Highlights of 2018

Hightlights of2019

GTCC recorded yet another eventful year in 2019 with about 154 events and activities. A selection of the highlights is listed below.

Featured events

• AHK Asia-Pacific Co-ordination Meeting 2019 The GTCC organised the AHK Asia-Pacific Co-ordination (APC) Meeting for AHK Executive Directors and delegations from the Asia-Pacific region as well as key DIHK representatives, at the Sukhothai Bangkok Hotel during 28 and 29 January 2019. They exchanged and discussed topics and the preparations for the AHK Asia-Pacific Conference 2019. On the first day of the meeting, Deputy Head of Mission and Head of the Economic Section of the German Embassy in Bangkok, Mr. Jan Scheer, and Counsellor for Economic and Commercial Affairs of the German Embassy in Bangkok, Dr. Alexander Raubold, joined the morning briefing and discussed key issues in Thailand and the region with the participants.

• GTCC Business Luncheon: Thailand Economic Outlook 2019 The German-Thai Chamber of Commerce (GTCC) organised the sixth Thailand Economic Outlook event at the Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel on 21 February 2019. The luncheon talk attracted about 120 participants from 15 bilateral Chambers and guests from various business sectors in Thailand for a discussion on economic trends and challenges at the global, regional and national levels.

Keynote speaker Mr. Prinn Panitchpakdi presented an overview of global and regional challenges with a focus on Thailand’s economic development for 2019 towards “Thailand 4.0”. The keynote speech was followed by a panel discussion on “Transformation to Industry 4.0” by Mr. Markus Lorenzini, President & CEO of Siemens Ltd., Thailand (Cambodia, Laos & Myanmar); Mr. Peter Rankl, President ASEAN of Continental Automotive; Mr. Christian Wiedmann, President of BMW (Thailand); Dr. Armin Wiesler, General Manager / Head of Human Pharma of Boehringer Ingelheim (Thai); amd Mr. Johannes Von Rohr, Co-Founder & Director Corporate Development of Rabbit Finance.

• GTCC White Asparagus Wine Dinner In partnership with DACHSER (Thailand) Co., Ltd., GTCC held a White Asparagus Wine Dinner on 3 May 2019 at the Royal Orchid Sheraton and Towers, at which it welcomed about 60 distinguished guests including German Ambassador to Thailand, H.E. Georg Schmidt. The participants enjoyed the five-course finely cooked “white gold” dinner and a selection of German premium wines. GTCC is grateful for the support provided by DACHSER in making this event a big success.

• AHK Digital Strategy Workshop Asia-Pacific GTCC welcomed thirty-six participants from of the German Chambers of Commerce Abroad (AHKs) in the Asia-Pacific region to the 2-day AHK Digital Strategy Workshop during 13-14 June 2019, to set the digital goals and strategy for our global network in 2025 together. The participants also jointly identified challenges and opportunities of digitalization within the AHK network.

• Young Professionals Networking Evening: Meeting the CEOs – Part II On 26 September 2019, GTCC organised the third Young Professionals Networking Evening of 2019 at ABar & ABar Rooftop. The more than 90 participants had an opportunity to meet Carl van der Elst from Deutsche Bank AG, and Mr. Volker Hellstern from Häfele Thailand Limited. The speakers provided insights into adapting success and overcoming challenges in doing business in Asia during the panel discussion and the lively Q&A session that followed. Afterwards, the guests and speakers had the chance to network among peers from different industries.

• GTCC Partners and Customers Appreciation: Schloss Vollrads Wine Tasting GTCC Partners and Customers Appreciation: Schloss Vollrads Wine Tasting were organised on 4 December 2019 to express appreciations to our partners and customers for their great support and valuable contributions to the success of our chamber throughout the year. It also helped enhance collaboration with the chamber’s partners and customers.

Membership activities

• GTCC Site Visit to Ducati Motor Thailand A GTCC site visit to Ducati Motor Thailand Co., Ltd. was organised on 23 August 2019. About 50 GTCC members learned about the company’s milestones, products and heritage values. They also explored the firm’s high-quality production that is standardised to ensure the safety of customers as well as the high-performance engines with its renowned “desmodromic” technology. We appreciate the warm welcome and informative presentations as well as the plant tour led by Mr. Alberto Strada, Managing Director of Ducati Motor Thailand.

