AGP Stammtisch in Birmingham |
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Come out to network while enjoying German beverages and food! Speaking German is encouraged but not required.
What does "Stammtisch" mean? A Stammtisch is an informal group meeting held on a regular basis, and also the usually large table around which the group meets. A Stammtisch is not a structured meeting, but rather a friendly and casual get-together.
Join us:
Wednesday, August 10, 2022
5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Carrigan's Beer Garden, Birmingham
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AGP Webinar "Better Together" |
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Join us for an open conversation about the impact of creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment in the state of Alabama:
Thursday, August 18, 2022
10:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. CDT
Zoom Webinar
We will be hosting our AGP member Agency54 that have the innate understanding that introducing diverse cultural perspectives can foster awareness and encourage trade that inevitably transforms businesses and industries as a whole.
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During our 45-minute webinar, Martha Bozeman, President of Agency54, one of the country’s first minority-owned advertising and public relations firms, will facilitate a conversation that encourages business leaders to reflect and understand the history of Alabama’s economic development and the future of inclusive prosperity. Our team will share implementation strategies to celebrate diverse stories happening across multiple industries. Martha will also present the fundamentals of creating an equitable environment that puts your business in a better position to thrive together.
Agency54 invites you to bring your questions, opinions, and unique perspectives to the “Better Together” webinar
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“It is only through difference that progress can be made.”
- Loeb Strauss
Agency54 is a robust communications and strategic public affairs firm whose innovative yet inclusive approach in public relations, digital marketing, advertising, public affairs, and corporate social responsibility delivers impactful results. Their agency’s roots extend deep into the fabric of their industry with an established reputation of breaking barriers and opening new markets for their clients.
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AGP Study Trip to Germany June 2022 |
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AlabamaGermany Partnership Study Trip 2022
The AGP Study Trip to Germany was finally realized in June after being postponed 3 times due to Covid. One thing is certain: it was worth the wait! The trip started in Munich, continued to Erlangen, then Selb, and ended up in the Esslingen/Stuttgart area.
In Erlangen, we visited the Siemens Energy Training Center, one of their six training centers in Germany. Siemens Energy educates 1067 in their apprenticeship programs and invests €19 Million in the training. We learned about the apprenticeship setup between government and industry and toured the very impressive facility.
In Selb, the Rausch & Pausch (RAPA) leadership team welcomed us for an evening of dinner and networking. The following morning, Dr. Pausch and his team greeted us for a tour of the RAPA plant. RAPA, who employs about 1,000 people worldwide, specializes in valves and complete mechatronic solutions for hydraulic and pneumatic applications. In 2020 the company celebrated its 100th anniversary. RAPA has been recognized for its technology innovations several times and won supplier of the year from several companies in the automotive industry. The evening was spent with Alabama Department of Commerce’s European Office Director, Christoph Doerr, who discussed the Department’s activities in Europe to promote Alabama.
Our visit to Stuttgart started with two very interesting institutions at the Stuttgart University campus. Both institutions work on highly confidential projects, so no photos were allowed. The Institute for Automotive Engineering and Power Systems is an independent research institute for automotive engineering and vehicle engines. We enjoyed a tour of the institute that gave us an insight into the challenges of the future of mobility. The institute has highly specialized test benches, testing, and simulation processes, including a full-scale wind tunnel, driving simulators, power train testers, sound measurement rooms, and more. The second visit was to the German Aerospace Center. They conduct research (and teaching) and development in aeronautics, space, energy, transport, security, and digitalization. 45% of the funding comes from the industry. Some of the focus is on hydrogen cars and trains, zero emission, cargo mobility (autonomous cargo trains), and networking vehicles to reduce accidents - just to mention a few. It was a fascinating insight into the institute.
The evening was hosted by Dr. Bharat Balasubramanian’s (Executive Director for the Center for Advanced Vehicle Technologies, at the University of Alabama) private home. Our delegation enjoyed meeting VIP guest Dr. Jörg Burzer, a member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG and the person in charge of the Production and Supply Chain Management Division. Dr. Burzer worked at Mercedes-Benz U.S. International in Vance from 2010 to 2013; when we asked if he enjoyed his time in Alabama, his answer was, “To know Alabama, is to love Alabama”.
Our trip concluded in Esslingen, where we visited the Esslingen University of Applied Sciences. The university has exchange programs with both UA and UAB; we met 4 of the exchange students from Tuscaloosa the night before. The university has 6,500 students enrolled, 11 faculties, 25 bachelor's programs, and 12 master's programs. We enjoyed a tour of their virtual automation lab and mobility driving simulator.
