From the 9 to the 16 In February, our managing director Dr Martina Schmitz travelled to India as a participant of the delegation trip ‘Thuringia goes India’. There she got an impression of the Indian market and made first contacts. The trip took place under the direction of Wolfgang Tiefensee, Thuringia’s Minister for Economic Affairs, Science and Digital Society.
From Pune to Mumbai
Dr Martina Schmitz faced a tight programme at four cities in only one week. From New Delhi to Pune, Coimbatore and finally Mumbai. Her itinerary started in the north and continued in the south of India, returning to the north again. Together with the other participants, our managing director visited medium-sized companies, and took part in various round tables and receptions, such as those organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). Dr Martina Schmitz also visited two hospitals in Pune to have the Indian healthcare system explained to her.
Promising Contacts with Indian Companies
Representatives of Indian companies met representatives of Thuringian companies in the so-called round tables. Some of the meetings were organised in advance, but many contacts also came about spontaneously. ‘I was able to have some promising conversations’, says Dr Martina Schmitz, ‘now, back in Germany, these contacts should be checked and a follow-up should be agreed on.’
India: A Country Full of Contrasts
Dr Martina Schmitz was impressed by the different worlds that meet in India: ‘On the way to a company I drive along an alley full of people. Power cables are laid open next to the houses. There is rubbish on the street. Then I reach my destination, enter the building, and I find myself inside a glamorous office.’ Tradition and modernity also coexist closely in India. Not only during temple visits did the travellers get a Bindi, a dot pressed on their foreheads, but also during business appointments: ‘This trip provided me with a good insight of the Indian market. I am looking forward to strengthening the contacts I have established’, summarises Dr Martina Schmitz on the results of the India trip.