[See Suzhou Zhuangzhang text / Lu Yi Dajiang Chenxi]
On November 4th, German Chancellor Scholz led a "luxury day group" to visit China. Siemens , BASF , Merck Group... Most of the 12 German giants are old friends of Suzhou. , as a manufacturing company in Suzhou, which accounts for one-tenth of the total number of German enterprises in the country, once again stood under the global "spotlight".
At the 5th China International Import Expo, which is being held, companies from both Europe and Germany have also appeared in groups, becoming a beautiful scene. Suzhou is also relying on this international platform, and is accelerating the accumulation of global high-end resources.
Since the first German company settled in Taicang in 1993, Suzhou Manufacturing and German Manufacturing have been working together for nearly 30 years. From the "bottom-up" spontaneous market to the gathering of 453 German companies, 50 hidden champions, and an annual output value of 60 billion yuan, Taicang's reputation as the "Hometown of German Companies" has grown louder. The China-Europe freight train carried the manufacturing in Suzhou into the "Belt and Road", and the sound of the cargo ship in Taicang port was louder than a while... From January to September this year, the total import and export volume of Suzhou to Germany was US$10.85 billion, A year-on-year increase of 4.5%; Suzhou invested a total of 16 projects in Germany, and the Chinese side agreed to invest 45.2023 million USD ...
Suzhou also witnessed a more open economic and cultural integration between China and Germany. China and the world share development dividends and work together for a win-win situation. The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China stated that the new development concept of China must be fully, accurately and fully implemented, adhere to the direction of socialist market economic reform, adhere to a high level of opening to the outside world, and accelerate the construction of a domestic and international dual circulation with the domestic cycle as the main body. A new development pattern in which promotes each other.
Looking back at the thirties, our opening has always been "confident and full of energy" . Communication and change are strategies; courage and experimentation are experience; fusion and transformation are wisdom, beauty and kindness are business cards... Everything has rules to follow.
Suzhou
Group appearance at the CIIE
"How is the accuracy?" "Does it need to be replaced? How long does it take to replace it?"... In front of the Henberger fixture booth, buyers from all over the world gathered in a group and asked in detail about the latest products on display .
"The automated fixture system brought this time is the leading automated fixture solution in the field of machining at present." said Ai Ruidong, the relevant person in charge of Hemberg Fixtures, who has participated in five consecutive CIIEs since settling in Taicang. "Open China and the opportunity of integrating in the Yangtze River Delta and have brought us a harvest. Not only has the brand awareness continued to increase, but the output value has also grown rapidly by 20% every year. We have also brought cutting-edge technologies to Chinese customers. "
Hanberg Precision Fixtures Appeared at the 5th China International Import Expo
According to reports, the Henberger quick-change system can achieve μm-level accuracy without manual adjustment, and the fixture replacement time is at least 15 seconds. At present, it has provided thousands of successful cases for global customers, saving A lot of changeover time, improving the utilization rate of the machine tool.
"Settling in Taicang, in addition to enjoying the advantages of being close to the water, you can also experience the considerate service of 'do not disturb anything, and respond to anything you need'. The local government has also continued to encourage and organize us to participate in various activities. Opportunities." Eredong said that the German headquarters attaches great importance to the Chinese market, and more new products will be launched in the Chinese market and localized production will be promoted, making the Chinese market the largest overseas market after Germany.
is right, has become a dazzling color in the Soviet and German companies "attending" to the CIIE. Suzhou also relies on this international platform
to accelerate the gathering of high-end global resources, and transform the "large traffic" of the CIIE into "new increments" of an open economy.
Hanberg Precision Fixtures appeared at the 5th China International Import Expo
not only seized various opportunities, but also reflected Suzhou's flexibility in the transformation and layout of the entire industry.
Since 2008, Taicang has held the German "Taicang Day" event in Germany every year. It is toured in many cities and welcomed by local German companies. Even the "Online Taicang Day" affected by the epidemic is still very popular.
Germany "Taicang Day" event
Now, Taicang, relying on the precision manufacturing industry foundation formed by cooperation with Germany for 30 years, is anchoring the new goals of " aerospace industry" and "biomedical industry". Sino-German Innovation Center, Sino-German Industrial Park... A large number of innovation carriers have been completed one after another.
