A summit for world market leaders with around 400 participants took place in Beijing for the first time. The initiators were the Academy of World Market Leaders, which was founded by the former Economics Minister of Baden-Württemberg, Dr. Walter Döring, and the German-European Center for SME Cooperation DEZ in China. The venue was the impressive “Beijing-China-Germany International Convention and Exhibition Center” building complex in the middle of the Shunyi district, in the immediate vicinity of the Chinese capital’s airport. There is a large industrial area in which predominantly German companies such as Mercedes-Benz, Bosch and the medium-sized company Wilo have settled.

China is very impressed by the success strategies of the so-called hidden champions, leading global companies, of which there are around 1,700 in Germany. Above all, the big names are known abroad. A similar phenomenon exists in China, whose economic structure largely consists of small and medium-sized privately owned companies, although most of them do not yet have global sales structures.

The German world market leaders included ebm-papst, represented by the managing director responsible for sales, Thomas Nürnberger, Würth, represented by the foundation's former chairman of the board, Harald Unkelbach, and LAUDA, represented by President & CEO, Dr. Gunther Wobser, attended the summit.

The delegation of around 100 German company representatives was accompanied, among others, by the former German Economics Minister, Peter Altmaier, as well as the long-time member of the Bundestag, former minister and current chairman of the German-Chinese parliamentary group and the China Bridge dialogue platform, Dr. Hans Peter Friedrich.

Dr. Gunther Wobser took part in a panel discussion about the opportunities for German-Chinese cooperation and presented the family business LAUDA in the large plenary session. He focused on the important collaboration in the growth industries of electromobility and hydrogen drives, for example for trucks, and LAUDA's powerful product range as the world market leader for precise temperatures. He referred to the Chinese sales company, which has existed since 2008 and the production set up in 2023, which develops and produces first-class LAUDA devices from China worldwide.

The highlight was the reception of a small delegation by the Vice Minister for Trade and International Economic Relations, Ling Ji. Minister Ling Ji explicitly asked the company representatives about opportunities for improvement and took intensive notes. The protection of intellectual property, which is particularly important for German companies, was mentioned several times. Dr. Gunther Wobser asked for support with the required CCC certification and cited difficulties for his two Chinese subsidiaries in accessing digital information from the German headquarters. Minister Ling Ji then commented in detail on the individual points and generally pledged his support.

The Chinese government is showing increasing interest in creating investment-promoting conditions for German medium-sized businesses and thus attracting investments into the country. German world market leaders, in turn, want to continue to play an active role in Chinese economic life and expand their market position in the important sales market. As the conference showed, they are open to targeted cooperation with Chinese customers and family businesses.

Roy Lu is the new general manager of the sales subsidiary LAUDA China, which manages the global product range of LAUDA DR. R. WOBSER GMBH & CO. KG, the leading manufacturer of temperature control devices and systems. The 41-year-old electrical engineer has many years of experience in technical sales and has, among other things, worked for German branches in China such as Siemens and medium-sized companies such as Lenze. Most recently, he was responsible for the Chinese branch of a German manufacturer of connection systems and successfully expanded the business there.

Dr. Gunther Wobser, President & CEO of LAUDA, was together with the Director Area Sales International, Dr. Thorsten Ebel, on site in Shanghai to welcome the new employee. Convinced of the market opportunities in China, Dr. Wobser on the successful filling of the position: “The dynamics in China are unbroken in the medium and long term. In addition to our core markets in chemistry and biotechnology, we want to exploit opportunities in electromobility and hydrogen technology. Globally leading companies in particular rely on globally valid quality standards, which we, as the recognized world market leader for precise temperature control, offer with our own presence in all important markets.”

By filling this key position, LAUDA China is ideally prepared for the future and will concentrate on implementing the Drive250 growth strategy with Roy Lu. Dr. Ebel, who has been intensively supporting the team himself for several months, adds: “With Roy Lu, we have been able to gain an experienced manager who will further develop the market with the competent team. We will continue to expand our sales in the short term.”

LAUDA China was founded in 2008 and supports local dealers and end customers. Since the beginning of 2024, the Shanghai-based company has acted as a logistics hub and sells the entire LAUDA device portfolio in the strategically important region. The business has expanded significantly in recent years in particular.

After a five-year pandemic-related interruption, an Asia Sales Meeting of LAUDA DR. R. WOBSER GMBH & CO. KG, the world market leader for precise temperature control, took place for the first time again from April 15 to 19, 2024 in Da Nang, Vietnam.

Personally welcomed by Dr. Gunther Wobser, President & CEO of LAUDA, representatives from across Asia came together for the eighth edition of the Asia Sales Meeting to take part in training, courses and workshops. A total of 50 participants from Vietnam, India, China, New Zealand and other countries attended this important event.

In his welcoming speech, Dr. Wobser gave an update on LAUDA's business development and emphasized the importance of further cooperation in the context of the Drive250 strategy project. Other highlights were the presentations on new products, regulatory requirements and sales techniques. The upcoming launch of the LAUDA Universa appliance line and the world's first mobile, battery-operated ultra-low temperature chest freezer, Mobifreeze, attracted particular interest.

The event also provided an opportunity to recognize new and long-standing partners on the Asian market. Dr. Wobser, together with CSO Dr. Ralf Hermann, Dr. Thorsten Ebel, Director Area Sales International, Felix Heinrich-Bignasse, Director Key Account Management and Marco Hauser, Area Sales Manager Asia, presented the awards to those honored. Hazim Dawood, Mustafa Hazim and Yasmin Ghazi from The Specialization Company from Iraq received the award as “New agency with outstanding sales success”. Sandeep Sawant and his daughter Devaki Sawant from Sawant Process Solutions from India were honored with the award as “Long-time agency with continuous increase in sales during the last five years”.

The participants praised the excellent organization and the venue in Da Nang. Numerous constructive discussions took place during and after the official program, demonstrating the partners' commitment to LAUDA and their enthusiasm for future cooperation. In conclusion, Dr. Ralf Hermann and Marco Hauser emphasized their expectation that the knowledge gained will have a positive impact on concrete deals and new business.

“The 8th Asia Sales Meeting marks a significant milestone for LAUDA in Asia. The positive response and the intensive discussions underline the strength of our partnerships and the common pursuit of success,” summarizes Dr. Gunther Wobser.

With the successful conclusion of the meeting, LAUDA is now concentrating on the further implementation of its global strategies and is looking forward to new business in the Asian market.