P a g e 1w w w. i n v e s t - i n - b a v a r i a . c o m

What’s insideFive minutes with … Beate Rank,

CEO of Rakuten Deutschland GmbH

Page 2

Focus Topic: Welcoming culture as an

opportunity

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Bavaria in your briefcase:

Kulmbacher Mönchshof

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Business Bavaria Newsletter

Issue 10 | 2013

Bavaria is popular among specialist staff from around the world and Munich now

offers them a new point of contact, the Service-Center for International Profes-

sionals. The state capital wants to set a new example with this centre, which

opened only a few days ago on October 1st, 2013, to smooth the path for foreign

managerial and specialist staff into their new employment relationship in Bavaria.

Initial assistance for international specialists

The staff in the new Service Center in Munich is responsible for all immigration and

residency issues – from the residency permit to naming contacts for all important

questions related to the first entry such as finding accommodation, reregistrating

the driving licence, enrolling children to school, etc. They speak English, French,

Italian, Russian and Spanish and there is also an in-house interpreting office for

those languages. One of the backdrops for this new facility was the establishment

of the Directive on Highly Qualified Workers in August 2012, which got numerous

relieves in terms of starting work off the ground. With the foundation of the Ser-

vice Center, Munich wants to promote the influx of international specialist staff in

the sense of an active welcoming culture even beyond the statutory requirements.

For more on that, see the Focus Topic on Page 3

Our top topic: Welcoming cultureWhat Bavaria is doing to increase its appeal to international specialists.

We are moving! New address

from 1st November 2013:

Prinzregentenstr. 22

80538 Munich | Germany

Pioneering strategies for increased competitiveness between processing companies

in Upper Franconia are the goal of the Technology Roadmap for Upper Franconia

project. Based on a scientific theoretical approach, the strengths and weaknesses

of interested companies are determined, their opportunities and risks examined and

possible ways for development demonstrated.

The Technology Roadmap for Upper Franconia project focuses on the manufacturing in-

dustry with the sectors metal, plastics, glass/ceramics, furniture/wood processing and

textiles in the administrative district of Upper Franconia. In order for these sectors to re-

main the economic flagships of the region, the second step of the project is to point out

the sector-specific strategic options to the companies so they can equip themselves for

new challenges early on, prepare for sector trends in a timely manner and initiate the de-

velopment of new products. After all, these sectors are subject to swift changes. Prod-

ucts that are successful and common today, might not be needed any more tomorrow.

Upper Franconia en route to the future

The Fraunhofer Process Innovation project group at the University of Bayreuth is re-

sponsible for the Technology Roadmap for Upper Franconia. The Manufacturing and

Remanufacturing Technology chair and the Fraunhofer project group work together

closely with the companies. The response to the offer is very positive and each com-

pany is analysed for one or two days. The project started in July 2011 and is designed

to run 3.5 years; the analysis phase will conclude by the end of 2013. The Bavarian

State Ministry of Economic Affairs and Media, Energy and Technology contributes

around EUR 1.1 million of funding to the Technology Roadmap for Upper Franconia.

Your contact at Invest in Bavaria:

Lisa Zeitler, Northern Bavaria office, lisa.zeitler@invest-in-bavaria.de

For more information visit www.roadmap-oberfranken.de/main.php

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Five minutes with …

… “new inhabitants” from abroad have come to Bavaria since the beginning of the

1990s. Even within Germany, Bavaria can be considered as a land of immigration.

679,000 people have moved to Bavaria from other German regions between 1991 and

2010 (Federal Institute for Population Research 2012).

On the development of e-commerce and Rakuten‘s

prospects in Germany and Europe since the acquisi-

tion of Tradoria GmbH. Currently, over 6,200 online

retailers offering more than nine billion products

are under contract with Rakuten Deutschland. Over

800 retailers are setting up their shop and will go

online shortly. Beate Rank was the former manag-

ing director and co-founder of Tradoria before it was

taken over by the Japanese company Rakuten, Inc.

Rakuten is one of the world‘s ten largest internet

companies and is represented in 26 countries with

10,000 employees.

How important is the e-commerce market in Ger-

many for a global player like Rakuten in terms of its

expansion strategy?

Counting more than 41 million (50 per cent of the

German population) digital shoppers in 2012 (and an

estimated 46 million in 2016), Germany is among the

nations with the biggest potential in e-commerce in

Europe.

In 2012, German B2C online and mail-order trad-

ing generated total sales in excess of EUR 39.3 bil-

lion. E-commerce achieved EUR 27.6 billion and thus

accounted for 70 per cent of the sector‘s total sales.

