1. Business Bavaria Newsletter
Issue 04 | 2013
What‘s inside
5 minutes with ...
Wilhelm Friedl, Managing Director of
Zambelli based in Grafenau
Page 2
In focus: Technology transfer
Basis for Bavaria‘s rapid innovative cycle
Page 3
Bavaria in your briefcase
Towering traditions: May poles
Page 4 IZB Martinsried
“Communication centre for research excellence”
New Boarding House at the Martinsried Science and Business Campus supports lion into the project implemented by the IZB. The boarding house will offer 42
technology transfer in the biotech sector. rooms to accommodate experts from neighbouring institutes and guests of the
In future, the world’s best biotech scientists will be able to use their stay in Bava- IZB companies.
ria even more effectively. Following two years of planning, State Minister Martin Today, the Martinsried Science and Business Campus is one of Europe’s largest
Zeil broke ground for a boarding house at Campus Martinsried in mid-March. “A centres, combining basic research, clinical research and technology innovation
beacon project in the true sense of the word is developing here”, commented Zeil on one campus. Various academic institutions and the Max-Planck Institutes for
at the ceremony. “The building is a state-of-the-art communication centre for biochemistry and neurobiology can be found in close proximity to the IZB. The
cutting-edge research”. Martinsried cluster symbolises the particularly intensive technology transfer in
Peter Hanns Zobel, Managing Director of the Innovations- und Gründerzentrum Bavaria which results from the close interaction of research and development.
Biotechnologie Martinsried (IZB) is delighted that guest scientists will have easy “The boarding house will fit seamlessly into this close network of research and
access to institutes and companies. The State Government has invested €4 mil- business”, said Zeil.
News from us: Invest in Bavaria kicks off spring season with new
corporate design and extended web services
The new website www.invest-in-bavaria.com now provides a better search func- The website additionally provides visual treats. The renowned director Joseph
tion for investors. With more intuitive navigation, image-rich presentation and Vilsmaier was hired to make Invest in Bavaria’s new PR film “Bayern – Ihr Stand-
many interactive elements, the platform combines factual information about ort. Ihre Zukunft”. From the cinema hit “Bavaria – Traumreise durch Bayern”, he
the business location with an increase of awareness for the Bavarian way of life. extracted a short film, which wins over viewers with unique aerial photos and
sequences from all the regions and conveys the identity and diversity of Bavaria
A highlight of the new site is the interactive map of Bavaria. With one click, as a high tech economic powerhouse whilst also presenting its cultural and scenic
visitors can track the different industries and clusters and navigate through 17 treasures. A 5 minute version of the film can also be accessed via the Invest in
sectors, from automotive to logistics to nano-technology. The figures displayed Bavaria Youtube Channel.
show the number of companies in a given sector. Potential investors can thus
compare the relative strengths of the Bavarian regions at a glance. The new web- In keeping with the re-launch, Invest in Bavaria has a new logo as well. The image
site also offers a comprehensive overview of the extensive service spectrum of shows a white and blue pin consisting of a ring of seven diamonds which repre-
Invest in Bavaria including various options to establish contact, current events, sent the seven administrative districts. Also new is the “Investment Travel Guide“
tips and links to international communities in Bavaria. which provides an overview of Bavaria’s outstanding economic performances and
advancement programmes alongside the various cultural and leisure activities on
offer in the different districts.
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2. 5 minutes with ...
Wilhelm Friedl,
Managing Director of Zambelli based in Grafenau
For more than 50 years the name Zambelli has stood for finest metal work. The company manufactures roof drainage products, racking and metal roof systems
which are exported all over the world. Over 50 years, quality has always played a special role; an achievement which has now been crowned with the Bavarian
Quality Award.
Franz Zambelli, laid the foundation for the successful When was Zambelli founded, by whom and why?
development of the company in various product areas Zambelli started as a workshop for church restora-
and the success of these products has been ensured tion set up by Franz Zambelli in Haus im Wald near
over the years. Grafenau in 1957. Today, it has grown into an industrial
company with about 900 employees. One of the char-
How important is Bavaria as a location for Zambelli? acteristics is that, despite the international nature of
As well as the three production sites in Lower Ba- the business, the structure of a typical Bavarian family
varia, Zambelli has another six facilities in the Czech company has survived.
Republic, Hungary, Romania, Austria and Italy. The
Bavarian sites form the so called headquarters for our You are the MD at Zambelli. Do you have time to en-
four product sectors of roof drainage, RIB ROOF, rack- joy our beautiful Bavaria?
ing systems and industrial metal machining – even I am jointly responsible for the RIB ROOF division
for the foreign locations. Strategic decisions are made in our entrepreneurial group which, of course, also
here and developments as well as enhancements of means that I travel a lot. But in my homeland, the Ba-
our products are promoted. Bavaria is essential to us, varian Forest, where others spend their holidays and
above all for the highly qualified and motivated em- look to recover, I find the necessary peace and can re-
Mr. Friedl, you just won the Bavarian Quality Award. ployees, who are the foundation for the success of the charge for the daily challenges.
