"Driving forward internationalization"

Invited by the organizers from Henan, our Managing Director Dr. Michael Kröger and our Head of Business Development Dr. Florian UIlrich spent a few days in the People's republic of China to attend the World Sensors Summit (WSS), meet potential customers, have constructive discussions with CNBEST as an iL distributor and expand contacts with companies and representatives of the Zhengzou High-Tech Zone.

"We develop and manufacture sensor solutions based on printed electronics for the automotive industry, for instance for monitoring batteries in electric cars," explains Michael Kröger", China, with its strong automotive industry and pioneering role in the field of electromobility, is therefore one of the most important markets for us. Our aim is to drive forward internationalization and promote active exchange with partners and customers in China."

Michael Kröger: " There are endless possibilities to produce endless printed sensors"

Michael Kröger has held a Keynote speech focused on InnovationLab GmbH's roll-to-roll production platform, at the World Sensors Summit conference. The Summit has been held in Zhengzhou, the capital city of Henan Province with a population of 12.7 million. "I showed that we are incredibly fast, flexible and competitive with our endless possibilities to produce printed sensors endlessly - literally every second," said Kröger. 
Florian Ullrich had added insights into product and application highlights. He had presented application examples of printed sensors and printed electronics in the automotive sector. In his Keynote talk, the focus were Seat Belt Reminder (SBR), the BaMoS battery monitoring solution and printed heating elements.

Conference in Zhengzhou with 800 participants
In addition to the perfectly organized conference with 800 participants, at which visitors from Germany, France, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Argentina and the USA were represented alongside the phalanx from China, the World Sensors Summit was also very busy. Chinese exhibitors from the so-called Chinese "Smart Sensor Valley", as the structurally strong region around Zhengzhou is known, dominated the event. However, European manufacturers such as Hexagon, Siemens and Fluke also used the WSS to present part of their product range. 

The ambitions of the Henan region, with 100 million people even larger than Germany, to not only position itself nationally in China, but also to make a name for itself internationally in terms of sensor technology, were clearly evident. "The conference and trade fair were therefore exactly the right place for iL and HPE," says Kröger, summing up the strenuous five-day trip.

Meeting with the distributor Marc Hao

The iL representatives have also met the Chinese distributor Marc Hao from CNBEST. Michael Kröger is optimistic: "We introduced Marc to our products. Now he can analyze everything with ten employees in China and work together with us to build up a market." Hao is an extremely active character and has excellent business connections in China. 

Talks with customers and partners wrapped up the logistical challenge. As is was reported before, 16 representatives of a high-ranking delegation from Henan Province and the city of Zhengzhou had already visited iL last April. The return visit to "Sensor Valley" was the logical consequence of the increasingly in-depth exchange.

Cultural tours to Dongfeng and the Shaolin Temple

The local organizers has kindly arranged a diverse cultural program for Michael Kröger and Florian Ullrich. In China, hospitality is generally very important and is exemplified. Henan is seen as the cradle of Chinese culture, so a trip to Dongfeng and the famous Shaolin Temple were among the special highlights. Dongfeng was founded in the 5th century AD and is considered the oldest university in China, although it is no longer active today. The "Shaolin Si" is one of the most famous Buddhist monasteries in the world. It is located in the impressive Song Mountains and is considered the cradle of Shaolin Kung Fu.Meditation and yoga trains the monks to strengthen their body and mind.

Unfortunately, the opportunity to take part in current kung fu training courses was not available to the sports-loving iL representatives Michael and Florian due to time constraints. "The place breathes spirituality and at the same time is a reminder of all classic martial arts cinema" said the two iL representatives, who were impressed. 

 

Joachim Klaehn 

Head of Communications