In November 2017, Bremen played host to a delegation from Savannah, USA. The delegates visited a number of companies and held a ‘meet & greet’ event at the Industrie Club to introduce their business location on the coast of Georgia. In this interview, Craig Lesser (Savannah World Trade Center), Hugh ‘Trip’ Tollison (Savannah Economic Development Authority, or SEDA) and Andreas Gerber (Bremeninvest) explain why these contacts are so important to them, and which opportunities they see for the future.
What does this region on the coast of Georgia offer that would interest international partners?
Tollison: Savannah has a population of just under 400,000 and is one of the major ports of the eastern USA. Almost 20 per cent of container transshipments on the east coast are conducted via Savannah. The region also benefits from a sound infrastructure. Atlanta airport is only an hour’s flight away, and the port offers good access to the markets, especially for logistics companies and manufacturing. A dynamic cluster of suppliers is centred on our local aircraft manufacturer, Gulfstream. Ports, logistics, aviation – those are the areas where we score highly.
Those are also Bremen’s strengths. Sheer coincidence?
Lesser: No, we were deliberately looking for such similarities. About five years ago, we completely re-focused our global strategy in order to boost our regional economy through foreign trade and collaborations. We conducted very thorough research in our quest for business partners, narrowing down a field of 100 countries to a shortlist of five, with Germany right at the top. Then we embarked on more in-depth analysis and gathered more detailed information. Bremen and two other locations turned out to be the most attractive, so in 2013 we got on a plane to visit all of them, and to meet the key players. Ultimately, we firmly believe that economic relations and success are always built on personal contacts.
Why is Bremen so particularly important for Savannah?
Lesser: We had a number of cities on our shortlist, but Bremen, Halle and Munich are our top three. In Bremen, everything just clicked into place. Right from the start, Bremeninvest and the Chamber of Commerce made us very welcome. A location with a port, a steadily growing maritime economy and logistics, as well as an efficient infrastructure, is the ideal partner for us to boost our region’s external trade. Another important parallel is aviation. With Airbus and its many local suppliers, Bremen is in a similar position to Savannah with Gulfstream. So why not get the key players from both locations together in order to bolster both economies through partnership?
Tollison: One of our goals is for German companies to invest in our region and thereby create jobs, of course. A lot has already happened over the past five years. Our regional economic growth is currently the highest in the USA, and we would like to build on that.
What would be the benefit for Bremen as a location if local companies were to set up base in Savannah?
Gerber: We economic developers have known each other for several years now, and I value the friendly relations we have established. Savannah certainly is a great starting point for Bremen companies that want to enter the US market, as Georgia is in a strategic location in the south-eastern US, a region with an expanding economy. Such activity can also benefit Bremen, because when a company opens branches abroad, its head office tends to get busier as well.
Personal contact is important. Once you have established common ground, you only need to pick up the phone to make something happen.
Craig Lesser, Savannah World Trade Center
There have been several visits by both sides. So what are the next steps for getting partnerships started?
Tollison: We are using this trip primarily to make small and medium-sized businesses aware of Savannah, and to invite them for a visit. In April 2018, the Savannah Gateway Regional Showcase is offering selected companies from Bremen a business programme with individually organised site visits to firms in the Savannah region. We will cover all costs apart from travel, and the itinerary is coordinated by the Savannah World Trade Center. Also, the Savannah Music Festival, Georgia’s largest music festival, featuring more than 500 performers from around the world, is taking place at the same time.
So you have come to Bremen especially to invite companies to Savannah?
Lesser: Nothing happens if you just sit in your office. We are convinced that global business links must be built on personal relations. So we are more than happy to come over, and we take advantage of the opportunity to get to know companies in Bremen and Bremerhaven. We hope that we are going to be able to intensify these relationships in the long term, and that German businesses will decide to settle in Savannah.
Which location factors could be decisive for Bremen companies thinking about setting up in Savannah?
Gerber: Generally the important factors are the same as here: infrastructure, business clusters, research environment, available space and real estate. ‘Soft’ factors – such as quality of life, housing, culture and leisure options – also have an impact on companies’ decisions. In the end it comes down to a gut feeling, and here it is useful if personal contacts have already been established beforehand through mutual visits.
Thank you for talking to us.
Companies who are interested in participating in the Savannah Gateway Regional Showcase can find details at www.savannahgatewayshowcase.com. Applications need to be submitted by 1 February 2018.
More information about Bremeninvest, the international brand name of Wirtschaftsförderung Bremen, its activities and contacts is available here.
The contact at Bremeninvest is Andreas Gerber, Team Leader International Relocation, tel: +49 (0)421 9600 123, andreas.gerber@wfb-bremen.de.
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Stathis Stasinopoulos was unable to find the perfect folding bicycle for his commute to work across Athens. So he developed his own. The bike, called ‘Folding Project’, is lightweight and comfortable and folds up in five seconds. This has given Stasinopoulos an unexpected new direction in life.
The research alliance ROBEX is sending robots up active volcanoes and down into the deepest and darkest seas. Working across disciplines, the 120 scientists of the 16 institutes involved are breaking new ground on this project. They have been eagerly waiting to find out what has happened to the TRAMPER diving robot, which has been exploring the deep seas around Spitsbergen for a year. Now they are ready to bring it back.
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This new master’s degree at Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences prepares students for the future and offers them excellent job prospects.
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An engine under the bonnet drives the wheels – this is the configuration that has been powering cars for over a hundred years. However, wheel hub motors – i.e. motors in the hub of the wheel, not under the bonnet – promise many advantages. Electric drive systems make this possible.
