Exclusive Publications

Gain exclusive insights into the business activities of our member companies in Taiwan.

GTO Business Alliance Exclusive Interview Series

We have created an all new interview series with our GTO Business Alliance members! This series will give you interesting insights into their companies and provides you with the latest information about their business.

Latest Issue

TRUMPF

Unveiling TRUMPF's Innovative Path to the Future

In our interview with the new Managing Director of TRUMPF Mr. Patrick Kemnitz, he told us about TRUMPF's innovative approach, and the company's plans for the next century. Additionally, Mr. Patrick Kemnitz comments on the importance of sustainability for TRUMPF Taiwan.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

Issues 2023

Toennjes Leon – The Game Changer of Vehicle Identification

The German-Taiwanese Joint Venture Toennjes Leon develops the equipment for a German IDePlate technology
in Taiwan. Their digital license plate features the capability of anti-interference and transmission in any weather
condition, serving as a vital technology for vehicle-to-vehicle communication in the Internet of Vehicles (IoV). The
digital vehicle license plate encompasses a wide range of applications, such as anti-theft, misuse, and manipulation.
It will also include an online payment function in the future. In our interview, the President of Toennjes Leon, Mr.
Chen You Cheng elaborates on the role of digital license plates in the interview, especially in the transformational
era from internal combustion engines to smart EVs.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

igus Taiwan: The Market Leader in Motion Plastics and Customer Service

We talked to Steven Lin, Managing Director of igus Taiwan. He summarized the company's current strengths, and future goals and visions.

German motion plastics company igus was established 1964 in Cologne, Germany. Today, igus employes around 3500 people in their 38 subsidiaries around the world. The corporation is among today’s market leaders in quality high-performance plastics with a wide portfolio of varying polymer products and materials. igus is especially advanced in the production of motion cables, here the product portfolio includes Smart Plastics detecting all kinds of tensions, frictions or breakages along cables. With these free online tools, igus aims to provide accurate product lifetime estimates and contribute to Industry 4.0 developments.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

Innovation in LifeScience research and Ways-of-Work

The Bayer Group is a German multinational corporation headquartered in Leverkusen. The company specialized in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology and follows the slogan „Health for all, Hunger for none”. The life-science company was established 150 years ago and operates in Taiwan since 1989 employing around 250 people across subsidiaries in Taipei, Kaohsiung, or Taichung. Bayer Taiwan is engaged in research on water efficient crops and domestic climate protection as well as rethinking corporate structures with their unique Global Mentoring System.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

Bringing clean energy to life

Hamburg-based Aquila Group is a sustainable investment and asset development company with a focus on generating and managing essential assets on behalf of its clients. Since 2020, Aquila Group’s clean energy platformin Asia Pacific, Aquila Clean Energy, has been headquartered in Singapore and in 2022, the company had its official office opening in Taipei. In Asia Pacific, Aquila Clean Energy focuses on funding and developing renewable energy projects. Besides investing in projects, Aquila also offers the technical know-how to realize their plans and operate the final assets, as the company has significant international experience in project development and real asset management. Today, Aquila Group produces 13.9 GW capacity of clean energy globally and has EUR 14.9 billion assets under management.Hamburg-based Aquila Group is a sustainable investment and asset development company with a focus on generating and managing essential assets on behalf of its clients. Since 2020, Aquila Group’s clean energy platformin Asia Pacific, Aquila Clean Energy, has been headquartered in Singapore and in 2022, the company had its official office opening in Taipei. In Asia Pacific, Aquila Clean Energy focuses on funding and developing renewable energy projects. Besides investing in projects, Aquila also offers the technical know-how to realize their plans and operate the final assets, as the company has significant international experience in project development and real asset management. Today, Aquila Group produces 13.9 GW capacity of clean energy globally and has EUR 14.9 billion assets under management.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

Taking e-commerce to the next level

Online food and grocery delivery platform foodpanda, a subsidiary of the German Delivery Hero Group, is dominating the online delivery market in Taiwan. With its high restaurant density and large number of scooter riders, Taiwan offers the ideal conditions for food delivery. According to Anson Chin, Operations Director of foodpanda, this success can be attributed to foodpanda’s mass-market driven approach and investments into its marketing budget to create brand awareness. Despite its outstanding dominance, Chin reveals that foodpanda is looking to grow further while facing challenges like sustainability.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

