Innovation Drives the Future – The Theme of 2024 for the AHK Romania Community
The key word guiding the pathway to business of the AHK Romania community for the current year is innovation.
“In 2024 we are writing a new chapter: Innovation drives the future. Innovation is playing an essential role now, but it will especially play one in the future, and we are happy to jointly follow this way, with confidence, optimism, and courage,” said Andreas Lier, President of the Romanian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, at the opening of the New Year Reception.
On this occasion, the prizes of the Romanian-German economy – AHK Awards – have been awarded for a second time. The winners are the companies: Bosch Group Romania, Siemens SRL, Knauf Insulation & Knauf Gips and Salubris.
The Bosch Group has won the prize with the project „Work #LikeABosch – A rock solid promise to our current and future employees” in the category “Our employees, our success”. The #PeopleMatter strategy focuses on education investment, attracting skilled professionals, and nurturing talent, aiming for a unified employer voice and meaningful employee experiences aligned with Bosch’s goal of enabling connected living through AI-infused products and solutions.
Siemens SRL ranked first in the category “Innovation and new technology”, with its project “Siemens innovations and fully digitized solutions for the Water Treatment Industry in Romania”. Siemens’ technology is flexible, modular, and expandable, reduces the water loss in the distribution system, has slow energy consumption and is cyber-secure.
Knauf Insulation & Knauf Gips Romania was the winner in the “Business Excellence” category, with the project “Knauf invests 200 million euro in two factories in Romania”. In March 2022 Knauf has started modernising the production line of the glass mineral wool in Tarnaveni and in January 2023, the construction of the new factory of Knauf Insulation in Huedin. The investments focus on innovation, technological integration, compliance with high energy efficiency and environmental standards.
The prize in the category “Responsibility for the future” went to Salubris company and its project “The Sustainable Development of Waste Management in the Context of the Circular Economy in Iasi City”.
The solution proposed by Salubris is an integrated waste collection system, which consists of the development of a separate collection infrastructure, including modern and digital collection points, waste transport, street sanitation infrastructure while ensuring the air quality.
The active involvement of the companies in strengthening technologies and competences has been also noticed by the Romanian President Klaus Werner Johannis, who sent a message of support to the business community through his Counsellor Cosmin Marinescu. The AHK Romania’s motto “Innovation drives the future” has been well received and appreciated as “an inspired choice, reflecting the expectations we all have of 2024 and of the future”.
In a tense international context, flagged by open conflicts in Ukraine and Middle East, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Romania, HE Dr Peer Gebauer looks to 2024 with cautious optimism. He stressed that the nowadays strength remains the economy. “Romanian-German relations are more tighten and trusting than ever. Our even closer cooperation will be the key to maintaining our future performance and resilience,” he added.
The Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism, Stefan Radu Oprea, was also moderately optimistic about Romania’s economic growth in the coming years. He invited the representatives of the companies participating at AHK Romania’s New Year Reception to use the state aid schemes made available to companies by the Ministry of Economy, in the field of construction and manufacturing industry. The minister wished the companies to make good business, telling them that Romania needs innovation, intellectual property registered here, competitiveness and added value for its products.
The New Year Reception is a flagship event of the AHK Romania, organised every year at the Palace of Parliament. It brings together businessmen, representatives of the public administration, professional associations, civil society, politics, diplomacy, academia, and mass media, for networking purposes. This year the number of participants exceeded 900!
About AHK Romania
The AHK Romania (German-Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry) was established in September 2002. With its more than 600 members, the AHK Romania is the official representative of the German economy in Romania and plays a key role in fostering the German-Romanian economic relations. As a professional service provider, the AHK Romania offers a wide spectrum of services in supporting German companies to enter the Romanian market and to establish new business in Romania. The AHK Romania sees itself also as a partner for Romanian companies interested in the German market. Since the 1 January 2020, the Competence Centre for the Republic of Moldova has been operating within AHK Romania. Thus, we want to intensify business relations between companies from Romania, the Republic of Moldova and Germany and to contribute significantly to the economic development of the Republic of Moldova.
Motto AHK 2024: Innovation Drives the Future
Innovation is the driving force behind progress. It changes lives and shapes the future, by seeking solutions to the national and global challenges. Innovation means economic growth and higher living standards, but also disruption, transformation, and adaptation to new circumstances. This is why we are dedicating this year to the topic Innovation Drives the Future. AHK Romania plays a pivotal role in nurturing innovation within the German and Romanian business community, through its steadfast support of bilateral cooperation in various fields of innovation and its active advocacy for innovation-friendly economic policies.