In addition to the business programs, the group experienced German culture through several planned cultural activities, lunch, and dinners. We visited to the oldest sekt (sparkling wine) maker in Germany, a 200-year old distillery, and enjoyed a typical Bavarian dinner and refreshments at Hofbrauhaus.
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Team Deutschland at the World Games 2022 Birmingham |
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Thank you to everyone that came out to support the German athletes at the World Games 2022 in Birmingham. It was hard to keep up with Team Deutschland (Germany)’s medal count every day. They took home 47 medals (24 Gold – 7 Silver – 16 Bronze). We loved the banner Team Deutschland carried at the closing ceremony. Thank you to the City of Birmingham and all that were involved in the planning and execution of such a successful World Games. A BIG thank you to all the volunteers that demonstrated what Southern Hospitality is all about. We loved the story of German swimmer Tim Brang, whose bags with his equipment didn’t make it to his first competition. TWG staff worked with TSA to try to find his equipment but they couldn’t do it in time. He was able to borrow equipment to compete and was still able to win the Bronze. A day later the bags were found and were in Atlanta. A TWG volunteer drove to ATL to pick them up and made it back in time for him to warm up for his next competition where he won GOLD!
The Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA) hosted a wonderful evening in salute to the German industry in Alabama in connection with the World Games. Among the attendees were the Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce, Greg Canfield, German Consul General Melanie Moltmann, Honorary Consul to Alabama Michael Johnson, the AlabamaGermany Partnership membership and board members, representatives from German industries, German Olympic Federation members, and many more. What a great celebration of the impact that German investments have had in Alabama and continue to have.
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Dankeschön to our PATRON Members: |
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Adah Int. Requires Germany Based Company doks.innovation |
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By Birmingham Business Journal |
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Managing members and executives of doks. innovation and Adah International standing behind one of the inventAIRy automated systems (left to right) Manuel Krieg, managing director of doks. innovation; Jens Reichmann, vice president of operations for Adah International; Akash Suryanarayanan, product manager of doks. innovation; and Kirk Atkinson, president of Adah International |
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A Birmingham-headquartered industrial engineering and project management company has acquired a German-based logistics servicer’s automated warehouse inventory systems located within the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The acquisition made by Adah International is part of an exclusive distribution agreement with doks. innovation, a provider of drone and sensor-based solutions for autonomous stocktaking and inventory.
According to Kirk Atkinson, president of Adah International, there are approximately 40 systems deployed around Europe, and the company has the first one in the U.S. It is fully operational and is used as proof of concept to customers. The company recently set up in Trussville and plans to organize another proof of concept in Montgomery next week. “From there, we will order new systems for customers to lease or purchase. We provide setup, maintenance, and service for all hardware and software here locally. We can even customize the systems with customer branding,” Atkinson said.
doks. innovation's "inventAIRy" system is an Autonomous Mobile Robot (ARM) solution for automized inventory and stock data control in pallet rack storage. The system can be deployed for stocktaking parallel to daily business or fully automated during nights and weekends so that valuable stock data is attained through minimal resources. Combining machine-learning algorithms and automated data processes, doks. innovation solutions also process data to relevant information, thus offering advantages in the planning and design of industrial processes, according to a release.
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AGP Board Member in the News |
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Please help us congratulate our AGP Board Member Dr. Bharat Balasubramanian that has been appointed an additional role as the new chief mobility research and development officer for the Alabama Transportation Institute.
Dr. Bharat Balasubramanian, professor in the UA College of Engineering and executive director of the Center for Advanced Vehicle Technologies, will take on the additional responsibility of creating and implementing a vision for connected, automated, and electric mobility research and elevating the profile of ATI both locally and globally. The appointment begins on Aug. 1.
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“UA and its partners have articulated our vision for the ‘New Mobility and Power Economy’, which aligns multiple components of academic programs, R&D, industry partnership, and workforce and economic development,” said Dr. Russell J. Mumper, UA vice president for research and economic development. “ATI and UA are very fortunate to have Dr. Balasubramanian to serve as its chief mobility R&D officer. Dr. Balasubramanian is a visionary leader in all of these components, and UA and the state of Alabama will benefit greatly.”
With expertise in the fields of electric and automated vehicles and the requisite infrastructure, Balasubramanian, known on campus as Dr. B, brings nearly 40 years of experience in research and development with Daimler AG in the Mercedes-Benz Cars Division. After retiring from Daimler in 2012 as vice president of group research and advanced engineering, Balasubramanian accepted an appointment as professor in both mechanical engineering and electrical and computer engineering at UA.
Over the past decade at UA, he has been integral in improving automotive engineering education and research while helping to form partnerships between UA and the state’s automotive industry. He started and leads the Two Steps Ahead: International German Student Exchange Program designed for a select group of students to gain experience with multi-national companies in automotive engineering while learning German.