ASYS Automatic Systems is a high-tech company founded in 1989, specializing in automated atmospheric and vacuum-handling solutions. ASYS is a privately owned company with 200 employees, has multiple patents granted and is positioning itself as a market leader for unique robot applications. The companies headquarter is located in Stuttgart and employs around 20 engineers in their Taiwanese office. To date, over 10.000 robots have been sold to leading equipment manufacturers around the world. In this interview, Dr. Klaus Neubeck, General Manager of ASYS Taiwan talked with the GTO about the work and ambitions of ASYS.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

Kärcher is a German premium manufacturer for cleaning devices and systems. The company is known for its high-pressure cleaners and its floor care equipment. Founded in 1935, Kärcher products are sold in Taiwan now for over 40 years and are well-known for their premium quality and their good applicability. In this edition, we met with Klaus Pühmeyer, Regional President ASEAN Korea & Taiwan, and Lawrence Chen, General Manager of Kärcher Taiwan, to talk about the advantages of being a German company, the topics of digitalization and sustainability, and the cleaning of historical sites.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

In this edition, we met with Bart Linssen, Managing Director of ENERCON Taiwan. ENERCON is the market leader of wind turbine development in Germany and Taiwan, installing over 235 wind turbines in the Taiwan market over the past decades. Today, ENERCON takes a vital role in fulfilling the climate ambitions of the Taiwanese government, namely, achieving a carbon neutral economy by 2050. According to Mr. Linssen, Taiwan faces many challenges regarding these ambitions, especially in the development and implementation of renewable energy such as wind turbines. Some of these challenges and possible strategies for solutions were identified and discussed by Mr. Linssen in our interview.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

In this edition of our GTO German Business Alliance exclusive interview series, we met with Andreas Schmidt, Chairman and Managing Director of Bosch Taiwan. Bosch is active in the sectors Mobility Solutions, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology, and has been carbon neutral worldwide since 2020. To further improve their sustainability goals, Bosch now plans to reduce carbon emissions along their supply chains as well. In this interview, Mr. Schmidt told us more about the vision of sustainable transportation.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

In this edition of our GTO German Business Alliance exclusive interview series, we met with Albert Chen, Business General Manager, and Andy Kao, Operations General Manager, of SUSS MicroTec. Since 2003, SUSS MicroTec has been active in Taiwan as a supplier of equipment and process solutions for the local semiconductor industry. Since then, the company is steadily growing in Taiwan and differentiates itself through its German working culture and by emphasizing personal employee development. In the following interview, the management team of SUSS MicroTec Taiwan, Albert Chen and Andy Kao, will tell us more about the vibrant Taiwanese semiconductor industry, the importance of talents, and how to be successful in the Taiwanese market.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

Issues 2022

In the latest edition of our GTO German Business Alliance exclusive interview series, we met with Mr. Peng Tat Cheong, CEO of Carl Zeiss Taiwan. Founded 176 years ago, Zeiss is a world leader in optical systems and optoelectronics for diverse fields like medicine or machinery. Since 2015, Zeiss is also represented in Taiwan and has been continuously growing since then. Taiwan is a special market for Zeiss as not only all business groups within the company are represented here, but also when it comes to developing unique solutions together with their local partners in the electronics or semiconductor industry.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

In the latest edition of our GTO German Business Alliance exclusive interview series, we met with Mr. Sean Kuo, Chief Representative of Schüco Taiwan. Schüco, an international operating company based in the German city of Bielefeld, is a leading supplier of windows, doors, and facade systems. Schüco offers high-class energy friendly
façade and window solutions as well as consulting and support services for architects, planners,
investors, and builders. Schüco is active in more than 80 countries with over 5400 employees
worldwide. They are active in Taiwan since 2012, and already worked on several stunning projects
in facade design around the country. In this interview, Mr. Sean Kuo, Chief Representative of
Schüco Taiwan sat down with the GTO and told us more about building dream homes in Taiwan.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

IP Protection on a Global Scale

In the latest edition of our GTO German Business Alliance exclusive interview, we met with Mr. Po Yao Hsu, Business Development Manager at the Dennemeyer Group. Dennemeyer, founded in Luxembourg as a patent law firm in 1962, now acts as an Intellectual Property (IP) full-service provider with more than 20 offices and over 900 employees worldwide. As one of the leading IP law firms and IP management specialists, Dennemeyer serves almost 8,000 customers worldwide. Continuing this expansion, Dennemeyer directly entered the Taiwanese market in 2020.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

