"Time is money"

Interview with two participants of the GICON InTraBiD managerial program "Fit for Partnership with Germany"

 

In 2017, the tenth group of foreign managers is already being made "fit" for cooperation with German companies. GICON® InTraBiD GmbH is one of 13 training centers nationwide that bring the program "Fit for Partnership with Germany" to life and offer business training for its participants. It is coordinated by the Deutschen Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ - German Association for International Cooperation) on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). Two Turkmen, Shorat Amangeldiyev and Serdar Garayev have already successfully participated. After their visit to Dresden, GICONcret, the newsletter of the GICON Group, asked them about their impressions.

More than 11,000 foreign companies have already participated in the "Fit for Partnership with Germany" program. How did you learn about it?

Amangeldiyev: The traditional way: I read a report in a newspaper in my home country that aroused my interest.

Garayev: In my case, it was through contact with former program participants.

What attracted your interest in participating?

Amangeldiyev: My goal was to develop my already existing company "Individual Entrepreneur Shorat Amangeldiyev". That is why I wanted to find out what possibilities exist in Germany, what legal regulations exist and how the production is organized in Germany.

Garayev: My interest was to get to know German agriculture technology first hand.  This has been used in Turkmenistan since the 1980s.

How did it go after that? What obstacles had to be overcome in order to participate?

Amangeldiyev: Thanks to the newspaper report, I knew what documents and business plans I had to submit. Afterwards, I was invited to a selection meeting where I was accepted.

What are the main focuses of and what knowledge was imparted in the training courses?

Amangeldiyev: The program basically consists of three pillars: seminars on the acquisition and deepening of various competencies, such as project and personnel management; following up on this are group visits to companies, and the third pillar consists of individual contacts with businesses.

Garayev: At this point, I would like to add that the contact with German companies is of particular importance to us: after all, we come on the recommendation of the BMWi and the GIZ.

Are company visits helpful to establishing new contacts?

Amangeldiyev: My company has been cooperating with German companies very effectively and smoothly for a long time. Through the on-site visits, I was able to develop new business opportunities, for example, with a manufacturer for piston compressors, and negotiate spare parts deliveries.

Garayev: I also have already worked with German technology and profit very much from the high quality. Thanks to GICON® InTraBiD GmbH, I have been introduced to many new business contacts and I have observed many new machines and techniques that are not yet employed in Turkmenistan. After returning to my home country, I will be able to offer German technology as a representative of a German agricultural machine manufacturer and, if necessary, to arrange for the supply of spare parts.

What support was GICON® InTraBiD GmbH able to provide?

Garayev: The program saved me enormous financial and temporal resources. The InTraBiD experts have also shown me new ways of cooperation with companies.

Let’s draw a brief conclusion: what did you take away for your own companies from your stay in Germany?

Amangeldiyev: First and foremost, the newly developed contacts as well as interesting insights into the German economy. The above-mentioned compressor manufacturer provides, for example, training opportunities that I would like to share with my employees.

Garayev: I now understand the German proverb "time is money" and I know that it is worth investing in German technology because of the quality. I would like to convey this to my countrymen. In addition, all program participants will certainly remain in touch with each other and support each other, as needed.