Sun Jingyu, deputy director of the Investment Promotion Bureau of Taicang High-tech Zone
"In the future, we hope that the R&D, production and sales of enterprises will be realized in Taicang, attracting more R&D centers to settle down and high-end talents to join." Sun Jingyu, deputy director of the Investment Promotion Bureau of Taicang High-tech Zone, said.
is no longer just a good location, a good business environment, and a strong industrial foundation... The factors that attract German companies to Taicang are quietly changing.
From " apprenticeship " to " dual system "
The Soviet-German cooperation stirred up the flower of institutional innovation
Time does not speak, but every second it falls is loud. From the "bottom-up" spontaneous market to the gathering of 453 German companies, the 50 hidden champions, and the annual output value of 60 billion yuan, the reputation of "Hometown of German Companies" is not achieved overnight. The initial beauty, started with "economy first" and tried bravely.
Zhang Zhenwei (member of the Shanghai Board of Directors of the German Chamber of Commerce in China, chairman of the Taicang European Business Investment Enterprise Association), who has already made a name for himself, has always treasured an old photo taken in 1996.
Zhang Zhenwei's collection of old photos
The high-spirited boy in white, the golden signboard of Kern Liebers Spring, the first German company to settle in Taicang... Although the photo has turned yellow, it has fixed the beginning of a fate.
In 1993, Dr. Stam, President of Kern Liebers, set foot on China to find a place for his first factory in China. At that time, German Volkswagen was already in ShanghaiSettled in, as a supporting project, Stam set his sights on the surrounding area of Shanghai.
was by the Liuhe River, he fell in love with the intimacy of "some German Black Forest" at first sight, and finally settled in Taicang. With technology, equipment, and funds... What Stam lacks are only "industrial workers".
Ding Liang, Principal of Taicang Secondary School in Jiangsu Province
German companies are mostly technology-intensive enterprises, and advanced equipment and production processes have special needs for applied talents. Skilled workers "use production lines, repair and improve production lines."
"In the 1990s, the social recognition of vocational education was not high, and the school did not pay much attention to the cultivation of skilled talents." Ding Liang, the principal of Taicang Secondary Professional School in Jiangsu Province, recalled that the school had only 6 lathes at that time. The machine is an old product eliminated from the factory. Most of the students start the machine on the "blackboard" in class.
"The development of German enterprises needs excellent skilled workers, and we cannot provide them." Ding Liang regretted that in order to meet the needs of German enterprises, Taicang decided to introduce the German "apprenticeship system", which is today's "dual system".
"Dual system" education
In Germany, "apprenticeship" has been around for hundreds of years. Let students sign contracts with enterprises, and while learning theoretical knowledge in school, they should also enter the enterprise as "apprentices" and apply classroom knowledge to practice.
In 1998, Jiangsu Taicang Secondary School and Kern Liebers jointly established a training center to start talent training.
"It went very well, but I didn't expect that there would be serious disagreements on the site selection." Ding Liang recalled that the school leaders thought that the training center should be set up in the school to facilitate students' learning, while the person in charge of the German company hoped that the training center should be set up in the school. The center is located in the enterprise, which is more conducive to the training of skilled workers.
After a stalemate between the two sides for nearly 4 years, the concept of "skilled workers should be cultivated in the atmosphere of the enterprise" broke the "embarrassment".
"Dual system" education
"It makes us realize the essence of dual system." Only in the atmosphere and work situation of the enterprise, can we cultivate professional quality that suits the needs of enterprise employment. Students returning from the training center have not only improved their simple technical skills, but also have good professional quality. Only the deep integration of schools and enterprises can cultivate high-quality skilled talents. The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China pointed out: "Coordinate the collaborative innovation of vocational education, higher education, and continuing education, promote the integration of vocational and general education, the integration of industry and education, and the integration of science and education, and optimize the positioning of vocational education types." The collision of educational concepts, The fusion of the cultures of the two countries makes the ultimate attempt and breakthrough stimulate the innovation of the system, which is of great significance.
After the dual system education took root in China, Taicang successively established more than ten dual education and training bases including the Sino-German Training Center, and established a multi-level and orderly connection of talent training systems such as technical secondary schools, colleges and undergraduates. The largest German vocational qualification examination and training base. Up to now, more than 10,000 senior management talents and professional and technical talents have been delivered to the society.
