Digitalization pushes cooperation forward: interest in networking with Japan is growing

The successful networking between Japanese and German medical technology companies was once again the focus of the international activities of the IVAM Microtechnology Network in 2017. The successful collaboration project for the promotion of cooperation between companies from North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the Japanese prefecture Fukushima was continued.

In 2017 again two “Medical Technology NRW - Japan Business Meetings” provided a meeting point for German medical technology companies that are active in Japan or intend to be in the future. In April and August, more than 100 interested company representatives from North Rhine-Westphalia met to discuss “digitalization in medical technology” (April 2017 at the ark group in Aachen) and “robotics in medical technology” (August 2017 at Cyberdyne Care Robotics GmbH in Bochum). The series of events, which is supported by a broad Japan network in NRW, enables company representatives to share their experiences of doing business in Japan and discuss industry-specific issues.
 
At the medical technology trade fairs MEDICA and COMPAMED, which took place in Düsseldorf in November 2017, personal contacts between Japanese and German companies were strengthened. This year too, an informative NRW Japan seminar took place within the framework of MEDICA, during which companies from NRW, Fukushima and Kawasaki were introduced. A subsequent networking event was used to initiate contact. During the trade fair more than 70 business meetings were organized to initiate business deals between Japan and Germany. “All participating companies were very satisfied with the quality of the talks,” emphasizes Dr. med. Thomas R. Dietrich, Managing Director of the IVAM Microtechnology Network.
 
Subsequent to the trade show, visits took place at North Rhine-Westphalian companies, mainly at start-ups. The company visits showed impressively how intercultural cooperation provides new food for thought: the Japanese company bosses in dark suits faced the founders of the start-ups from Aachen in T-shirts and jeans. There was a great deal of discussion about how these start-ups work and what could come of this new “business philosophy” in Japan in the future as well. The coordinator of the Fukushima prefecture for cooperation with NRW, Masashiro Itoh, was impressed: “These were the best and most informative company visits we ever had in Germany.”

The medical technology trade show “Medical Creation Fukushima”, which took place in Japan at the end of October, also proved to be very successful for the companies from North Rhine-Westphalia. The fair is getting bigger and more international. For example, for the first time, a Thai joint stand was represented on site. In the coming year, the Japanese central government also plans to promote other German companies that want to exhibit at the Medical Creation Fukushima. Information can be obtained from the IVAM Microtechnology Network.
 
The activities and events took place within a collaboration project financed by NRW.International, funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, supervised by the Düsseldorf Chamber of Industry and Commerce and implemented by IVAM in 2017.