Detail

Campus - 20.04.2015 - 00:00 

Asia Connect Center to be continued

The Asia Connect Center at the HSG is to be continued and supported as a project within the remit of the Confederation’s New Regional Policy. This is the decision made by the three cantons which cooperate in the St.GallenBodenseeArea: St.Gallen, both half-cantons of Appenzell, and Thurgau.
Source: HSG Newsroom

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15 April 2015. Owing to the big challenges in the European sales markets, many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from Eastern Switzerland have to generate an increasing part of their turnover in Asia. Here, SMEs are able to rely on strengths such as the Swiss quality image and the free trade agreement with China. However, the cost situation is sometimes a disadvantage vis-à-vis competitors from the Eurozone.

This is the point of departure with which the Asia Connect Center (ACC-HSG) has been dealing ever since 2012. It has already supported more than 50 SMEs in their initial steps in Asian markets. The first sales units have been placed and initial orders have been generated.

Expansion into Europe
On the other hand, medium-sized enterprises have developed in Asia to such an extent that they, in turn, are giving intensive consideration to expansion into Europe. For this reason, Asian firms are increasingly beginning to operate in Europe and other western markets, and they are looking for new sales markets and technology partners. Similarly to SMEs in Switzerland, these firms require specific support in their internationalisation efforts.

Both scenarios are expected to have a favourable impact on jobs in the region. In this respect, too, the ACC-HSG has been engaged in intensive cooperation with regard to positioning the St.GallenBodenseeArea (SGBA) in China, India and Thailand. The purpose is to persuade Asian firms to launch or extend their expansion into Europe with investments in the SGBA economic area.

With the continuation of support provided to the Asia Connect Center at the University of St.Gallen, the four cantons underline the significance they attribute to the Asian economic area in the future.

Picture: Photocase.com / derProjektor

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