Continue to overweight Suzhou
Made in Suzhou and Made in Germany blend together
In the early 1990s, when the first batch of German companies settled in Suzhou, the " Southern Jiangsu model " was becoming a benchmark for the country to follow. Today, Suzhou is a highland for cooperation with Germany. In addition to Taicang, Kunshan and Kunshan have gathered more than 100 German companies, and the parks and high-tech zones have all promoted many German giants.
"Made in Suzhou" became a sample for global research.
went through a farmer-turned-worker, internal to external, quantity to quality, and then to "internal and external linkage, symbiosis and win-win". "Made in Germany" and "Made in Suzhou", blending water and milk, spiral upward.
The German company chose Suzhou right, and Suzhou has lived up to the German company.
The well-known German Siemens is among the German "ace-in-the-sky" who visited China this time. In fact, this technology company focusing on industry, infrastructure, transportation and medical fields has established a factory in Suzhou as early as 1994. That year, Suzhou was on the national hot search.
In the past two years, Suzhou and Siemens have been on the global hot search twice in a row. In 2021, the Siemens Electrical Products Business China headquarters will be located in Suzhou; in 2022, the Siemens Electrical Products China headquarters will be officially upgraded to China and East Asia headquarters, which also marks It is the birth of the first Fortune 500 East Asian headquarters project of Suzhou.
Siemens Electrical Products China and East Asia Headquarters and Suzhou High-tech Zone Deepen Strategic Cooperation Signing Ceremony
The headquarters economy is at the apex of the industrial "pyramid", the most upstream of the industrial chain and the top of the value chain. Siemens has continuously cast a "vote of confidence", which is undoubtedly a high recognition of Suzhou's comprehensive capabilities in industry, talent, and R&D.
takes the 3WT frame circuit breaker produced by Siemens Suzhou factory as an example. This equipment is used in every high-rise building and every rail transit in Suzhou. In fact, the local supply chain network has been built since the global launch of the product, and comprehensive localization has been completed in just a few years.
Han Zhenhua, Director of Siemens Electrical Products China and East Asia Headquarters, said that in the past ten years, the final decision of the company's product definition, research and development, quality and other aspects has been handed over to the local Chinese team. Siemens China can not only serve the Chinese market To create products that are closer to the local market and contribute to China's "intelligent manufacturing" capabilities to the global market has become another example of Siemens' electrical products taking root in China. When the
"R&D team was established in 2003, there were less than 10 people, and now there are nearly 200 people. The company has also built a supporting electrical and electronic laboratory in Suzhou. Especially the Suzhou test center has a variety of international certification qualifications, effective It guarantees the timeliness and high quality of product development." Han Zhenhua said.
From "helping people move bricks" to "working together to engage in research and development", from "industrial workers" to "think tank" output, the cooperation between Suzhou and German companies has become more intimate.
Rigorous and dedicated is the German character, which is evident in German manufacturing and industry. Also focusing on manufacturing, Suzhou's sophistication and ingenious attitude coincide with German industry.
German companies have settled in Suzhou one after another, bringing advanced technology and management, enabling the transformation and upgrading of Suzhou's manufacturing industry. Similarly, the upgraded Suzhou manufacturing also provides support for the rapid development of German companies.
“Made in Suzhou” transforms into “Intelligent Manufacturing in Suzhou”
Suzhou has 160,000 industrial enterprises, covering 35 major industrial categories, 171 industrial middle categories and 505 industrial subcategories, involving biomedicine, aerospace, integrated circuits It is one of the cities with the most complete industrial system in China, including 11 advanced manufacturing clusters.
At the first meeting of the New Year this year, Suzhou issued a call to create a digital economy era industrial innovation cluster. The Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Development of Industrial Innovation Clusters in the Digital Economy Era in Suzhou, the White Paper on Suzhou Industrial Innovation Capability, and the 2022 Action Plan for the Intelligent Transformation and Digital Transformation of Suzhou's Manufacturing Industry as action guides, implementation rules and intellectual support. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the dynamic investment of over 100 billion yuan of special funds was used as "financial support".
"Made in Suzhou" Transformation "Suzhou Smart Manufacturing"
Suzhou's huge "industrial aircraft carrier formation" has released a powerful "magnetic field effect", attracting more and more "dreams" to join.
This year, Honeywell High Performance Materials Asia Pacific Headquarters Project, Philips Home Appliances Global R&D Center, Sun Ink China R&D Headquarters, Canadian Solar Global Supply Chain Headquarters and other world-renowned corporate headquarters selected Suzhou.
