Event 2018: German Maritime Delegation Visit to Surabaya
As part of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy’s (BMWi) Market Development Program for SMEs 2018, the German Indonesian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (EKONID) organized a 5-day event in order to assist market actors from the German Maritime Industry to enter the Indonesian market.
Held from February 25th to March 2nd, the event brought the participating companies to the capital of East Java, Surabaya, where they visited local institutions and companies to gain a better overview of the sector. From there the group travelled on to Jakarta, Indonesia‘s metropolitan capital as well as Indonesia’s free trade zone of Batam in the Riau island province.
The delegates covered a comprehensive spectrum of the maritime sector: from marine power and propulsion systems to marine engineering, construction and supporting equipment. The business delegation for German SMEs was accompanied by Ms. Anja Stenger, representative of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). The mission benefitted greatly from the support of the German Shipbuilding and Ocean Industry Association (VSM) which was represented by Mr. Christian Schilling, Managing Director and Corporate Counsel of German Shipbuilding and Ocean Industry Association (VSM). The VSM played an important role as an umbrella association representing the German Maritime Industry in Indonesia.
The main purpose of the business delegation was to introduce German maritime experts to Indonesian stakeholders within the maritime industry, as well as to identify joint solutions for the development of the Indonesian maritime sector. Aside from the high quality of German marine components – which is already well-known in Indonesia – further assistance in the form of financing solutions for importing German components were also highlighted by the German Shipbuilding and Ocean Industry Association (VSM). The German delegates were given the opportunity to generate business contacts during the event and subsequent B2B meetings which were organized prior by EKONID for each individual company.
After the welcome dinner and an introduction session on Sunday evening in Surabaya, the program continued on Monday with a group visit to PT Adiluhung Saranasegara Indonesia, one of the leading shipbuilders in Madura Island. Afterwards the group paid a visit to PT Pelindo III, a state-owned port operating company, and PT. Teknik Tadakara, an Indonesian component producer for maritime applications. After a long day, the German delegation took the opportunity to meet and mingle with invited attendees from East Java’s maritime industry on the occasion of a networking dinner.
The next morning, the program began with a Business Forum on Shipbuilding and Maritime Technology Solutions. Around 60 Indonesian participants from the maritime industry in Surabaya participated in the forum.
The Business Forum was opened by Mr. Martin Krummeck, Deputy Managing Director of EKONID, followed by Ms. Anja Stenger, representative of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). In her speech, Ms. Anja Stenger expressed German interest in establishing a bilateral cooperation with Indonesia in the maritime sector as part of an MoU signed between the German and Indonesian Government in July last year.
The following remarks by Mr. Budhiarto Sulaiman, the representative of the Indonesia Shipbuilding and Offshore Association (IPERINDO), pointed out the relevance of the development of Indonesian Maritime facilities in fulfilling the demand of marine components and to improve the quality of Indonesian vessels. Afterwards, Mr. Christian Schilling, Managing Director and Corporate Counsel of the German Shipbuilding and Ocean Industry Association (VSM) outlined how both associations can support Indonesia in strengthening its maritime industry and explained the possibilities of bilateral business cooperation from the perspective of the German maritime industry.
Throughout the conference, Indonesian participants had the chance to obtain first-hand knowledge about the core activities of the participating German companies and exchange interesting information through individual B2B meetings.
The remaining delegation program on the following days was conducted in Jakarta and Batam. Overall, the responses from the participants of the event were very positive, reflecting a successful mission for each of the parties involved in the German Maritime Delegation 2018.