In the 4th edition of our GTO German Business Alliance exclusive interview, we met with Mr. Jack Yeh, General Manager of TÜV NORD Taiwan. With over 30 years of experience in Taiwan, TÜV NORD Taiwan is one of the leading providers of quality, safety, information technology, and renewable energy solutions. TÜV NORD‘s services include certification, product safety testing, information technology and greenhouse gas verification. Additionally, TÜV NORD is performing vendor assessment audits for customers and their suppliers.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

In this edition of our GTO German Business Alliance exclusive interview, we met with Mr. Marco Vazzoler, Area General Manager of Shangri-La Far Eastern, Taipei, who introduced the hotel and told us what they do different compared to other hotels. The Shangri-La Far Eastern, Taipei offers various dining options including a Café at Far Eastern (All-Day Dining Buffet), Shanghai Pavilion (Shanghainese), Marco Polo Italian Restaurant, ibuki Japanese Restaurant and Shang Palace (Cantonese, MICHELIN Plate Award). Their famous Marco Polo Lounge offers a stunning view of Taipei 101 and Li Bai lounge can convince with a wide selection of various snacks and beverages. As their highlights, the Hotel offers a rooftop pool with a view of Taipei 101, a health club with fitness equipment, massages, saunas, a Qi Shiseido Salon, and a Spa.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

In May we conducted our second GTO German Business Alliance exclusive interview of 2022 with our platinum partner Mercedes-Benz. In this interview with Mr. Britz, President & CEO of Mercedes-Benz Taiwan Ltd., we gained interesting insights into Mercedes-Benz's business in Taiwan. Mr. Britz highlighted what makes Mercedes-Benz so successful in the Taiwanese market. In addition, he used Mercedes-Benz's vision "Ambition 2039" and the one and only "VISION AVTR" to illustrate how Mercedes-Benz is shaping the future of automobile manufacturing and the automobile itself. As the inventor of the automobile, it is in the nature of Mercedes-Benz to be an innovator, according to Mr. Britz.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

BASF is one of the largest chemical companies in the world. Its product portfolio covers nearly every sector of modern life, involving chemicals, materials, and industry solutions. Since 1969, BASF has been active in Taiwan, mainly as a supplier for the semiconductor, footwear, plastics additives, catalysts, nutrition, and construction materials, but it also serves agricultural demands. In this interview, Mr. Kin Wah Chay, managing director of BASF Taiwan, sat down with the GTO to introduce BASF’s solutions for a renewable friendly chemical industry and shared his plans for the future of BASF in Taiwan.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

Issues 2021

RWE is one of the world’s largest renewable energy companies. RWE entered the East Asian market with the opening the Taiwan office in 2018 and is now co-developing the Chu Feng offshore wind project near Hsinchu. RWE views Taiwan as one of its key growth markets with the potential of accelerating the company progress to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040. Mr. Yu-Foong Chong, Country Manager – Offshore Wind for Taiwan, explains RWE’s business and shares his future vision for the offshore wind industry.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

For the first 80 years of its existence, the largest German inspection company DEKRA only focused on the local, German market before expanding their business to other countries across the globe. After setting up sites in the UK and France around 10 years ago, they also made the move to Asia.

However, not until 5 years ago, they entered the Taiwanese market and established DEKRA Testing and Certification Co., Ltd., now headquartered in New Taipei City.

Even though the branch office is still comparatively young, DEKRA Taiwan already employs around 360 people and keeps expanding its business scope, including the construction of new office buildings and testing sites.

In this interview, the two General Managers of DEKRA Testing and Certification Co., Ltd., Mr. Daniel Lee and Mr. Elio Sun explain in more detail their business, how their services in Taiwan differ to those offered in other countries and also share their development plans for the future.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

The Fresenius Kabi Group, a global healthcare company with its origins in Germany, offers drugs and medical products for infusion, transfusion and clinical nutrition, which are used in the therapy and care of critically and chronically ill patients.

Founded in 2002, its Taiwan branch, Fresenius Kabi Taiwan Ltd., just celebrated its 20^th anniversary. Besides offering their variety of products and services to the local market, Fresenius Kabi also strongly contributes to Corporate Social Responsibility activities in Taiwan.

Apart from their headquarter location in Taipei, the company runs two more offices in Taichung and Kaohsiung, employing a total of 110 people on the island.

In this interview, General Manager of Fresenius Kabi Taiwan Ltd., Mr. James Chiu, provides more information about the local particularities, the company’s vast CSR activities, such as the “Uncle Fresenius supports you with love” project, and talks about trends and challenges of the future.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

Audi Volkswagen Taiwan is known for its reliable products and services of premium quality, offering both commercial vehicles and passenger cars in Taiwan. In December 2020, Audi Volkswagen Taiwan introduced its first electric vehicle, the Audi e-tron.

