Review of 2024 and outlook for 2025: promoting Sino-German cooperation in the field of smart manufacturing
In 2015, after studying mechanical engineering, I returned to China with the vision of promoting cooperation between Germany and China. A year later, in 2016, Wei Zhang and I founded the Sino-Cooperation Platform to create a bridge for exchange and cooperation in the field of intelligent manufacturing. Since then, we have been committed to bringing together companies from both countries in the fields of technology, culture and management to jointly tackle the challenges of the global manufacturing industry.
In 2016, I welcomed a delegation of German professors to Qingdao.
The year 2024 was one of the most extraordinary years of my career. Until then, the relationship between Chinese and German companies was mainly characterized by a one-way street – Chinese companies were strongly oriented towards German models, especially in the areas of technology and organization. However, the year 2024 marked a turning point: Chinese companies not only sought knowledge transfer, but also cooperation with German partners on an equal footing. By combining their respective strengths, companies from both countries began to tap into global markets together and create new opportunities for win-win situations.
2024: Deepening cooperation in key areas
In the area of Industry 4.0, our platform organized a total of 96 online seminars in 2024, connecting companies and institutions from Germany and China. The participating German companies were mostly technology-oriented companies that are in a phase of global expansion and offer innovative solutions in the field of Industry 4.0. They were increasingly looking for customers in the Chinese market. On the other hand, the Chinese customers were very diverse and their cooperation needs differed significantly:
Leading global manufacturing companies:
These companies, many of which are listed family businesses, are among the world leaders in their sectors. By collaborating with German companies, they want to accelerate their global expansion and digitalize their production processes in order to increase their competitiveness.
Leading system integrators:
Around 30% of Chinese customers belong to this category. These companies would like to integrate German solutions into their systems in order to be able to offer their customers more comprehensive and effective overall solutions.
Financial investors:
Some companies or investors may not be directly linked to the manufacturing industry, but have strong liquidity and are looking for investment opportunities in promising areas such as smart manufacturing amidst industry challenges. Their aim is to create new momentum for their companies through strategic investments.
Our team interviewed numerous companies at a trade fair in Germany. This enabled us to strengthen the presence of German companies in China.
Solution provider in niche markets:
These companies are often market leaders in their respective specialty areas and have extensive customer resources and strong after-sales teams. They want to represent German products on the Chinese market and secure their leading position by working with German partners.
A new image of Chinese companies: Global vision and innovative strength
The old cliché that Chinese companies only copy and have no understanding of win-win situations is long outdated. Modern Chinese companies are not only closer to their customers and understand their needs better, but their founders often have professional experience in multinational companies and have a global vision. This background means that they value credibility and adhere strictly to international standards and rules.
We also apply high standards when selecting suitable Chinese partners for German companies. This includes checking whether there have been any infringements of intellectual property rights in recent years or whether supplier invoices have been settled. These measures ensure that our platform creates a reliable basis for German-Chinese cooperation.
Our influence in China and new cooperation successes
In 2024, we made great progress on the Chinese social media platform “German Industrial Think Tank”. By December 31, 2024, we had reached 280,000 followers and an annual reach of over 2.5 million views. This has made us the leading media platform in China specializing in “Made in Germany”.
We also established new collaborations with several important organizations in 2024:
Cooperation with the Steinbeis headquarters in China:
In 2025, we plan to jointly organize “AI+Manufacturing” events in key industrial cities in China. The aim is to connect German AI solutions with the Chinese manufacturing industry.
On December 12, I visited the city of Foshan in Guangdong together with Ms. Ma Juan, President of the Steinbeis Foundation for China.
Intensive exchange with OPC China:
In the field of industrial automation, we are working to further promote exchange and cooperation between German and Chinese companies. These successes are only a small part of our work in 2024, but they illustrate the immense potential of German-Chinese cooperation in the field of intelligent manufacturing.
Outlook for 2025: New goals for more intensive cooperation
In 2025, we will continue our efforts to promote Sino-German cooperation in the field of smart manufacturing and focus on the following core areas:
Together with Chinese entrepreneurs, we organized a delegation trip to the ‘German homeland’ of China, Taicang, to visit German companies there and promote exchange and cooperation between Chinese and German companies.
Organization of delegation trips of German companies to China:
We are planning to bring at least three delegations from the field of intelligent manufacturing to China. The aim is to give the participants an insight into the current state of the Chinese manufacturing industry and at the same time to identify potential customers and cooperation partners through our extensive network in the Chinese industry.
Deepening technological cooperation:
In addition to the areas of Industry 4.0 and AI+manufacturing, we will explore other forward-looking fields of cooperation to help companies from Germany and China succeed in global competition.
Expansion of our platform reach:
We will continue to expand our presence in Chinese social media in order to create an even more effective communication bridge between German and Chinese companies.
Conclusion
Since its establishment in 2016, the Sino-Cooperation Platform has witnessed the transformation of Sino-German cooperation in the field of smart manufacturing from one-way learning to deep partnership cooperation. The achievements of 2024 have laid a solid foundation, and 2025 will be a crucial year to open a new chapter.
We believe that by continuously promoting exchanges and cooperation between German and Chinese enterprises, we can create more value together and build an even brighter future in the field of intelligent manufacturing.
Let’s tackle 2025 together and reach new heights in Sino-German cooperation!