• GTCC Gala Night 2019 – “Fairy Tales” Guests, including GTCC members, business partners and executives from more than 20 top brands in the German-Thai business community, participated in the GTCC Gala Night 2019 at Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok, on 24 May 2019. “Fairy Tales” was a special theme for 2019, representing a wonderful fantasy world, reminiscent of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales. GTCC was honoured by the presence of the German Ambassador to Thailand, H.E. Georg Schmidt, who also delivered a special address about the peaceful reunification of West and East Germany, and how the Basic Law came into force. The VIP guests included Ms. Duangjai Asawachintachit, Secretary-General of Thailand Board of Investment; Mr. Supant Mongkolsuthree, Chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries; and Mr. Chusak Chuenprayoth, Vice-Chairman of Thai Chamber of Commerce. All proceeds from the raffle ticket sales at the Gala Night were donated to the Iceman Charity, to be used to provide a new Kärcher scrubber machine for the daily cleaning of a 2,000-m 2

canteen for 2,400 children in an orphanage under the administration of Wat Sakaeo Temple in Ang Thong.

• GTCC Meets the German Ambassador At the “GTTC Meets the German Ambassador” event held on 12 September 2019 at the Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit, GTCC members had the opportunity to discuss various topics with German Ambassador to Thailand, H.E. Georg Schmidt. The Ambassador shared his diplomatic experiences in Thailand and Asia as well as his perspectives on Thailand’s economy and politics during the talk with Mr. Saksith Saiyasombut, Thailand Correspondent, CNA. The participants also strengthened their business connections with other members during the networking session.

• GTCC Oktoberfest 2019 The seventeenth GTCC Oktoberfest welcomed more than 1,600 guests on 25 and 26 October 2019 at the Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park. Regarded as the most authentic and largest Oktoberfest in Thailand, this annual GTCC event serves as a social platform for business partners, staff and friends in a casual and jubilant ambience, and offers a taste of Germany’s world-renowned annual beer festival in Bangkok.

Corporate Services

• Thai-German Technology Conference “Biogas in Thailand” To enhance co-operation between Thai and German companies, and within the framework of the German Energy Solutions Initiative supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), GTCC organised a Technology Conference in collaboration with the Renewables Academy (RENAC) AG on the topic of “Biogas” on 25 March 2019 at Crowne Plaza Bangkok Lumpini Park.

The keynote address was given by Asst. Prof. Dr. Pruk Aggarangsi from the Energy Research and Development Institute-Nakornping, Chiang Mai University. Speakers from leading German biogas companies — APROVIS Energy Systems GmbH, Binder GmbH, BioEnergie grünes Deutschland GmbH/ BioEnergy Germany Co., Ltd, carbonauten GmbH, CONTINENTAL INDUSTRIE GmbH Gebläse- & Exhaustorentechnik, Maxxtec GmbH, PlanET Biogas Global GmbH and Weber Entec GmbH & Co. KG — discussed and shared experiences in biogas topics and relevant technology solutions in order to assist Thailand in achieving its goals.

• HANNOVER MESSE 2019 Delegation Visit From 30 March to 7 April 2019, GTCC organised its annual delegation trip to HANNOVERR MESSE 2019, the largest trade fair worldwide for industrial technology. The trip featured site visits to ZF TRW Automotive GmbH which (produces and intelligently integrates active and passive safety systems), Mercedes-Benz in Bremen (one of the most modern automotive factories in the world), Airbus Defence and Space GmbH (leading global industrial hub for transport, manned space flight and space robotics) and Porsche in Leipzig (production of the Macan model and the Panamera series). The 29 participants focused on the topic of “Integrated Industries — Industrial Intelligence”, which provided them with valuable insights during the site visits and the two days spent at the trade fair.

• Study Trip to K 2019 and Exclusive Site Visits GTCC, in co-operation with the National Science and Technology Development Agency, organised a business and study trip to Germany on “Innovative Materials and Plastic Technology Exclusive Site Visits, and K 2019: Plastics shape the future” from 19 to 27 October 2019. With special tours, the participants had the opportunity to engage with some of the 3,200 international exhibitors at K 2019, the world’s first fair for plastics and rubber industry. The participants experienced first-hand the latest developments and innovations in the rubber industry through exclusive visits to four sites in Germany and Switzerland.

• German Delegation for “Transport and Logistics” GTCC organised a business mission to Thailand for German transport and logistics companies from 11 to 15 November 2019, within the framework of the Foreign Market Entry Programme for SMEs supported by the BMWi (Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy). On 12 November, GTCC hosted the German-Thai Conference on “Transport and Logistics Solutions” at the Eastin Grand Hotel Sathorn for stakeholders to gain more knowledge of transport and logistics solutions in Germany, gain valuable insights from Thai experts in this sector and foster individual B2B-meetings with German companies.

