An interview with the cluster managers of automotive Berlin Brandenburg e.V.: Harald Bleimeister, Chairman of the Board, and Michael Bose, Head of Internationalization

 

What is the current situation in the automotive sector in Berlin-Brandenburg?

Bleimeister:

With our 400 members, we still see ourselves as the “region for future mobility”. Electromobility is visible here, not only because Tesla and Nio are here. But that doesn’t change the situation of the automotive industry in Germany: Berlin-Brandenburg is not an island. We have the same situation here as everywhere else. Suppliers that depend on OEMs have to realign their business models. Some medium-sized companies no longer see a way forward and are closing. The classic medium-sized company optimism is no longer so easy to access. These are not good signs for the transformation process that we as an association want to motivate for.

Not away from the car – but with know-how into new markets and industries

So how do you argue in your discussions then?

If we were just to massage their minds, we wouldn’t get past the first coffee with the entrepreneurs. We have to provide tangible assistance. We have to show options – internationally in the EU, China, Japan and Vietnam. We remind the companies of their technological expertise, which they can apply to many sectors and market internationally. We encourage the companies, which have been able to survive for a long time in one of the most demanding industries and have been and are successful in the certifications and processes of the automotive industry. This does not mean: away from the car – but to face new markets and industries with the know-how in surface or forming technology, for example.

Bose:

There are three dimensions to how we support the internationalization process. First, information: We invite people to see for themselves what is developing in other regions and industries and what the state of the art is in terms of technology. Secondly, there is the exchange. Seeing how other companies deal with problems helps to establish cross-industry networks, including in new markets. And thirdly, of course, there is the discovery of real potential, the determination of one’s own direction of development and the finding of partners for it.

We do not organize sightseeing in China. It is about building trusting technology partnerships

Bleimeister:

Michael Bose has done important work in this regard, particularly in China. We don’t just want to organize sightseeing for companies, but rather get closer and closer to potential partners in technical terms. This also included building a trusting partnership with CIIPA. It is also important to work together with initiatives in other federal states, such as Saarland, North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria or Lower Saxony, that have the same approach as us.

How can an automotive cluster provide specific support in technology topics and in the technical preparation of the first steps towards internationalization?

Bose:

To do that, we first have to correctly determine the exact needs and the service portfolio of the companies in order to properly understand their core objectives. In China, we have been working since 2014 and in partnership with CIIPA since 2020 to develop a strategy for dealing with partners and the market. We have the concept of a network pyramid, in which you can find government contacts at various levels from central to municipal administration , administrative areas such as technology or economic development zones or areas, universities and their institutes, and finally industry associations. We are currently involved in 15 cooperative projects in various provinces and cities. We work with universities such as Tsinghua University and its Yangtze Delta Institute and its Technology Center in Berlin. Through the regional trade associations, we are able to enter into discussions with OEMs, 1st and 2nd tiers, where we also have contact with their production managers, technicians, development engineers and sales people. As an association, we can also see more clearly where there are specific opportunities for cooperation, what supplier structures look like, and where research can be carried out in collaboration with universities. The closer and more stable the relationships are, the more targeted the very detailed preparation of the companies can be. It’s demanding in terms of time, but that’s just how it is.

Bleimeister:

But I think the effort is worth it, and we are not unsuccessful as a result. The human side is also important: seriousness begins with dealing with people. We have a native speaker at the aBB, Ms. Wan Yang Rohrer, who helps us to understand China’s culture. For example, when we organize direct personal encounters between companies here, what do visitors from China actually take away from it? There is only one chance to make a good first impression.

Bose: Open communication on equal terms plays an important role in our approach of appreciative economic diplomacy.

What’s on your  international agenda for 2025 –  and for China?

Bose:

We will be in Wuxi for International TechWeek from March 18 to 23. One highlight will certainly be our visit to the leading trade fair Auto Shanghai from April 22 to 28, where we will also visit other stations in China such as Nanchang and Shiyan. We are at the automotive conference that Prof. Dudenhöffer is holding in China, planning delegation trips to Vietnam in the summer and to Japan for the World Expo in September. And, of course, we will be co-organizing the 9th German-Chinese Automotive Congress of the CIIPA in October again. Then there is the IAA in Germany, and numerous delegations will be coming to us. It won’t be boring.

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The interview was conducted by Hans Gäng in February 2025. It will be published together with more than 30 other interviews in the 2024/2025 annual report of China’s investment agency CIIPA. Information about the cluster activities in Berlin-Brandenburg and the delegation trip to the Shanghai Motor Showcan be found here: https://www.ac-bb.de