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Adtran Holdings completes deal with German ADVA |
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Huntsville-based Adtran has settled an exchange offer with German optical networking firm ADVA. Adtran will be a direct subsidiary of the new entity, Adtran Holdings Inc., which will own a 65% majority of ADVA.
Shares in Adtran Holdings began trading Friday on NASDAQ and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
“The effectiveness of the agreement is intended to allow both companies to fully integrate and work towards the achievement of operational synergy targets,” Adtran said in announcing the deal.
“The business combination brings together two companies with a strong history of technology innovation and customer trust. With a total addressable market of USD 13.7 billion and a joint annual R&D budget of approximately USD 240 million, the combined company has enormous revenue potential and intends to capitalize on global investment opportunities around fiber buildouts,” the press announcement added.
Tom Stanton, chairman and CEO of ADTRAN Holdings, said, “This is an exciting day for both companies. With closing now behind us, we can focus on the final steps that will allow us to fully integrate these companies, creating a driving force within the industry. We believe that the combination of our exceptional talent, industry-leading solution portfolios, and vision for innovation, positions us as a global trusted leader for service provider, government, and enterprise customers and will provide a firm foundation for our success moving forward.”
Adtran Holdings’ headquarters will be in Huntsville with a European headquarters in Munich.
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News from Tuscaloosa Sister Cities International |
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By Tuscaloosa Sister Cities International (TSCI) |
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TSCI Student Exchanges to Resume in 2023
TSCI is thrilled to announce that, after a three-year hiatus due to Covid-19 health and travel restrictions, international student exchanges will resume in 2023! Interest applications for the June 2023 TSCI student exchange to Schorndorf, Germany will be available in school counselors’ offices in early September at Paul W. Bryant, Central, and Northridge High Schools. Be on the lookout for information, application criteria, and share it with 10th and 11th graders in the Tuscaloosa City Schools. Scholarship opportunities are available!
Schorndorf Delegates to Celebrate 26th Partnership Anniversary in Tuscaloosa
Schorndorf Mayor Bernd Hornikel and officials of “Die Daimlerstadt’s” Twinning organization are set to arrive in Tuscaloosa in late August 2022 to celebrate the 26th Anniversary of the Tuscaloosa-Schorndorf partnership. Delegates will meet with Tuscaloosa officials, and celebrate our strong and long-lasting official friendships. We wish all delegates a hearty Willkommen!
Destination: Deutschland in December
Soon after Schorndorf’s official delegation returns to Germany, a TSCI Delegation, led by Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox, will visit Schorndorf’s beautiful Christmas Markets for a reciprocal anniversary celebration in December 2022. TSCI is happy to celebrate the first days of the 2022 holiday season in Schorndorf.
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Dankeschön to our SUSTAINING Members: |
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Please help us welcome our new members:
CORPORATE - SUSTAINING
Jason Wolf
USA Operations Manager
P3 is an independent and international management consultancy that, in addition to consulting, also offers engineering services and software development for numerous customers and industries. Since it was founded in Aachen, Germany, in 1996, P3 has continued to set up branches, added experts, and is now employing over 1,000 people at 17 different locations worldwide.
As an AGP member, you can connect with them through the AGP membership database.
GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY/NON-PROFIT
Michael Ferdinand
Executive Director
The Jasper Industrial Development Board was established to coordinate and promote the growth and development of new and existing business and industry within the City of Jasper. The mission of the Board is to expand local job opportunities, improve the quality of life for area residents and grow the local economy.
As an AGP member, you can connect with them through the AGP membership database.
EDUCATIONAL - PROFESSIONAL
Grant Henley
Professor of World Languages and Cultures (German)
Samford University
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Goethe-Zentrum: German Schlagerparty in Atlanta |
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By Goethe-Zentrum Atlanta |
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Join Goethe-Zentrum's upcoming Schlagerparty in Atlanta!
Experience a truly German cultural night at Der Biergarten Atlanta!
- Schlagermusik - Sing along!
- DJ - Ein bisschen Spass muss sein! Submit your song requests on Facebook
- Spanferkel - pig roast
- O'zapft is - fresh German beer from the keg
- Games and more!
OPEN To The Public - no tickets needed.
Bring your friends, neighbors, and coworkers and celebrate all night long. Atemlos durch die Nacht.
Thanks to the German American Cultural Foundation (GACF), Kuehne & Nagel, Der Biergarten Atlanta, as well as Paulaner Brauerei and Hacker Pschorr for sponsoring this fun event!
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AlabamaGermany Partnership 1900 International Parkway Drive, Suite 105
Birmingham, AL 35245 www.AlabamaGermany.org
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