TH-135_©_Copyright_Airbus_Helicopters_Japan%20-%20Chikako_HIRANO
The TH-135 is a variant of Airbus Helicopters’ light twin-engine EC135 T2+ that has been customized for the JMSDF, and is meant to replace its single-engine training helicopter fleet. Deliveries of the TH-135 began in 2009 and have been in operation since 2011. Read more (Source: Aviation Today):
The Future of Industries in Europe and in Japan
On Novembre 27th, we took part to the Symposium “The Future of Industries” organised in Brussels (Belgium) by the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation and the “Fondation France-Japon” of the EHESS (Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales, Paris).
More information about the Event can be found in one of our previous posts on the same Blog: https://gbmc-blog.biz/2014/11/05/announcement-symposium-the-future-of-industries/
The objective of this symposium was to provide a unique forum to discuss the future of industries in Europe, in Japan and in Korea. Attended by about 50 motivated academics, company executives and policy-makers, this event concluded a 3-year study on the issues of industries coordinated by the EHESS.
The one-afternoon program was packed and consisted in about a dozen presentations given by academics, business executives and policy-makers. The content of most presentations was interesting, providing a wide overview of the problem. Unfortunately, the Q&A sessions were too short (10 minutes each), no summary was made and no general conclusions were drawn at the end of the symposium.
Therefore, we are thinking of having an article published about it but, meanwhile, a few key points of the symposium are:
– Innovation is a key factor, as illustrated by the presentations of HITACHI (Customer-driven research using Big Data Analytics for Social Innovation Business), VALEO (30% of new order intakes involve innovation and 10% of sales are dedicated to R&D) and AIR LIQUIDE (creation of i-Lab, working with start-ups and consisting in a “think tank” showing the direction and a “corporate garage” turning ideas into business).
– Other factors mentionned were: labour and energy costs, productivity improvements, good innovation environment (R&D tax credits and facilities)…
– Innovation is not everything, as underlined by the “Korean Success Story”: no cutting-edge technology but a good combination of various technologies, product marketing, benchmarking, speed and dedication.
– After a period of neglect, the EU Commission aims now at stopping the deindustrialisation trend in the EU, as highlighted by its Paper “Towards Industrial Renaissance”.
– With the Industry 4.0 Project, Germany set up a Digital Agenda and aims at important productivity gains through ICT.
– On the other hand, Japan’s R&D strategy seems ICT-orientated, supporting “Platform Business” (Smart Cities), “Next Generation Manufacturing” and “Convergence of Manufacturing & Service”.
What is the Future of Robots ?
Great Presentation “ Toward a new era of EU-Japan cooperation in Robotics: rationale and objectives”
and Insight from Masakatsu Fujie, Faculty of Science and Engineering, WasedaUniversity, Tokyo, Japan !!
Read: Waseda Presentation – Robotics Workshop
What is your take on the subject?
Stay updated about EU-Japan relations with GBMC’s Newsletter !!
This symposium will provide a unique forum to discuss the future of industries in Europe, in Japan and in Korea.
This event concludes a 3-year study on the issues of industries coordinated by the EHESS (Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales, Paris). The Symposium is co-organised by the EHESS and the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation, a public joint venture by the Government of Japan and the European Commission, and is supported by public and private French and Japanese organisations.
Thursday, 27 November 2014, 13h30-17h45, Brussels
REGISTRATIONS: http://www.eu-japan.eu/registration-form-future-industries
PROGRAMME: http://www.eu-japan.eu/sites/eu-japan.eu/files/FutureOfIndustries_Programme%20_ja.pdf
Investing in the EU
With its highly educated population of over 500 million, a GDP of over €12.97 trillion (2012), constituting 23% of global nominal GDP, the EU has the largest nominal GDP in the world. A single market is maintained throughout the EU by means of a standardized system of laws that apply in every single one of its 28 Member States.
Furthermore, the Schengen Area incorporating 22 EU Member States and the four European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Member States has virtually abolished all internal borders and prohibited systematic customs and tax controls. This all means that any enterprise established in any EU Member State has the freedom to extend its operations throughout the Single Market, potentially reaching virtually every consumer within the EU. The investment policy of the EU strives to provide investors with maximum market access, legal certainty, and a stable, predictable, fair and properly regulated environment.