Mr. Athibhu Chitranukroh, Director Bureau of Safety Planning of the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning, Ministry of Transport of Thailand, delivered the keynote speech. Mr. Thomas Hundt, Director, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI) provided an overview of transport and logistics in Germany to the participants. Dr. Luxmon Attapich, Deputy Secretary-General of the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) Office also presented “EEC in Action – Infrastructure Projects and Investment Plan”. A panel discussion was held on “Opportunities and Challenges in Transport and Logistics Sector” by Dr. Chumpol Saichua, President of the Thai Transport and Logistics Association (TTLA), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Manoj Lohatapanont, Executive Director of the Transportation Institute, Chulalongkorn University, and Dr. Thomas E. Fernandez, International School of Management, University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce.

Trade Fairs

• EMO Hannover 2019 EMO Hannover 2019 took place from 16 to 21 September, round about 117,000 production specialists from 150 countries convened at the world’s leading tradeshow for the metal-working industry. As the flagship fair for its sector of industry, EMO Hannover has a strong international profile. More than half of all attendees came from abroad, split almost evenly between other European countries and overseas. A 20 percent growth in attendance from overseas in comparison with the 2017 event was particularly impressive. This included a high percentage of Asian guests, who accounted for almost one third of visitors from abroad.

GTCC played our part as an official local partner in Thailand to promote EMO. On 18 January 2019, we successfully held EMO Press Conference in Bangkok and since then actively worked as a dialog partner in Thailand to promote EMO. GTCC also successfully organised official delegation trip to EMO Hannover 2019. Over 20 business delegates took part in the trip.

• BIOFACH SOUTHEAST ASIA 2019 With an increase in exhibitor and visitor numbers, the outcomes of this second round of BIOFACH SOUTHEAST ASIA are something to be proud of. The 403 exhibitors from 14 different countries gave the event an international flair. There was a Vietnamese pavilion, and Myanmar even hosted two small pavilions — one at BIOFACH and another at the NATURAL EXPO SOUTH EAST ASIA. For the first time, a group of German companies participated in the event thanks to the German Pavilion sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture. The 14 per cent increase in the visitor number was extremely gratifying and reflected the growing interest in organic food in the ASEAN region. The royal visit at the opening of the event also underscored the importance of the organic concept meanwhile in South-East Asia. Mom Luang Sarali Kitiyakara, representing Her Royal Highness Princess Soamsawali, visited the event on the first day and ensured a great start with a high level of media interest.

As local representative of NürnbergMesse GmbH in Thailand, GTCC exhibited in the institution zone to support German companies onsite and encourage Thai companies to participate in BIOFACH Worldwide.

• Spielwarenmesse 2019 In celebrating its seventieth anniversary in 2019, Spielwarenmesse confirmed its position as the world’s leading international fair for toys, hobbies and leisure. It remained the biggest and most important annual gathering for these industries. At Spielwarenmesse 2019 (30 January to 3 February), held in Nuremberg’s exhibition centre, 2,886 companies from 68 countries presented their innovations to 68,500 trade visitors and buyers who flocked to the fair from 132 nations. Ninety per cent of the exhibitors and international visitors said they planned to exhibit and attend Spielwarenmesse 2020 in Nuremberg, Germany.

Thai Toy and Children Product Association hosted the Thailand pavilion at Spielwarenmesse 2019. There were also 20 notable Thai toy companies with total exhibition space of 644 m2 at the fair.

• ITB Berlin 2019 Despite a slowdown in the world economy, demand within the world’s travel industry remains extremely stable. The results of the five-day exhibition at ITB Berlin 2019 was positive that the trade visitor numbers rose to 113,500, a three per cent increase compared with 2018, underlining the fact that even in times of widespread uncertainty due to geopolitical and economic events such as Brexit and trade conflicts, ITB Berlin has retained its position as the World’s Leading Travel Trade Show. From 6 to 10 March 2019 over 10,000 exhibitors from 181 countries and regions displayed their products and services to visitors in 26 halls.

GTCC Annual Report 2019 Internationally, the ITB success story continues. Having already established ITB Asia in Singapore and ITB China in Shanghai, from 15 to 17 April 2020 Messe Berlin will be holding the first ITB India in Mumbai. Within the travel industry India is regarded as one of the most important source markets of the future.

Covering 1,543 m 2

of exhibition space, almost 180 Thai exhibitors which included major tourism organisations and associations from Bangkok, Pattaya, Koh Samui, Krabi, Phang-Nga, Phuket, Prachuap Khirikhan and Tourism Authority of Thailand presented the emerging tourist destinations in Thailand to enhance the image of “Open to the New Shades of Thailand”.

