Singaporean-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce pops the champagne on 10th year

Year-long events are kicked off.

According to a release, the Singaporean-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (SGC) celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. 

The 10th Annual General Meeting and Business Luncheon with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam kickstarts a year-long string of events organised for the members and guests.

Mr Wolfgang Huppenbauer, President of the Chamber said, “We have achieved a lot in these past ten years, thanks to the support of our members and business partners. The SGC started in 2004 with around 230 members and today, we are proud that now we are more than 500. In the last 10 years, the chamber has organized more than 750 events and about 60 business delegations visiting Singapore or
vice versa. Taking all into account, the events and activities organized by the SGC saw close to 50,000 visitors and participants.”

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam said, “Germany is an important market and economic partner for us. German companies have been major players in our development over the years, bringing in new technologies and helping us upgrade skills in various sectors, including chemicals, electronics, engineering and logistics. I would like to thank the SGC for its efforts to promote business relations between Singapore and Germany and congratulate the Chamber for its past achievements. We look forward to continuing our fruitful partnership in the years to come”.

Dr Tim Philippi, Executive Director of SGC pointed out “Germany and Singapore have long enjoyed excellent bilateral ties. Germany continues to be Singapore’s largest trading partner among the European Union (EU) countries, while Singapore is Germany’s most important economic partner in the ASEAN region.”

There are now more than 1,400 German companies registered in Singapore. Many of these companies are renowned multinational companies from chemicals, automotive, electronics, engineering and logistics sectors. Besides multinational companies, a growing number of leading German Mittelstands are also using Singapore as a base for their activities in Asia.

Singapore remains a major draw to German companies for these reasons:

• Excellent infrastructure and connectivity
• No corruption
• Highly qualified professionals
• High level of legal reliability and IP rights protection