Chief Minister and delegation arrive at Zurich
Series of bilateral meetings held
Important points:
1. CM agrees to visit Stadler Rail Management factory.
2. Stadler is considering Vishakhapatnam to set up their unit to manufacture parts with aluminium, 3000 jobs expected.
3. Trittec Company asks for 5000 sq metres of land for setting up of the production unit through which 400 to 500 people would get employed.
4. University of St. Gallen proposes to collaborate with Andhra Pradesh and make it a testing lab for technologies.
5. Chief Minister invited to participate in the Aerospace Conference in Switzerland to be held in March this year.
6. Chief Minister asks for new hydel power technologies from the BKW group.
7. Gherzi Corporation plans to make investments to the tune of Rs 2000 crores.
8. Ratakonda Energy systems said that the company plans to set up a 50 mw project in the State.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu and the state delegation reached Zurich, Switzerland this morning, to start the 6 day long visit to Zurich and Davos.
The Chief Minister’s first meeting was with Stadler Rail Management AG.
Mr. Peter Jenelten, Executive Vice President, Marketing & Sales, Member of the Group Executive Board; Mr. Stefan Rutishauser, Business Development Analyst and Mr. Thomas Zweifel, Project Manager Business Development from Stadler Rail Management AG have come to meet the Chief Minister.
Mr. Peter has formally invited the CM and the delegation to visit their factory today, and the CM has accepted the invitation.
Stadler Rail Management AG is a 2.2 billion dollars turnover company with several production sites in Poland, Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, Belarus and Spain.
The company is planning to expand its operations in the United States also.
The representatives informed the Chief Minister that they are planning to start their operations in India too.
Stadler provides a comprehensive range of products in the commuter rail and railway segments. In addition, Stadler manufactures main-line dual-mode locomotives, shunting locomotives and passenger carriages, including the most powerful diesel-electric locomotive in Europe.
Stadler remains the world’s leading manufacturer in the rack and pinion rail vehicle industry.
They are specialized in producing coach bodies with aluminium and they have that technology. The company has a presence in Kancharapara in West Bengal and they are looking at Visakhapatnam area to locate another unit especially to manufacture parts with aluminium
The company representatives informed that they are looking at land, logistics, tax structures, and technological Human Resources as main criteria to set up their unit. Apart from the investment they make, the members informed that 3000 jobs will be created.
Elaborating on the necessary infrastructure requirements the company is on the lookout for, the members said they are looking for a location that is nearer to the sea port making imports and exports easier.
The Chief Minister replied that in Andhra Pradesh we are developing two metros and thinking of a speed train also.
“As per your requirement we have a long coastline and good ports with no shortage of power, water, and infrastructure. In addition to this, we are centrally located and have excellent road and rail connectivity on all sides,” said the Chief Minister.
The Chief Minister also informed them that the state is ranked number one in ‘Ease of Doing Business’ and that the State had achieved an impressive growth of 10.99 percent last year and in the first half of this financial year, it registered more than 12 percent.
He added that youth of Andhra Pradesh are highly skilled and talented.
Second meeting with EEARC
The Chief Minister held the second bilateral meeting with the European Education and Research Council. This group is from Germany. Mr. Vangapandu Venkatanagaraju from Vijayawada is the Founder/Chancellor of the European Education and Research Council.
The representatives from EEARC informed the Chief Minister that they plan to integrate research in educational institutions with manufacturing in factories.
The group is a technological umbrella from Europe and has plans build a bridge between the manufacturing units and the research work that’s being done in the Universities.
The group specializes in the fields of aeronautical, automobile and mechanical engineering, and has interest in setting up automobile clusters.
The Chief Minister informed the representatives that he is keen on bringing in the German technology to Andhra Pradesh, especially in the automobile sector
“Technology, demographic dividend, and IoT are our strengths,” stressed the Chief Minister.
Given the group’s interest in the field of education, the Chief Minister suggested that they could network with the Sri Venkateswara, Andhra and Nagarjuna universities to take it forward.