The port of Hamburg, Germany's largest port, has an average of 1 out of every 3 containers coming from or going to China. The Chinese market share of German car companies such as Volkswagen and BBA has exceeded one-third of the world's market... Take car companies as an example , The hardware of German companies is unparalleled, but it is not so handy in some software in electrified environments, but this is the strength of many companies in China and even in Suzhou, so the cooperation between China and Germany must be a "strong alliance".
Create a "German-flavored" life
Suzhou has become their second hometown
Taicang is very "small", and there is always a place to drink tea alone in the quiet ancient town, just like the hometown of Germany.
Taicang is very "big", the busy port is connected by cargo ships going in and out of the world, just like Germany's hometown.
Taicang is very "beautiful", the lush Liuhe Metasequoia forest is like Alice in Wonderland, just like her hometown in Germany.
When many German friends first arrived in Taicang, they could always find the shadow of their hometown here. After getting along for a long time, Taicang has become their "second hometown", giving them a full sense of belonging.
Every day at 4 am, the "Brut Bakery" in Taicang Civic Park always wakes up the city with its unique fragrance. This is the traditional German bakery of German Owen and Chinese wife Tao Shaoying.
Owen's Bread
Once the golden, fragrant bread comes out, there will always be a long queue at the front of the store.
"There are many old streets in Taicang. Although the style is different from that of Germany, I fell in love with the cultural environment here at first sight," said Owen.
There are many German companies in Taicang, along with authentic German beer and German sausages, but German bread is missing, which made Owen think of starting a business in Taicang.
Owen and his Chinese wife Tao Shaoying
"When I was a child, I liked to go to the bakery in the town every day after school to eat bread. At that time, I thought, when I grow up, I will open a family."
So Owen and his wife resigned from the multinational company work and settled down in Taicang. Three years later, Irving's first traditional German bakery opened. Today, he and his wife have opened 3 branches. The bread business is getting better and better, and a live webcast has been launched, allowing German-style bread to be sold to the north and south of the country.
Ten years later, Owen, who is over fifty years old, welcomed his second baby. The eldest daughter speaks fluent Taicang dialect and has become the "group pet" in the village.
Every day at noon, the Owens bring freshly baked bread to the Civic Park store for a simple lunch. Drinking beer and looking at the wife holding the child, simple and happy.
Mobile payment, Internet delivery... Owen has witnessed the changes in his second hometown, as well as the clear river and the quiet ancient town, as always. "My kids will grow up here, and my wife and I will grow old here." Owen smiled.
Like Owen, more and more Germans choose Taicang for their dreams and life. At most, more than 3,000 Germans live here.
Owen showing freshly baked bread
In 2020, after the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia, many Germans chose to stay in Taicang. They not only pay attention to the development of the epidemic, but also actively participate in the epidemicSituation control.
At that time, in order to alleviate the shortage of personnel, Qi Han (Chinese name), CEO of Fuller Die Casting (Taicang) Co., Ltd., brought office staff to the production line. When friends advised him to return to China, he refused without hesitation. He said: "I have lived in China for more than 10 years, this is my home, and I want to stand with my employees' families." There are many stories like this, and there will be more stories like this.
"They came to Taicang thousands of miles away, we have to take care of them like family." Sun Jingyu said.
In Taicang, a series of activities such as "Germany and China Walk Together", Oktoberfest , "Popper Festival", "China-Germany Friendship Cup" table tennis match, etc., have been extended to enterprises related to German enterprises, as well as government agencies, schools and hospitals.
On the streets of Taicang, Germans participated in the Sino-German Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition, competed to be honorary citizens of , and became Chinese son-in-law... Taicang's "German flavor" is getting stronger and stronger.
At present, Taicang is vigorously building Rothenburg German-style Street, accelerating the construction of Maritim Hotel , a leader in the German hotel industry, and actively introducing German hospitals, schools, etc., to create an authentic German-style street scene.
Taicang German Style Street
The party's 20th National Congress report proposed to promote high-level opening to the outside world. Relying on the advantages of my country's super-large market, attracting global factor resources with the domestic cycle, enhancing the linkage effect of two resources in the domestic and international markets, and improving the quality and level of trade and investment cooperation... The new top-level design points the way for the future.
Taicang
Made in Suzhou and Germany, in the two-way opening, cherish each other and grow together. Thirty years is just the starting point, and fifty years is youth.
