competitive advan-tage?In addition to our clear focus on imple-mentation, the Staufen advantage lies in the combination of our proven tool box of methodologies with the experi-ence and industry background of our local consultants. We do understand our clients’ businesses, the local particulari-ties and bring them together with inter-national BestPractices. When we are closing a project, you can see the differ-ences on the shopfloor itself and on the KPI.

In your experience, what are the problems German investors in China encounter most frequently?Most problems occur, because many investors are not really doing their homework. Without a doubt, China still is an exotic and complex country, but this does not excuse the lack of a clear strategy for the China operation. Prod-ucts often do not match with market requirements; in many cases this basic market information is simply not known by the foreign company.

Without a clearly defined roadmap, oper-ational mission and vision a company cannot provide any guidance to the local team, which is highly necessary. The importance of how to lead a subsidiary in China is frequently underestimated.

Together with missing Sino-adapted organisational structures or reporting lines – also in Germany – this explosive mix will often lead to a failure of the “China Project”.

Do you enjoy living in China? What are your impressions of the country and its people?I very much like the dynamics of this country and its people. This was my main motivation to go to China. I still find it amazing how fast the Chinese implement the new concepts , when they understand the prin-ciples and experience the arising advantages for their daily business. In China, we have to allocate more time during projects to convincing and training the core-team. Compared to Europe, this added project time will be easily recovered during the roll-out phase in the factory. It is this hands-on pragmatism that I like most about China.

What is the strangest thing that has happened to you in your daily life in Shanghai?I really wonder where the heck the 40,000 taxis in Shanghai are whenever it rains here. Ok, I understand that the demand rises signifi-cantly, but I start to believe that the taxi drivers’ union always calls for its general meeting when the first raindrops hit the road. There are just less taxis on the streets – at least wherever I am.

RohrbachThomas

Company: Staufen Shanghai Consulting Academy LtdJob Title: CEOYear of Foundation: 2004HQ: Baden-Württemberg, GermanyMain Business: • Implementation of Best Practice Processes,

mainly in manufacturing and purchasing• Streamlining the Value Chain and the layout. • Qualifiying and training of managers and key

staff to drivers of the change process – with public or in-house trainings through the Staufen Academy

Meet the Member

www.china.ahk.de


65 | April - May 2009

Mem

ber Mix

Documents

RaymondBrady - AHK Greater China · The best way to appreciate the culture is through speaking the lan-guage. Second to language comes the food culture in China, ... Show 2009 and