He hoped that this would eventually help in building an institution in the State’s capital, Amravati. This prospect should be explored he added.
Third meeting with Baumgarte Company
The next meeting was held with Baumgarte Company from Germany which was founded in 1935. This company is a part of the EEARC group and they are specialists in producing energy from waste. In addition to this they are known for building boiler systems.
The company assured that they would share all the technologies that they are specialists in and also proposed to involve local companies for the manufacturing of the components.
Fourth meeting with Trittec Company
Trittec Company which makes mosquito nets and meshes envisaged interest in setting up of a production unit in Andhra Pradesh.
In the presentation they made, the representatives explained to the Chief Minister that their window frames with mosquito net/mesh are made of ultra thin thread which gives a crystal clear view from the window and high air passage too. Even in a green city it gives protection against pollen and also fine dust.
The representatives informed the Chief Minister that they need 5000 sq metres of land for setting up of the production unit through which 400 to 500 people would get employed.
From the proposed Andhra Pradesh manufacturing unit, the company aims to export these meshes to Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
Fifth meeting with University of St. Gallen
The Chief Minister held the next meeting with Prof. Dr. Roger Moser, Assistant Professor of International Management and withMr. Abhishek Raju, India Representative, ASIA CONNECT Center (ACC-HSG); University of St. Gallen.
It is a consulting establishment that helps companies make investment decisions, and they also work with several companies.
The company works with several British aerospace companies and helps them set up their manufacturing units in India.
The group proposes to collaborate with Andhra Pradesh and make it a testing lab for technologies. Thereby in the coming years, they can expand their operations and create labs and clusters of labs.
This will pave way for Andhra Pradesh to become a hub for testing technologies. Any big company in the world can come to the state and test their technologies in those labs and build prototypes. The tested technologies can be improvised further in the same labs.
Later, Mrs. Smitha Purushottam, Indian ambassador to Switzerland extended an invitation to the Chief Minister asking him to participate in the Aerospace Conference in Switzerland to be held in March this year.
This conference is a one stop place to get in touch with leading aerospace companies as it brings together all the major aerospace industries.
Sixth meeting with BKW Energie AG
The Chief Minister’s next meeting was with BKW Energie. The company grew from 4000 employees last year to 5000 people this year.
The company plans to build and operate infrastructure to produce and supply energy to businesses, households and the public sector. The BKW Group's distribution grid provides one million people in Switzerland with a reliable supply of power round the clock.
Their technical support helps in increasing the efficiency of the Hydel power projects from 3 per cent to 10 per cent.
The Chief Minister mentioned that the State is progressing very rapidly in all the power sectors, and that the utilities are doing well. He also informed that the transmission losses were brought down.
The Chief Minister pointed out a possible collaboration with the company for the Polavaram project. He said that the state plans to build 960 Mw hydel project in Polavaram and that he is looking for new hydel power technologies from the BKW group.
BKW representatives showed interest to work with Andhra Pradesh. The Swiss India Chamber of Commerce and Industry which is devoted to growing business between individuals and companies in India and Switzerland is coordinating this initiative.
The Chief Minister mentioned that the state has a lot of potential to grow in the tourism sector for which he asked the SICC to bring tourism projects to the state.
Seventh meeting with Gherzi Corporation
The Chief Minister held a meeting with the representatives from Gherzi Corporation who are specialists in blood plasma fractionation which is very important for surgeries and medical aid.
The Chief Minister has asked the group to bring clear proposals to share its technologies for blood plasma fractionation. The company plans to make investments to the tune of Rs 2000 crores in the State.
Eight meeting with Ratakonda Energy systems
The next meeting was held with Ratakonda energy systems. Ratakonda Energy Systems is a clean energy provider in India, and is dedicated to develop clean, renewable energy sources in India and abroad.
Mr. Ratakonda Subramanyam who hails from Kadapa has settled in Germany, made a presentation and said that the company plans to set up a 50 mw project in the State.
The company has a lot of projects in solar power and IT in Germany.