• bauma 2019 With more than 620,000 visitors from over 200 countries, bauma 2019, the world’s leading trade fair for construction machinery, building material machines, mining machines, construction vehicles and construction equipment, generated the best results in the exhibition’s 65-year history. The number of visitors rose by about 40,000 over the total produced during the previous event in 2016.

The number of exhibitors totaled about 3,700 from 63 countries — likewise a record. With its unprecedented 614,000 square meters of space, the largest bauma ever held was once again a bauma filled with records.

The participation from Thailand included the exhibits of the piping systems and building materials as well as 575 trade visitors from construction and building material industries.

German-Thai Dual Excellence Education (GTDEE)

• National Vocational Education Committee on Internationalisation of Vocational Education On 14 March 2019, GTDEE team members, Dr. Kamonsak Suradom, Mr. Panuwat Jaitham and Mr. Katiphot Kanoknorrasade participated in the fourth Board meeting of the National Vocational Education Committee on Internationalisation of Vocational Education, hosted by Dr. Teerakiat Jaroensettasin, M.D. Minister of Education, at the Ministry of Education. The public and private agencies participating in the meeting included the Board of Trade of Thailand, the Office of Vocational Education Commission (OVEC), Thailand Professional Qualification Institute (Public Organisation), Thai Chamber of Commerce, Irish-Thai Chamber of Commerce, British Chamber of Commerce Thailand, AustralianThai Chamber of Commerce, German-Thai Chamber of Commerce (GTCC), IBM and Microsoft. Fur thermore, GTCC received the Cer tificate of Recognition awarded by Thailand’s Ministry of Education (MOE) at the meeting. This was an official recognition by the MOE for GTCC’s dual vocational education and training apprenticeship programme under GTDEE, AdA International – Train the Trainer and Quality Assurance for Education Institutions in Thailand.

• PAL Final Examination 2019 (Theoretical and Practical) for BMW and Mercedes-Benz Apprentices GTDEE team organised the PAL Final Examination 2019 (theoretical and practical) in Automotive Mechatronics for BMW Group (Thailand) Co., Ltd. and Mercedes-Benz (Thailand) Co., Ltd. apprentices batch 2017 from 2 to 10 May 2019. The examinations were held at Don Bosco Techonological College; BMW Group (Thailand) Training Centre, Pathum Thani; and Competence Centre (MBCC), Bangna-Trad Km. 19. The examination committee members comprised the following experts from the College of Industrial Technology, King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chedthawut Poompipatpong, Head of the Department of Power Engineering Technology, College of Industrial Technology, Asst. Prof. Dr. Warit Thammasiriroj and Asst. Prof. Direk Choowichien.

• GTCC Certificate “AdA International – Train the Trainer” GTCC organised the 2nd AdA International – Train the Trainer workshop from 30 September to 17 October 2019 at the GTCC office. There were 10 participants from the educational and industrial partners: Pathum Thani Brewery Co., Ltd. and Khon Kaen Brewery Co., Ltd.; Don Bosco Technological College Bangkok and King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB) respectively, attended the 120-hour training course. During the workshop, they received the instruction on methods for teaching apprentices according to German standards. The objective of the course is to train the trainers according to German quality standards of the AEVO (GermanAusbilder-Eignungsverordnung). Furthermore, all 10 participants had passed the AdA examination which they were given the certificates at the end of the workshop on 17 October 2019.

• GTCC Certificate Presentation Ceremony for BMW and Mercedes-Benz apprentices batch 2017 GTDEE team participated in the presentation of DIHK Certificates to apprentices batch 2017 from BMW Group (Thailand) Co., Ltd. and Mercedes-Benz (Thailand) Ltd. H.E. Mr. Georg Schmidt, German Ambassador to Thailand, Dr. Alexander Raubold, Counsellor of Economic and Commerce Affairs of German Embassy of Thailand’s and Thai Education Minister, Mr. Nataphol Teepsuwan among the people who attended the events. Fourty-three Automotive Mechatronics apprentices who had achieved a Level A certificate for “German dual vocational education and training abroad” and a Level B certificate for “Local Dual Vocational Education and Training in line with the German model” from the AHKIHK-DIHK network in Germany under the German-Thai Dual Excellence Education Programme (GTDEE), BMW Service Apprentice Program and Mercedes-Benz Automotive Mechatronics Technician Program. The graduates attended the certification ceremony were part of partnership between GTCC, BMW dealerships, Mercedes-Benz dealerships, Eastern Technological College (E.Tech), Don Bosco Technological College Bangkok and Samut Prakarn Technical College.