With a nominal 2015 GDP of $3.3 trillion, Germany is the world’s sixth largest economy. The country has a highly skilled labor force, according to the CIA World Factbook, but the economy is currently facing new challenges and pressures due to the increasing immigration and refugee situation. The government is also planning to invest 15 billion euros in the next two years to encourage private investment.
Its biggest exports are chemicals, machinery, motor vehicles, computer and electronic products, pharmaceuticals, metals, transport equipment, textiles, rubber and plastic products and foodstuffs. Its largest export partners are France (9.6 percent), the United Kingdom (7.9 percent), the United States (6.9 percent) and the Netherlands (6.9 percent).
Its biggest imports are oil and gas, machinery, data processing equipment, chemicals, metals, pharmaceuticals, electric equipment, foodstuffs and agricultural products. Its largest import partners are the Netherlands (13.8 percent), France (8 percent), China (6.6 percent) and Belgium (6.3 percent).
Each World Watch features a different country. If you know of a Michigan company that exports, manufactures abroad or has facilities abroad, email Gary Piatek, senior editor, at gpiatek@crain.com.
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June: Mexico
July: United Kingdom
Autoliv Inc.
Based: Auburn Hills
Operations: Technical centers are in Elmshorn and Dachau, production plants are in Braunschweig and Döbeln and a development center in Schweinfurt
Employees: 2,100
Products: Seatbelts, front and side airbags and radar systems
Top executive: Jens Eisfeld, Germany managing director; Franck Roussel, vice president of Steering Wheels; Frank Kohrs, vice president of Seatbelts; Frank Melzer, president of Autoliv Electronics
Clients: Automotive OEMs in Germany
Belfor Holdings Inc.
Based: Birmingham
Operations: German headquarters in Duisburg with 30 offices throughout Germany
Employees: 800
Products: Building restoration after fire and water damage, property restoration, machinery restoration and document drying
Top executive: Elvir Kolak, managing director
Cooper-Standard Automotive Inc.
Based: Novi
Operations: Headquarters and manufacturing facilities in Mannheim, manufacturing facilities in Grünberg and Hockenheim and manufacturing and technical facilities in Lindau and Schelklingen
Employees: 1,990
Products/Services: Anti-vibration systems, fluid transfer systems, fuel and break delivery systems and sealing systems
Top executive: Fernando de Miguel, senior vice president and president for Europe
Clients: Binder, BMW, Brose, ContiTech, Daimler AG, Dura Automotive Systems, Ford, Geely, General Motors, Magna, Pass Gummiwerke, Plastic Omnium, Porsche, Sueddeutsche Aluminum, Tata Motors, Veritas, Volkswagen and Webasto
Dayco Products LLC
Based: Troy
Operations: A sales and administration office in Viernheim
Employees: 20
Products/Services: Sales operations responsible for increasing business in the automotive and industrial markets
Top executive: Bruno Vallillo, president of Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa
Clients: Global automotive and industrial manufacturers
Domino’s Pizza Inc.
Based: Ann Arbor
Operations: Eight pizza stores in Germany and a joint venture which has led to the purchase of Joey’s Pizza, with 220 stores expected to convert to Domino’s by mid-2017.
Employees: 150 (with up to 2,000 once conversion is complete)
Products: Pizza, pasta, wings, breadsticks
Clients: Retail customers
Top executive: Don Meij, CEO of Domino’s Pizza Enteprises, an Australian-based master franchise who purchased the rights to Germany from Domino’s Pizza Group in the joint venture
Dow Chemical Co.
Based: Midland
Operations: German headquarters in Schwalbach and plants in Ahlen, Bitterfeld, Böhlen, Bomlitz, Leuna, Rheinmünster, Rastatt, Schkopau, Teutschenthal and Stade
Employees: 5,000
Products/Services: Base and specialty chemicals such as methylcellulosics for food, pharma and construction, adhesives for the automotive industry and methylendiphenylisocyanat (MDI) as raw material for polyurethanes
Top executive: Willem Huisman, president of Dow Germany
Dow Corning Corp.
Based: Midland
Operations: One manufacturing plant in Wiesbaden
Employees: 360
Products/Services: Silicone-based materials such as specialty lubricants, power additives, liquid silicones, high consistency rubber, silicone adhesives, and silicone rubber used in the automotive, construction, electronics, personal and healthcare industries
Top executive: Klaus Hoffman, president of Western Europe for Dow Corning
FCA USA
Based: Detroit
Operations: A FCA Germany AG headquarters, sales and technical training center in Frankfurt and about 550 dealerships and workshops throughout the country
Employees: 340
Products/Services: Dealerships and workshops offer sales and service for Fiat, Jeep, Abarth, Lancia, Fiat Professional and Mopar
Top executive: Giorgio Gorelli, CEO of FCA Germany AG
Federal-Mogul Corp.