The German E-Commerce and Distance Selling Trade

Association even predicts that the e-commerce vol-

ume will increase by another 21 per cent in 2013, which

can mainly be attributed to the rising popularity of

smartphones and tablet devices in Germany. These

figures alone highlight Germany‘s significance in the

context of international strategies.

We are of course extremely delighted about the oppor-

tunity to actively contribute to this growth and suc-

cess with the international expertise of the Rakuten

Group and with our dynamic team here at Rakuten.de.

Perhaps we are even able to accelerate it.

Which advantages of Bavaria as a business location

(e.g. economic power, infrastructure, purchasing

power, quality of life) are particularly important for

Rakuten?

Bavaria not only is home to global companies such as

Adidas, Audi, BMW or Siemens, it is also a strong base

for small and medium-sized companies in industry,

retail and the service sector. The reasons are obvious:

What is being offered in the fields of transportation,

telecommunications and energy is quite extraordi-

nary and the high standards in education achieve top

values in the international arena. All these criteria of

course encouraged Rakuten, Inc.‘s decision. The critical

factor, however, was our proximity in terms of content

to the business model Rakuten has been very success-

ful with on the Japanese market since 1997, and which

is becoming more and more popular in Germany, too.

Thinking about the digital infrastructure: Do you

think Bavaria is well-equipped for the future?

Compared internationally, Bavaria achieves top marks

regularly – be it with regard to the digital infrastruc-

ture or other important areas such as education and

purchasing power. If nothing else, this is the reason

why we are convinced that Bavaria is really well-

equipped for the future.

Do you cooperate with regional partners or maintain

research activities with Bavarian universities?

We collaborate with local postal delivery services,

among other things, and plan to extend our activi-

ties with Bavarian universities and other educational

institutions. For years, Bavarian pupils have been

among the best of all European countries and numer-

ous international schools as well as a growing number

of multilingual learning opportunities give evidence of

the international demand for education. In combina-

tion with the German e-commerce market‘s growth

rates, we want to invest in the specialist staff of

tomorrow as partners in a professional way and fur-

ther expand our activities in this area.

Number of the month million …1.3

Beate Rank, CEO of Rakuten Deutschland GmbH

The IT specialists, business economists, engineers and other specialist staff com-

panies are specifically looking for come from all around the world – China, India,

Vietnam, New Zealand or Eastern Europe – and Bavaria is at the top of their list.

However, this is no reason to rest on one’s laurels. Bavaria places great value on a

welcoming culture with services that make the transition into a new employment

relationship for international top talents even easier.

Since 1st October 2013: Service Center in Munich

The recently opened Service-Center for International Professionals employs a total

of 15 workers who are responsible for all immigration and residency issues. Precise

requirements (necessary documents, evidence to be presented) are settled before-

hand with network partners such as Invest in Bavaria, the Employment Agency and

embassies of the countries of origin, etc. Ideally, one appointment is sufficient to

get the ball rolling. If the necessary requirements are fulfilled, the electronic resi-

dence title (e-AT) can already be applied for at the first visit and usually be handed

over within four to six weeks. For more information or to make an appointment with

the Service Center Munich, send an e-mail to migration.kvr@muenchen.de or call the

call centre at 089/233-96010.

A warm welcome – clearly leading the way

Specially established service and welcome centres do not only assist in getting voca-

tional qualifications approved or in visiting authorities for the naturalisation, they also

see to finding accommodation, arrange language courses or provide information on

public transport, sports facilities and much more. The Roth district, too, sets a good

example: “In a way, we point people in the right direction and help foreign special-

ist staff with questions about resident permits, finding translators for qualifications

gained abroad and also with finding apprenticeship or internship positions for their

children,” emphasises Christof Liebel, head of the Welcome Service Center Roth. His

institution is closely linked to and works with the Chamber of Industry and Commerce,

the Chamber of Crafts and the Employment Agency as well as with the foreigners’

registration office. As a regional hub, the Service Center is part of the Unternehm-

erfabrik Landkreis Roth GmbH, the regional economic promotion society of the Roth

district. http://www.unternehmerfabrik.de/willkommensservice-fuer-fachkraefte/.

Showcase project “Allianz pro Fachkräfte” (Alliance pro skilled professionals)

The Welcome Service Center is also integrated in an ambitious project launched last

year not far from Roth. The idea to secure specialist staff for the economy in a net-

work consisting of strong partners, including, among others, the Federal Employment

Agency, the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region, the Bavarian Ministry of Labour and the

Ministry of Economic Affairs, has achieved a lot of recognition in Germany and around

the world. The “Allianz pro Fachkräfte” was honoured as the most innovative network

in Germany by the Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Mrs. von der Leyen, in

2012 and has ranked second in the category “unconventional projects” of the Interna-

tional Chamber of Commerce’s world chamber competition in Doha, Qatar, in early 2013.

