SZEKESFEHERVAR, Hungary ? Automation Alley Spokesman Michelle Zellen, in her journal from the group?s Trade Mission to Eastern Europe, calls her latest entry ?Planes, Trains and Automobiles,? since they traveled on all three modes of transportation over three days in three different countries.
On Tuesday, October 18, we continued our Gold Key meetings in Budapest, Hungary and then I accompanied Richard Kincaid, president of K&F Electronics, Inc. (Fraser), a manufacturer of printed circuit boards, which includes instrumental, sensors, medical, automotive and homeland protection and Robert W. Jansen III, channel manager of VIA Information Tools (Troy), a software and professional services company that specializes in building commercial application software, to a Visteon plant in Szekesfehervar Hungary, about 40 miles southwest of Budapest.
We met with Denes Szekely Nagy, managing director, and Laszlo Ligeti, plant engineering manager, of Visteon. The plant, more commonly known as the Alba plant, has three main concentrations: electronics, power train and climate control. The plant was built in 1992 and has a total of 1,425 employees. It is also one of the largest Visteon plants in Europe at 428,000 square feet. After a brief presentation, Ligeti lead us through the plant, one of the cleanest plants I have ever seen, I must note.
Jansen was able to walk away with a follow-up video conference meeting that will take place at the Automation Alley headquarters later this year.
?I am very excited about exploring a possible partnership with Visteon,? said Jansen. ?This opportunity never would have been possible if I had not participated on this Trade Mission. The U.S. Commercial Service Office in Hungary did an amazing job setting up meetings for me with companies that were a match for my company.?
We then headed back to Budapest to board a train for Bratislava, Slovakia.
On Wednesday, October 19, we began our day in Bratislava, Slovakia with a briefing from the U.S. Commercial Services office. Slovakia remained under Communist rule until 1989 and became an independent country in January 1993. Slovakia has a 19% flat tax and conditions are very favorable for small to mid-sized enterprises to set-up shop. There are currently many state aid and investment incentives for companies that are interested in starting a business in Slovakia.
Joerg Hoefer, president & CEO of Global Manufacturing Alliance, Inc. (Troy) and Robert W. Jansen III, channel manager of VIA Information Tools, Inc. (Troy) continued their Gold Key meetings at the U.S. Commercial Services office.
In the afternoon Ken Rogers, executive director of Automation Alley and Oakland County deputy county executive, Hayes Jones, senior advisor to the Automation Alley International Business Center, Mike Shapiro, director of regional business development, Detroit Regional Economic Partnership, Dennis Toffolo, Oakland County deputy county executive and Phil Bertolini, Oakland County CIO and director of the GLIMA Network, met with Ondrej Socuvka, advisor to the Prime Minister of Slovakia for macroeconomics and foreign investments, to discuss how Slovakia is moving towards a knowledge-based economy.
?Slovakia is about to explode,? said Rogers. ?We are currently looking into the possibility of bring a trade show to Slovakia for Automation Alley?s small to mid-sized companies so that they can get in the market while the time is right.?
The Automation Alley delegation then met with Katarina Benkova, director of the foreign trade department, Jan Galoci, senior state counselor and Michal Vrabel, state counselor of the department for international trade from the Ministry of Economy, where it was again reiterated that Slovakia is looking to become a knowledge-based economy and is looking at doing business with American companies.
Less than 24 hours after arriving, the Automation Alley delegation then said ?dovidenia? (goodbye) to Slovakia and headed to Prague in the Czech Republic.
All five participating companies made the stop in Prague. They are:
Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority (Detroit); freight transportation and distribution hub for U.S. Midwest and Southwest Ontario businesses;
K & F Electronics (Fraser); manufacturer of printed circuit boards;
Global Manufacturing Alliance (Troy); specializing in the design, manufacturing and integration of automotive assembly systems for vehicle closure panels, body structural components, and vehicle side panels;
Plante & Moran (Auburn Hills); certified public accounting and business advisory firm;
VIA Information Technologies (Troy); software and professional services company that specializes in building commercial application software.
After a morning briefing by the U.S. Commercial Services office and a full day of Gold Key meetings, the Automation Alley delegation attended a reception at the home of U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic, William J. Cabaniss, Jr. Ambassador Cabaniss was called out of town on business, but the group was welcomed by Cameron Munter, the deputy chief of mission to the U.S. Embassy.
Currently the Czech Republic?s main industry is in service, but Munter commented on how this is the time for the American SME?s to bring in the knowledge to assist the companies in this region. He also mentioned that now is a great time for collaboration between the two countries.
On Friday, the delegation continued with its Gold Key meetings and then rested over the weekend before heading off to Poland, the final stop on this Trade Mission, on Monday.