At the same time, despite all the trade and investment opportunities available, there is still a considerable unfulfilled economic and investment potential. Many of the new EU Members from Central and Eastern Europe, such as Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary attained record levels of FDI inflows prior to 2009, partly owing to the European integration process. Although the FDI inflows dropped significantly during the economic crisis, as of 2013, investment inflows are rising again and are estimated to substantially increase over the next years. The reasons for this are clear: besides the end of the economic crisis, these countries are now full members of the EU, incorporating all the advantages of the EU Single Market, while retaining their comparative and competitive advantages such as lower labour costs, skilled workforce and lower tax rates.
1) Resource 1: “EU Countries Profile Handbook” (Potential Investment Destination), May 2014, GBMC
This handbook consists in an Overview of Regional Strengths in the 28 EU countries. That is, we have tried to highlight the comparative advantages and potential investment opportunities in various regions of Europe. To do that, we have sorted the EU countries in groups and underline characteristics for each region.
For example:
– for Northern Europe-Scandinavia: green innovation, renewable energies, clean technologies, environment, energy efficiency ….
– for the Baltic States: cybersecurity, the flourishing ICT sectors at lower labor costs
– for Western Europe: advanced R&D infrastructures and highly educated workforce, with market leaders innovating in ICT and cloud computing, aerospace, automotive, chemical and biotech industries.
– for Southern Europe: tourism as well as important business activities in the aerospace, automotive, chemical, biotech and ICT industries.
– for Eastern and Central Europe: coexistence of the big steering and mature powerhouses like Germany and Austria, with the dynamic and low labor costs new Member States expanding into aerospace, automotive, ICT and biotech industries.
– for the Black Sea area: unexplored natural resources, low labor costs, bridge towards Turkey, the Middle East and former Soviet States
ACCESS: subscribe to our Newsletter on our website (http://www.gbmc.biz) and you will receive it as a complementary gift.
2) Resource 2: “An assessment of key EU industrial sectors open to Japanese technological cooperation and investment”, Septembre 2014, GBMC for the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation.
This publication is intended to help Japanese researchers, companies and other organisations to take advantage of the considerable opportunities to establish and develop industrial activities or relationships in the EU. It begins with an explanation of how EU industry is expected to change, the impact and benefits the EU Single Market offers, how IPR protection is simplifying and strengthening, and new opportunities under the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme. Then, it identifies key industrial sectors and sub-sectors likely to be of potential interest to Japan, including brief mention of some of the countless recent examples demonstrating the already-close industrial ties. Finally, its case studies outline the experience of 14 Japanese companies and business federations which have established activities in Europe.
ACCESS: Direct Link: http://www.eu-japan.eu/sites/eu-japan.eu/files/AnAssessmentOfKeyEUIndustrialSectors_FINAL.pdf
3) Resource 3: “Destination Europe – The EU Single Market: an attractive destination for Japanese FDI”, Septembre 2014, GBMC for the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation.
This publication is an information material on the European Union as an attractive destination for Japanese investments. The European Union has historically been a major destination for foreign direct investment, offering Japanese companies the benefits of a Single Market of more than 500 million people. At the same time, there is still a considerable potential for further expansion of Japanese investment activity in the EU Member States now that the economies of Japan and the EU are on the way to becoming even more integrated as a result of the ongoing Free Trade Agreement negotiations. Japanese companies and investors will find useful information about the benefits of the EU Single Market that will encourage them to invest in one or several of our 28 Member States.
ACCESS: Direct Link: http://www.eu-japan.eu/sites/eu-japan.eu/files/DestinationEurope_1.pdf
For more information, questions, comments or requests, you can also contact us at info@gbmc.biz
GBMC Article published by the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation:
1) in EU-JAPAN NEWS, in the December 2013 edition of the Centre’s Newsletter. Article to be found page 18 of the Newsletter #44: EU-Japan News December 2013
2) permanently online, on the “EU Business in Japan” website: http://www.eubusinessinjapan.eu/library/publication/article-why-europe-and-japan-need-an-epa
Doing Business in Japan
Many articles and books have been written about the subjects of “Doing Business in Japan” or “Doing Business with the Japanese”.
Some of them focus on Cross-cultural Management issues, others on Sales & Marketing issues and, finally, some others on Entry Strategy issues.
At GBMC, we cover all fields:
1) “Doing Business with the Japanese” in Japan:
In 2012, the EU-Japan Centre carried out a Survey of EU SMEs on their Internationalisation towards Japan (Source: In Search for Growth: Towards a New Role for SMEs in EU-Japan Relations, EU-JAPAN CENTRE FOR INDUSTRIAL COOPERATION 2013). The obstacles most often mentioned by respondents (126 European SMEs) were:
So, you have a “Homework” to do when approaching one of the most dynamic and challenging market in the world!