The digital revolution has reached every branch of industry. Many of the technological trends associated with the Industrial Internet of Things originated in Silicon Valley. Rene van den Hoevel, managing director of the German American Chamber of Commerce in San Francisco, and Christoph Ranze, managing director of encoway GmbH and executive board member of the association bremen digitalmedia, explain why it is not only large corporations who should be looking closely at the epicentre of technological advancement.
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How will Brexit affect the trading of goods between the UK and the EU? Our guest contributor Anja Markmann, who is responsible for customs and international trade law at Bremen Chamber of Commerce, explains what is likely to change from April 2019 onwards.
A new process has been attracting attention in the food industry. Developed by the Bremerhaven Institute for Food Technology and Bioprocess Engineering, the new method enables deep frozen fish to be defrosted in record time. And the fish tastes as fresh as the day it was caught.
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Fiona Moore is originally from Burton-on-Trent, near Birmingham, and now works as a freelance translator in Bremen. She fell in love with Bremen in her early twenties. That was back in 2000, but 17 years later she is still as enchanted by the city as she was on the first day. She tells us about settling in Bremen, about her family and about being fortunate to have found a home in here.
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A great deal of manual labour goes into aircraft construction. Despite this – or perhaps even because of it – Airbus is changing its approach to make increased use of digital technologies. It’s also researching the applications of new manufacturing technologies such as 3D printing. And not a moment too soon, as Airbus’ site manager in Bremen, Dr André Walter, explains in our interview.
GeoSea, a subsidiary of the Belgian DEME group, is helping to construct of some of the largest offshore wind farms in the German North Sea – and in Bremen, the company has found the ideal location to carry out its work.
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Companies wishing to access the European market should be careful about their choice of location. Brexit could result in significantly higher financial and tax burdens for UK-based companies. Under these circumstances, setting up a base on the continent might be a better option. Find out what challenges companies will be facing.
Environmentally friendly manufacturing and ethical standards are the principles on which the fair trade clothing sector is based. Leela Cotton, a successful German-Turkish textile company, produces clothes for children and adults that are not only stylish, but also make a positive contribution to the environment in the way they are manufactured.
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Wearables and smart glasses provide hands-free digital information. A visit at the headquarter of the global market leader for Industrial Wearable Computing, Ubimax in Bremen.
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The Chinese designer Haoyu Li combines his German design degree with Chinese business acumen. Now he is opening a design office in Bremen, with the aim of making it easier for Chinese products to enter the German market, and to bring German brands to China.
Keen to remain in Bremen? Then why not combine residency status with self-employment? Manuel Kühn from Bremeninvest’s welcome service knows all about how a start-up could allow British citizens to beat Brexit and kill two birds with one stone.
From initial idea to successful move. Andreas Gerber, who heads up the international relocation team at Bremeninvest, knows what international companies need to do to set up a business in Bremen. Here he tells us about the most important steps on the ...
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In December 2016 ministers from the European Space Agency (ESA) member states met to determine the roadmap for the European space sector for the years ahead. Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Bremen submitted joint recommendations. In the following interview Dr Peter Vits, Bremen's State Coordinator for the Space Sector, talks about Bremen's strengths and opportunities.
The sky is not the limit, at least not in Bremen. All parts of the aerospace sector are represented in the city, from R&D to production. Aeroplane wings, Ariane rockets and Galileo satellites – Bremen is one of the leading locations in the international aerospace industry. Here are five factors behind Bremen’s story of success.
In 2015 Bremen won the right to host the International Astronautical Congress for the second time, after having successfully held the event in 2003. Its bid was the result of a collaboration between the Bremen regional government and Bremen’s space industry and space research sector. Event partners include the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and the German Aerospace Centre.
The Bremen region has long been a pioneer in electric mobility and is now set to enjoy further success after Mercedes-Benz and Borgward announced that they will be making electric vehicles in the city.
Bremen knows how to make cars: the Mercedes-Benz plant by the Weser river has been in operation for almost 40 years, is the focal point of the city’s automotive industry and automotive clusters, and is now the company’s biggest global facility in terms of vehicle production numbers. Reason enough for an ever-growing number of suppliers and logistics firms to base themselves in Bremen.
For 30 years, the Cargo Distribution Centre in Bremen has delivered excellence – as an investment location and a logistics hub. Today more than 150 companies employing approximately 8,000 people are based at the site. It offers direct links to the ports, the autobahn and has a close proximity to Bremen City Airport.
Language barriers, unfamiliar legal and fiscal systems, qualifications that need to be recognised. There are many additional hurdles that entrepreneurs have to overcome when setting up a new branch or a new company in a different country. Bremeninvest is committed to offering you advice and support from the outset.
You might expect a Bremen-based company specialising in innovative instruments and implants for spinal surgery to be located at the Technology Park. But you'd be wrong. NuVasive Germany GmbH has its head office at the heart of the city centre next to Wallanlagen Park. Now employing a team of 44 people, the company generates annual revenue of more than €10 million – a figure that looks set to rise.
David Zhou came to Bremen three years ago with the aim of conquering the market – and a new continent – with LEDs. He started his business selling LED lighting and electronics at the World Trade Centre at Bremen Airport and has gradually built it up over the past few years.
What makes an aircraft fly? You don't have to be an aerospace expert to be fascinated by what goes on behind the scenes at one of the largest aircraft construction companies in the world. The Airbus Group in Bremen turns the dream of flying into ...