What is so exemplary about your approach? entire group.
We strive to make our processes, products and ser-
vices as simple, reliable and customer-friendly as pos- Is Bavaria therefore a particularly suitable region for
sible and constantly improve them. The award proves implementing innovative ideas?
that we are on the right track! As already mentioned, when it comes to the imple-
mentation of innovative ideas we have firmly put
How important is the balance between tradition our faith in our highly trained and qualified em-
and innovation for you? ployees. We benefit immensely from the networks
One of our mottos is: “Zambelli stands for vision available in Bavaria, such as the Freyung Technolo-
based on tradition”. With many patents and innova- gy Campus, the University of Deggendorf and many
Hauptbahnhof Wien
tions the company founder and majority shareholder, other institutions.
555,000
Number
of the
month
From 15 to 21 April 2013, the construction industry again meets for the 30th time chines which will soon roll on to the premises. As a world leading fair, bauma
at bauma – the international trade fair for construction machinery, building ma- presents innovations from all over the globe in the form of four main themes: “All
terial machines, mining machines, construction vehicles and equipment. With a around Construction Sites”, “Mining, Extraction and Processing of Raw Materials”,
total exhibition space of 555,000 square metres, it is the world’s largest fair in “Production of Building Materials” and “Component and Service Suppliers”. This
terms of size. Last year, a total of 3,256 exhibitors from 53 countries and over year’s partner country is Indonesia which has planned infrastructure investments
420,000 visitors from more than 200 countries attended. of USD 465 billion by 2025 and so represents a great deal of business and invest-
The fair needs the huge space given the size of the enormous construction ma- ment potential.
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3. In focus: Technology transfer is the key
Bavaria’s rapid innovative cycle is based on sound reasons
Bavaria currently attracts companies with 19 clusters in fields such as material de-
velopment, human and environmental research, information and electronic techno-
logy as well as services and media. The clusters drive growth not only in research,
but also when it comes to job creation. In Munich’s Martinsried alone, about 3,000
people work in the biotech cluster. Owing to the innovation-friendly climate around
the Munich biotech network, the Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche has just substan-
tially expanded its site in the Upper Bavarian Penzberg. From the end of 2014, ac-
tive agents for immunological tests will be produced there. At the ceremony to break
ground for the extension in March, the head of the group, Franz B. Humer, praised
the existing infrastructure as being unique. “Bioparks like in Regensburg or Martin-
sried near Munich provide for close links between business and research”, adds Jürgen
Schmude, Professor for economic geography at LMU Munich.
In the “New Materials” cluster, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute are working
Many scientific institutions co-operate closely with businesses in Bavaria to en- with the industry to find particularly light materials for the automotive sector. The
sure that research innovations can be translated to economic success. goal is to significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles. “The question
of which material is used to a large extent depends on its economic viability”, explains
Bavaria’s innovation engine is humming even during the euro crisis. Last year, no Professor Rudolf Stauber, spokesperson for the “New Materials” cluster.
other Federal State had more patents filed by companies and private inventors than
the State of Bavaria. This is evident from figures published in mid-March by the Ger- Another successful technology transfer example is the Technologie Centrum
man Patent and Trademark Office in Munich. With a total of 14,340 patent appli- Westbayern in Nördlingen. The Swabian research complex consists of an “Inno-
cations filed, Bavaria has ousted Baden-Wuerttemberg from first place for the first vation and Incubation Centre”, an “ICT Centre of Excellence” as well as a “R&D
time since 2006. Nearly one in four German patents came from the southernmost Application Centre”.
Federal State.
In joint projects with its private sector customers, the researchers there develop
On presenting the statistics, the President of the Patent Office, Cornelia Rudloff new procedures, components and products. The centre cooperates closely with the
Schäffer commented, “This rapid innovative cycle indicates that German SMEs do not University of Augsburg and forms the heart of a “Process Automation Cluster”. The
rest on their laurels”. In 2012, the number of the applications filed in Bavaria increased group bundles activities in technology and human resources development, joint pro-
by a remarkable 4.5% on the previous year. curement and is setting up supplier and partner networks as well.
Bavaria’s inventiveness cannot be taken for granted though. In order to deliver a wide More than 100 institutions and research establishments provide their expertise to
range of product innovations or new technologies, there needs to be close interaction the Bavarian Technology Transfer group (TT). With different areas of focus and ser-
between public and private research. There is probably no other region in Germany vices, they utilise their years of experience and close links within the region during
where universities and other research establishments are as well interconnected with the consulting process. Members of the TT network include Bavaria’s Universities
businesses as in Bavaria. and Universities for Applied Sciences, the Chambers of Commerce and various non-
academic research establishments, such as the Fraunhofer Institutes. As an example,
Over the past two decades the state government has poured billions earned from the state-funded Fortiss GmbH together with a number of renowned research part-
privatisations into the development of the Bavarian research landscape. Numerous ners is developing a new system architecture for electric cars.