Based: Southfield
Powertrain Operations: Manufacturing facilities in Beckedorf, Blumberg, Dresden, Friedberg, Herdorf, Neuhaus and Stadtallendorf and technical centers and manufacturing facilities in Wiesbaden, Nuremberg, Barsinghausen and Burscheid
Products/Services: Global valvetrain, rings, liners, sealing, friction, ignition, pistons and bearings
Motorparts Operations: A manufacturing facility in Glinde, a technical center in Bad Camberg and a regional office in Ludwigsburg
Employees: 8,800
Top executive: Gian Maria Olivetti, chief technology officer for Federal-Mogul Powertrain; Martin Hendricks, president EMEA for Federal-Mogul Motorparts
Ford Motor Co.
Based: Dearborn
Operations: Ford of Europe and Ford-Werke GmbH (Ford of Germany) headquarters in Cologne as well a manufacturing plant, an engine plant, a tool and die plant, a die cast plant, a transmission plant, the John-Andrews Development Center–Center of Excellence for Passenger Cars (Global B-/C-Cars), a product planning and design center and a European parts distribution center, vehicle production facilities in Saarlouis and the Ford European Research & Innovation Center in Aachen
Employees: 25,000
Products/Services: Producing, selling and servicing Ford brand vehicles such as the Ford Focus, the Ford C-MAX/Grand C-MAX and the Ford Fiesta in 50 individual markets
Top Executive: Jim Farley, president and CEO for Ford of Europe; Bernhard Mattes, chairman for Ford of Germany
General Motors Co.
Based: Detroit
Operations: European subsidiary Adam Opel AG headquarters, technical development and design center in Rüsselsheim and production plants in Rüsselsheim, Kaiserslautern and Eisenach
Employees: 18,250
Products/Services: Vehicles including ADAM, Astra, Cascada, Combo, Corsa, GTC, Insignia, KARL, Meriva, Mokka, Movano, Vivaro and Zafira Tourer
Top executive: Karl-Thomas Neumann, chairman of the management board of Opel Group GmbH
Kelly Services Inc.
Based: Troy
Operations: Headquarters in Hamburg plus 19 offices throughout the country including Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt and Munich
Employees: 130
Products/Services: Staffing services for commercial, professional and technical positions, on-site management, independent contractor and managed services provider
Top executive: Thomas Schenk, vice president and managing director Country Group Germany
Key Safety Systems Inc.
Based: Sterling Heights
Operations: Technical Center in Raunheim and a satellite sales Office in Munich
Employees: 280
Products/Services: Development and testing of safety critical systems for automotive and non-automotive markets, including airbags, steering wheels, seatbelts, and active safety devices as well as support for administration, finance, program management and sales functions for Key Safety Systems European facilities in Italy, France, Macedonia, Romania, and the United Kingdom
Top executive: Ralph Caspari, president of Passive Safety Europe and managing director of KSS Deutschland GmbH
Clients: Aston Martin Ltd., Audi AG, Bentley Motors Ltd., Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, Daimler AG, Fiat SpA, Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co., Hyundai Motor Co., Jaguar Land Rover Ltd., Porsche AG, Peugeot S.A., Renault-Nissan Alliance, Toyota Motor Corp. and Volkswagen AG
Penske Automotive Group
Based: Bloomfield Hills
Operations: Automotive retail vehicle dealerships in Aachen, Alsdorf, Bad Münstereifel, Darmstadt, Düren, Skoda, Erkelenz, Eschborn, Eschweiler, Frankfurt, Fulda-Petersberg, Geilenkirchen, Hamburg, Heinsberg, Mannheim, Offenbach, Simmerath, Stolberg, Übach-Palenberg and Wächtersbach
Employees: 1,250
Products/Services: Sales of new and used cars and trucks as well as vehicle service and parts sales
Top executive: Jens Werner, CEO of Continental Europe
MPG Inc.
Based: Southfield
Operations: Technology centers in Dieburg and Zell am Harmersbach as well as manufacturing plants in Zell am Harmersbach and Nuremberg
Employees: 650
Products/Services: Vibration damper applications, process development of ready for assembly forgings and forged components combined with advanced machining operations
Top executive: Christoph Guhe, vice president and general manager of Global Forged Products; Juergen Depp, vice president of engineering and business development for Vibration Control Systems.
Clients: Audi AG, BMW AG, Robert Bosch GmbH, Dana Corp., Daimler AG, Getrag, Magna Powertrain, Schaeffler Group, Volkswagen AGand ZF/TRW Group.
TI Automotive Ltd.
Based: Auburn Hills
Operations: 11 manufacturing plants and two tech centers, in Bremen, Ettlingen, Heidelberg, Fuldabrück, Ingolstadt, Isenbüttel, Leipzig, Neunkirchen, Neutraubling and Rastatt
Employees: 1,900
Products: Fuel tank systems, brake and fuel lines, fluid carrying systems bundles, fuel pumps and modules, powertrain components, HVAC systems, steel and plastic automotive tubing
Top executives: Bogdan Mieszczak, managing director, FCS Europe; Albert Boecker, global product and advanced engineering director, tank systems
Clients: Daimler AG, Audi AB, Volkswagen AG, BMW AG, Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co., Jaguar Land Rover Ltd., MAN, Porsche AG, Lamborghini SpA, Volvo Car Corp, Renault-Nissan, Kautex Textron GMBH & Co., Inergy Automotive Systems LLC, TI Automotive LLC and Magna International Inc.
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