In this interview, Group Managing Director of Audi Volkswagen Taiwan, Mr. Matthias Schepers, shares the company’s experience on the Taiwanese market as well as their future goals with particular focus on the progress of electric vehicles and sustainability.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

The Covestro AG, which has its global headquarter in Leverkusen, Germany, is one of the world’s largest polymer producers. As a spin off from the German pharmaceutical company Bayer AG, Covestro was formerly known under the name Bayer MaterialScience.

In this interview, Managing Director of Covestro Taiwan, Mr. Michael Lee, who has been working for the company for more than 30 years, explains the company’s background, challenges and future plans, as well as their strong activities in CSR.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

ECOVIS Taiwan provides a comprehensive range of services, such as legal, audit and tax services, to help companies through the process of setting up their business in Taiwan. ECOVIS Taiwan have been providing their services for over 30 years. In this interview, managing partner Henry Liao introduces the benefits of ECOVIS’ company structure, the specialized services they offer and their future plans to offer outbound and IT services.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

EnBW Asia Pacific is a subsidiary of EnBW AG (Energie Baden-Württemberg AG), one of the largest energy supply companies in Germany and Europe. EnBW Asia Pacific focuses on offshore wind development, as well as providing services for other renewables. In this interview, Managing Director Markus Wild introduces EnBW Asia Pacific’s activities in Taiwan and talks about prospects and chances for the local renewable energy market.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

Manz AG is one of the world’s leading, globally active high-tech equipment manufacturers. Compared to other overseas companies, Manz not only conducts sales and services but also R&D, prototyping and manufactures in Taiwan. In this interview, General Manager Robert Lin talked to us about the company’s business fields, the importance of R&D, and advantages over competitors.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

Issues 2020

Whether in mobility, consumer goods, or carbon neutrality – Bosch shapes the future. In this issue, we spoke with Jan Hollmann, managing director of Bosch Taiwan, about 30 years in the market, R&D activities, the recently opened eBike Systems Asia Pacific Headquarters in Taichung, as well as responsibility for society and future generations.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

Although still relatively new to Taiwan, Beckhoff Automation Taiwan is already well integrated into the local market through distributor over the last 10 years. Phylex Ong, Managing Director of the Taiwanese subsidiary, talks to us about the advantages of Beckhoff’s products, special challenges regarding competition within the industry, and prospects for the coming years.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

In this issue we spoke with Mr. Michael Grewe, the President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Taiwan. Mr. Grewe shares his perspective on major shifts in the automobile industry and the strategies that have been introduced for progress. Mercedes-Benz is embracing electrification, digitalization, autonomous driving, and connectivity to transform from a car manufacturer to a provider of sustainable mobility solutions.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

20200928_TÜV SÜD Interview English small

In this issue, we spoke with Mr. Misha Lu, the Marketing Vice President of TÜV SÜD North Asia since 2017. He leads TÜV SÜD’s marketing promotions in North Asia, which consists of Mainland China, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. In this interview, Mr. Lu talks about TÜV SÜDs main segments in Taiwan and possible developments in the future.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

We met with Mr. Adrian Young, Crown Relocations' Regional General Manager for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia. He provided insights into Crown Relocations' outstanding market position as well as how the company is coping with the coronavirus pandemic.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

We met with Mr. James W.C. Liu, General Manager, Industrial Services & Cybersecurity at TÜV Rheinland Taiwan. This interview will give you insights into how TÜV Rheinland supports Taiwan’s energy transition and how important safety assessments and certification is in the automotive industry.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

We present you our exclusive interview with Mr. Erdal Elver, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Siemens Taiwan. This interview will give you further insights and information on "How Siemens is Supporting Taiwan in its Industry, Energy, City and Digital Transformations, and Upgrade".

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

We met with Mr. Antoine Bouin, the Vice President of DB Schenker Taiwan for an exclusive interview which will cover DB Schenker's history on this island, the operation of its outstanding logistics company and last but not least, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its logistics industry and the solutions the company found.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.

We met for an interview with Achim von Hake, the General Manager of The Sherwood Taipei. In this exclusive interview, the background of The Sherwood Taipei, its uniqueness and their safety measures amid the COVID-19 outbreak will be the main topics.

Please find the English version of the interview here.
Please find the Chinese version of the interview here.