Entrepreneurs in Action

Entrepreneurs in Action


EIA 058 Market Opportunity for German “Green-Tech” Companies

October 27, 2021
Prof. Peter Sachsenmeier, Dr. Sandra Bell, Johannes Kreissig, Corinne Abele, Winfried Mayer, Claudia Sanders


Prof. Peter Sachsenmeier is a strategist, expert in complex technology management, industrial innovator and visionary. He is actively involved in knowledge transfer from research to industry, and combined outstanding appointments in academia with important posts in international companies. He combines deep technology knowledge with a keen sense of new business and management modes based on the digital transformation of all industries. With the national engineering academies of China and India, he has been engaged in smart city research and with the associated technologies for the last 15 years. In his International Innovation Center he leads smart city, green technologies, green materials and green finance teams. In 2014, Professor Peter Sachsenmeier 院士 received an award from the Chinese Green Rooftops association for his contribution to green ideas and technologies.


Dr. Sandra Bell is an accomplished business leader, lifelong China expert and visionary strategist. She has 20 years working experience in strategy, go-to-market, and e-commerce. She worked 10 years for The Boston Consulting Group, and had leading positions in Henkel and Hershey, both in Germany and China. Today she leads the China & India region for Viega. Viega is a family-owned company and a hidden champion from Germany. Viega is global market leader in copper press technology and hygienic & potable drinking water solutions for infrastructure buildings.


Johannes Kreissig is a visionary and thought leader in the field of sustainable construction. He has over 25 years of professional experience in the areas of life cycle assessment, sustainability assessment and strategy consulting. He worked for more than 15 years as a acting partner in the software and sustainability consulting specialist thinkstep. Since 2016 he has been CEO of the German Sustainable Building Council – DGNB, which is Europe’s largest network for sustainable construction. The DGNB certification system, a planning and optimisation tool for sustainable buildings and districts, which helps to increase real sustainability in construction projects, is DGNBs key instrument to achieve sustainable buildings for everybody – everywhere.


Corinne Abele is the Head of the Foreign Trade Information Bureau of Germany Trade & Invest in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China. Corinne has been living and working in China for nearly 20 years. An experienced journalist and economist, she has documented China’s economic development with analyses, articles and lectures. A big part of her work focuses on the observation and analysis of innovation-driven technology markets and industrial digitalisation in China. Her other main topics are environmental protection, renewable energy, engineering and competition in China. Since 2014, Ms. Abele has been heading the Trade Information Section of Germany Trade and Invest in Shanghai. Prior to this she worked in the same position in Beijing (2004-2012) and in Taipei (1998-2004).


Winfried Mayer, founded MPS in 1984 in Stuttgart MPS designs factories and industrial buildings in accordance with German standards and, depending on the area, according to local regulations. We also supervise local planning, take care of tender procedure as well as monitor and direct building operations on-site all over the world.

Branches: Shanghai, China; Pune, India; Beverungen, Germany

Projects: Over 500 projects in 25 countries


Claudia Sanders is with the Network for Architecture Exchange NAX, the Federal Chamber of German Architects (BAK) supports German architects of all disciplines, engineers and specialist planners on their way to new markets. NAX thus promotes planning quality and the brand “Architecture Made in Germany” abroad with a wide portfolio of formats and activities. NAX brings together export-oriented planners and mediates contacts between domestic and foreign colleagues, decision-makers, developers and investors.


Time Stamp


00:00:00 Introduction


00:00:10 Opening of Webinar by Peter Sachsenmeier


00:02:06 Delivery of Keynote by Dr Sandra Bell


00:17:00 Question to Dr Sandra Bell: What was the most famous building that you equipped with Viega systems?


00:18:20 Introduction of Expert Panel


00:18:47 Question to Dr Sandra Bell: What’s the market segments that you address in China and what kind of ecosystem do you need to be effective?


00:20:54 Question to Johannes Kreissig, Will sustainable buildings become more

important and how is this linked to smart cities?


00:24:03 Question to Winfried Mayer, What are the developments

with regard to industrial buildings in china?


00:29:54 Question to Corinne Abele, Are people becoming more aware of higher energy efficiency in private and industrial buildings and the changes in standards and quality criteria linked to this?


00:36:26 Question to Claudia Sanders, What contribution can German architects, planners and others make?


00:41:06 Question to Johannes Kreissig, What uh can be done about the prolongation of the lifespans and the prolongation of the life of this built-up infrastructure?


00:46:58 Questions to Dr Sandra Bell, What do you do with all those people that deal with waste electricity heating etc what’s the ecosystem that you need?


00:52:08 Corinne Abele adds to the question.


00:53:08 Questions to Winfried Mayer, What are the most required green building technologies now in China?


00:56:13 Question to Johannes Kreissig, Do you have any green building council ideas?


00:58:06 Sandra Bell adds to the question.


01:00:00 Winfried Mayer adds to the question.


01:01:16 Comment and Question from audience Member Mr Wang, What is the policy for carbon neutrality compared to China’s continuation in using coal and the recent worldwide price increase?


01: Peter Sachsenmeier gave an answer related to Germany’s us of coal.


01:02:53 Corinne Abele commented on the question related to the overall energy crises and how it affects the industrial commercial and private household prices in China.


01:06:12 Johannes Kreissig then expanded on the question.


01:07:45 Peter Sachsenmeier commented on the energy costs in Germany.


01 :09:14 Question to Sandra Bell, How to develop and hold on to a skilled workforce that can install Viega products?


01:11:08 Comment from Thomas Fritzsche writing in the chat as a working architect in China: that Chinese clients trust German us and expect from us to bring in new technologies and ideas.


01:12:29 Claudia expanded further on audience member Thomas Fritzsche comment and architects in general.


01:14:39 Peter Sachsenmeier ask Audience member Alex Walschewski question from the chat. How German/ European SMEs will be impacted by the “source locally” approach in China. Most of the time it means that Chinese customers will prefer a local supplier. What is your view on that?


01:14:47 Question answered by Sandra Bell.


01:16:00 Peter Sachsenmeier end the discussion.


01:24:00 Final Closing remarks from experts.


01:33:00 End


This podcast it’s made in partnership between ChinaTeam and AsiaBizStories


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