Giving the green light with the blue card

Since August 2012, the newly introduced EU Blue Card residence title has been mak-

ing it easier for highly qualified workers from non-EU-countries to begin their work

in Germany. The requirements to apply for the EU Blue Card are

– a German or comparable foreign university degree and

– an employment contract with a gross annual salary of at least EUR 46,400

(EUR 3,867 per month).

Special advantage for Blue Card holders: They can apply for a permanent residence

permit after 33 months of employment with compulsory pension insurance, and even

already after 21 months if they can provide proof of a good command of German.

www.work-in-bavaria.com

Welcoming culture as an opportunity

“The state capital Munich is setting an important example with the es-

tablishment of the Service-Center for International Professionals and

sends the clear message that foreign managerial and specialist staff

and their families are welcome in Munich. The close collaboration with

our network partners, in particular with Invest in Bavaria, allows us to

guarantee that all questions with regard to immigration and residency

are settled beforehand and for example new company settlements can

be realised quickly.”

Dr. Klaus Kirchmann, deputy head of the Munich foreigners’ registration

office (KVR)

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Focus Topic

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Kulmbacher Mönchshof

Bavaria in your Briefcase

Those who want to know how industrialisation changed even the traditional art

of brewing in Bavaria can learn about this in Kulmbach – a city known all over the

world for its beers and home to one of the most impressive castle complexes of

Germany, the Plassenburg. The Kulmbacher Mönchshof is located at the foot of

the castle; here, the Franconian art of brewing has been cultivated for more than

600 years. Alongside the brewery and the beer garden, it hosts a brewery and

bakery museum. This is why the Kulmbacher Mönchshof is a popular destination

for work outings as well as for conferences, meetings and business lunches. The

history of the complex dates far back and the name Mönchshof (monk’s court) can

be taken literally. Though it has not been clearly documented who first started

brewing beer, the hard-working monks of the Cistercian Monastery or the wander-

ing Augustinian monks, the brewery in the monastery was mentioned already in

1349, which marked the beginning of a long-standing tradition that is still alive

today. One can enjoy the Franconian way of life both in the historic rooms of the

Mönchshof brewery and in the cosy beer garden during the summer season. From

medieval times to today’s state-of-the-art brewing techniques, experience the

history of brewing first hand at the Bavarian brewery museum. Next door, the

bakery museum offers everything you always wanted to know about baking, from

sowing to the everyday bread.

www.kulmbacher-moenchshof.de

Where visitors go to indulge and quench their thirst for knowledge

Image sources

P. 1: © Thinkstock

P. 2: © Rakuten Deutschland GmbH

P. 3: © Thinkstock

P. 4: © Kulmbacher Brauerei

Publisher

Invest in Bavaria – The Business Promotion Agency of the Bavarian Ministry of

Economic Affairs and Media, Energy and Technology and Bayern International

Widenmayerstr. 34

80538 Munich | Germany

Phone +49 89 24210-7500

welcome@invest-in-bavaria.com

Business Bavaria

Coordination: Alexandra Schmidhuber

Art Direction: Alex Podolay

Editorial Department: www.red.de

Translation: www.aa-boundless.com

Layout: www.red.de

HTML Version: www.kirchbergerknorr.de

Trade Fairs and Events

… in Munich

PTS Umwelt Symposium 6th – 7th November 2013 The paper industry’s forum for water, energy, waste and environmental legislation

www.pts-umwelt-symposium.com

Electrical Energy Storage 12th – 15th November 2013 International Trade Fair for Batteries, Energy Storage and Innovative Production

www.ees-munich.com/en/Home

… in Nuremberg

SPS / IPC / Drives26th – 28th November 2013 Electric Automation – Systems and Components, International Exhibition and Conference

www.mesago.de/en/SPS/home.htm

... by and with Invest in BavariaInvest in Bavaria at the European Space Solutions 5th – 7th November 2013 in Munich | Bavaria European space travel conference at the Alte Kongresshalle in Munich

Your contact: Bernd Buchenberger | Tel.:+49 89 2162-2582 Bernd.Buchenberger@invest-in-bavaria.com

Invest in Bavaria at the 3rd German-Turkish Business Days 22nd November 2013 in Nuremberg | Bavaria

Your contact: Caglar Bektas | Tel.:+49 89 24210-7525 caglar.bektas@invest-in-bavaria.com