German enterprises help Taicang pave its path to prosperity

So far, the city has developed 21 demonstrative smart workshops at city and province levels - which should meet a series of strict requirements for automation and intelligentized innovation, such as smart equipment, interconnection of different equipment, real-time scheduling and automatic materials distribution. They are followed by a big number of local small manufacturers.

In addition, the city introduced a dual education system from Germany to train talent and quench the manufacturing industry's thirst for skillful workers. The system combines apprenticeships in a company and vocational education at a vocational school in one course.

So far, the local government, which has played a leading role in the training system and encouraging the participation of private educational companies, has set up nine such training bases. They can provide multi-tier talent from graduates of secondary specialized schools and junior colleges to undergraduates.

Meanwhile, scientific institutes in Taicang, such as the branches of the Institute of Computing Technology of Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics of Chinese Academy of Sciences, also trained a pool of talents in the sectors of intelligent equipment, electric automation, industrial control, software and integrated circuits.

Shen said it remains an important development strategy of the city to strengthen cooperation with Germany, adding that city will carry out more innovative and industrial cooperation with German companies, enhance the exchanges with German cities and further deepen the reform and opening-up.

Matthias Mueller, general manger of Taicang German Center, a nonprofit organization that aims to help German businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises investing overseas, said the communication with Taicang government is very smooth, just like that in a big family. Both sides look for help and support from each other when encountering problems, he noted.

In 2016, Bayerische Landesbank set up a German Centre for Industry and Trade in Taicang, the eighth of its kind globally and the third in China, following Beijing and Shanghai.

"Taicang is the only city that attracts so many German companies in China," said Mueller, mentioning that all other seven German Centers were set up in capital cities or major economic areas.

He said that the convenient traffic, the favorable policies, fund support and the livable environment would continue to make Taicang a popular place for German companies.