Business Symposium in Tokyo

• Topic: Japanese and German answers to the challenges of globalization
• High-ranking personalities from the Japanese and German business worlds give presentations and engage in panel discussions
• Partners of the event: Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, Japanese German Center Berlin and Nihon Keizai Shinbun (Nikkei), Japan's leading business paper, and Handelsblatt

On the occasion of the German Year being celebrated in Japan, Roland Berger Strategy Consultants is co-hosting an international business symposium in Tokyo. Under the topic "How do Germany and Japan master the challenges of global competition?", leading personalities from the Japanese and German business worlds are sharing their globalization experience. The agenda includes presentations and discussions on the topics of market leadership and international alliances. The list of speakers includes top managers such as Henning Kagermann, CEO SAP, Ulrich Lehner, CEO Henkel, Berthold Leibinger, Managing Partner TRUMPF Group, Thomas Enders, CEO EADS, Karl-Ludwig Kley, Board Member Lufthansa, Klaus Zumwinkel, CEO Deutsche Post World Net and Andreas Renschler, Board Member DaimlerChrysler. The event is co-hosted by the Japanese German Center Berlin and Nihon Keizai Shinbun (Nikkei), Japan's leading business paper, in cooperation with Handelsblatt, Germany.

Roland Berger, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, highlights the importance of globalization for Japanese and German companies. "In an environment of increasing global competition, Japanese and German companies are facing similar problems. High production costs force companies to boost their innovation capacity and productivity in their domestic markets and offshore production to low-wage countries. Also, given the limited scope and the saturation of their home markets, they have to pursue global growth. This growth can best be achieved through mergers and acquisitions. The success of such mergers, in turn, depends on the strategic and cultural fit as well as successful management during the post merger integration," Roland Berger explains.

SAP prevails against American competitors

Henning Kagermann, CEO of SAP, describes how SAP succeeded in developing and expanding its position in a market dominated by American competitors. SAP established a global infrastructure early on and intensified relationships with customers and business partners at a time when competitors focused primarily on acquisitions. What is more, SAP was able to cut internal costs by developing superior internal processes. The company relies on global cooperation in R&D and in the service divisions to increase customer benefit. SAP is further expanding its market position through continuous product innovations.

Henkel: Focus on established brands

Ulrich Lehner, CEO of Henkel, explains the company's brand strategy. He advises against focusing on an exclusively global product and brand strategy, as this could be rather risky. Henkel makes it a point to manage a portfolio of both local and global brands. Consumer acceptance of the products governs all activities in this respect. Also, Henkel focuses on well-established brands and continuously improves them through innovations.

TRUMPF: Customer proximity is a success factor in global competition

In his presentation, Berthold Leibinger, Managing Partner of TRUMPF Group, addresses the question of how medium-sized enterprises can best establish their position against global competition. He cites innovation, internationalization and continuity as the sources of his company's success. The early entry in laser technology was the company's most important innovation. In a global business world, companies have to globally align their organizations to ensure closeness to their customers and strengthen their trust in the brand. This is especially true for capital goods manufacturers. Continuity also means always being ready to embrace change and acting as a role model, says Leibinger.

EADS: European integration is the most important step toward globalization

Thomas Enders, CEO of EADS, sees the European integration of EADS as an important step on the path to globalization. Integrating the three founding companies (German DASA, French Aérospatiale and Spanish CASA) has laid the foundation for the company's international success. By merging the different corporate cultures, EADS has become a meta-national company. Used to accommodating different mentalities, EADS is well prepared for globalization.

Lufthansa has established itself as a global player

Karl-Ludwig Kley, Lufthansa Board Member, discusses the success factors of a globally active airline. In Kley's view, these are: market leadership in the domestic market, an extremely competent management ("zero tolerance management"), stringent cost management and clear customer orientation. He forecasts more cross-border mergers in the aggressively competitive airline sector. These aim to build a world-wide transportation network to respond to customer needs.

Deutsche Post: Globalization is here to stay

In his presentation, Klaus Zumwinkel, CEO of Deutsche Post World Net, outlines his company's privatization process. He highlights three important moves that mark his company's path to becoming a global player: Restructuring the formerly public company and making it profitable again, internationalizing the organization and expanding it to become a globally leading logistics services provider.

DaimlerChrysler: Global network as a challenge

Andreas Renschler, on the DaimlerChrysler Board responsible for the commercial vehicles division addresses the situation in the global commercial vehicles market in his presentation. The key challenge his company faces is establishing a global network to tap synergy potential. Striking a healthy balance between regional and global interests is a key success factor.

Shigetaka Komori, President and CEO of Fuji Photofilm, and Toru Tsuji, Chairman of Marubeni Corporation, will also speak.

The subsequent discussion addresses issues such as the ways in which international M&A activities also trigger changes in corporate culture, how the effects of globalization on the national labor markets can be overcome and possible paths toward innovation and differentiation in international competition.