In our book “The Ultimate Survival Guide for Business in Japan”, we cover the following Cross-cultural Management issues:
[ Part I – Cross-cultural Management
Chapter I – Culture Basics in Japan
Chapter II – Group Spirit and « Nemawashi »
Chapter III – An Innovative Country
Chapter IV – « Omotenashi »: the Customer Service Mindset
Chapter V – The Sumo-way of Negotiating ]
For availability, please check the GBMC’s eBooks section at: http://www.gbmc.biz/GBMC_eBooks.html
You will also find links to many other articles from us.
Finally, as part of our consulting offer, we also provide (more details from: http://www.gbmc.biz/Japan_Training_Lecturing.html)
– Cross cultural training for European staff in Japanese companies
– Training for European companies who work with Japanese companies (Japanese customers, clients or partners): Japanese business etiquette, Japanese business culture, doing business with Japan ….
2) “Doing Business with the Japanese” in Europe or abroad:
Japanese companies have been major long-term investors in Europe and other parts of the world.
In the following Publications written for the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation, we have interviewed the executives of
14 Japanese companies and public/trade associations about the EU as a Destination for Japanese Investments.
> Title: “An assessment of key EU industrial sectors open to Japanese technological cooperation and investment”
This publication will help Japanese researchers, companies and other organisations take advantage of the considerable opportunities to establish and develop industrial activities or relationships in the EU. It begins with an explanation of how EU industry is expected to change, the impact and benefits the EU Single Market offers, how IPR protection is simplifying and strengthening, and new opportunities under the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme. Then, it identifies key industrial sectors and sub-sectors likely to be of potential interest to Japan, including brief mention of some of the countless recent examples demonstrating the already-close industrial ties. Finally, its case studies outline the experience of 14 Japanese companies and business federations which have established activities in Europe.
Direct Link: http://www.eu-japan.eu/sites/eu-japan.eu/files/AnAssessmentOfKeyEUIndustrialSectors_FINAL.pdf
> Title: “Destination Europe – The EU Single Market: an attractive destination for Japanese FDI”
This publication is an information material on the European Union as an attractive destination for Japanese investments. The European Union has historically been a major destination for foreign direct investment, offering Japanese companies the benefits of a Single Market of more than 500 million people. At the same time, there is still a considerable potential for further expansion of Japanese investment activity in the EU Member States now that the economies of Japan and the EU are on the way to becoming even more integrated as a result of the ongoing Free Trade Agreement negotiations. Japanese companies and investors will find useful information about the benefits of the EU Single Market that will encourage them to invest in one or several of our 28 Member States.
Direct Link: http://www.eu-japan.eu/sites/eu-japan.eu/files/DestinationEurope_1.pdf
Finally, as part of our consulting offer, we also provide (more details from: http://www.gbmc.biz/Japan_Training_Lecturing.html);
– Cross cultural training for Japanese expatriates working in Europe
3) “Doing Business in Japan”:
In our book “The Ultimate Survival Guide for Business in Japan”, we also cover the following Sales & Marketing/Entry Strategy issues:
[ Part II – Sales & Marketing Strategies
Chapter VI – Business Basics in Japan
Chapter VII – B2C Marketing
Chapter VIII – B2B Marketing
Chapter IX – Long-term B2B Sales Strategies
Part III – Japan Entry Stratégies
Chapter X – Indirect Sales
Chapter XI – Direct Sales
Chapter XII – Strategic Alliances and Partnerships ]
For availability, please check the GBMC’s eBooks section at: http://www.gbmc.biz/GBMC_eBooks.html
As the more you know about Japan, the better it is, you might as well:
– follow our Blog: http://gbmc-blog.biz
– register to our Mailing List on: http://www.gbmc.biz/Home_Page.php
– follow our company page on Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/2420671
– check out our book (in French) about the History of the Japanese Economy:
“Lecture Economique de l’Histoire du Japon” (for availability, please also check http://www.gbmc.biz/GBMC_eBooks.html)
Finally, as part of our consulting offer, we also provide (more details from:http://www.gbmc.biz/EU-Japan_Consulting.html)
– EU-Japan Market Entry and Development Consultancy
– Japan Executive/Business Coaching Service
– Foreign Trade/Exhibition/Event Support Business Services
– Translation/ Interpreter Services & Language Courses
For more information, questions, comments or requests, you can also contact us at info@gbmc.biz
www.gbmc-blog.biz 