clusters, for instance, in the medical technology or automotive sector, bundle com-
petence and research means in the southernmost Federal State. Institutions, like the The Haus der Forschung, created by of the state government in 2010, plays a central
“Haus der Forschung” (House of Research) or a number of technology and business role in the promotion of innovative companies. It supports companies based in Ba-
incubators, created specifically by the state government, advise and support com- varia with the promotion of their technology. Since it was set up, over 140 employees
panies willing to invest in research and development. As part of its cluster initiative, have advised more than 1,000 companies on how to navigate red tape to acquire
the state government also continues to invest considerable sums in the promotion of funding from federal or EU sources with matched research applications. Once again,
state-wide networks between enterprises, research establishments, service provid- the exemplary networking of science, business and public institutions pays off here
ers and financiers. as there are four partners who cooperate as part of the Haus der Forschung: Bayer-
ische Forschungsallianz (BayFOR), Bayerische Forschungsstiftung, Bayern Innovativ
and the Innovations und Technologiezentrum Bayern (ITZB) work under one roof at
Nuremberg’s Gewerbemuseumsplatz as well as at Prinzregentenstraße in Munich.
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4. Bavaria in your briefcase
Towering tradition
the Maypole. It is a big event for many communities, generating a genuine contest
among neighbouring villages and towns and is based on the motto: higher, bigger
and more beautiful. The poles are sometimes over 30 metres tall and splendidly
decorated and adorned.
In accordance with the custom which spread throughout Bavaria in the 16th Centu-
ry, the pole is erected in the so-called „Freinacht“ from 30 April to 1 May. The May-
pole is an impressive work of art which towers into the sky and is decorated with
wreaths, flags, ribbons and usually valuable, hand-made guild crests of the village.
In many places, erecting the Maypole is celebrated by the entire village with a fes-
tival which features bands, traditional costumes and shooting clubs. Young men
usually display particular ambition and creativity when it comes to stealing the
neighbouring Maypole. Those who succeed can look forward to a ransom — usually
in the form of copious amounts of beer and food — that the other village has to
pay to get its pole back. Should the ransom not be paid, the stolen pole is put up
as a “tree of shame” alongside their own pole and in line with tradition, is painted
black and decorated with chicken feathers.
The Passau region also features the so-called „Maibaumkraxeln“, where in Rotten-
The seemingly archaic raising the Maypole ceremony is a custom passionately stuben for instance, young men put pitch on their feet, spit into their hands and
upheld even in this high-tech age. climb up the pole.
On 1 May, it‘s that time again: In nearly every Bavarian village and municipality,
from the Allgäu, Lower Bavaria to Lower Franconia, an old custom is alive and well. www.bayern.by
It is a tradition that has been rooted across the entire state for centuries – raising www.allgaeu-erleben.com
Fairs & Events
… in Munich … in Nuremberg … by and with Invest in Bavaria
bauma 2013 Powtech Invest in Bavaria invites to a French-German round table at BAUMA
15 – 21 April 2013 23 – 25 April 2013 on 17 April 2013 at 5 pm in the Restaurant Seeblick | Fairground
30th International Trade Fair for Cons- International Trade Fair for Mechani- Messe München
truction Machinery, Building Material cal Processing Technologies and Instru-
Machines, Mining Machines, Construction mentation Invest in Bavaria at sensor + test
Vehicles and Construction Equipment http://www.powtech.de/en/ Get-together with location marketing and networking event with
www.bauma.de/en/home.php TechnoPharm the Sensorik cluster
14 – 16 May 2013 in Nuremberg | Bavaria
High End 2013 TechnoPharm
09 – 12 May 2013 23 – 25 April 2013 Your contact for both meetings:
Europe’s Largest Entertainment Electronics Fair International Trade Fair for Life Science Meike Jäckel | Phone: +49 89 24210-7512
www.highendsociety.de/index.php/ Process Technologies meike.jaeckel@invest-in-bavaria.com
highend-society-english.html www.technopharm.de/en
LASER World of PHOTONICS 2013 Sensor + Test
13 – 16 May 2013 14 – 16 May 2013
21st World’s Leading Fair and Congress for International Trade Fair for Measuring,
Optical Technology Components, Systems Testing, and Monitoring Tasks
and Applications www.sensor-test.de/welcome-to-the-
http://world-of-photonics.net/en/laser/start measurement-fair-sensor-test-2013
Your key to our state Publisher Business Bavaria
Invest in Bavaria – The Business Promotion Agency of the Bavarian Ministry of Dr. Johann Niggl Coordination: Alexandra Schmidhuber
Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Transport and Technology and Bayern International. Prinzregentenstr. 28 Editorial Department: www.textbau.com
80538 Munich | Germany Translation: www.translate-me.info
Image sources
Phone +49 89 24210-7500 Art Direction | Web: Alex Podolay
P. 1: © IZB Martinsried | P. 2: © Zambelli
welcome@invest-in-bavaria.com Layout: www.treib-stoff.com
P. 3: © www.thinkstockphotos.de | P. 4: © www.thinkstockphotos.de
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