During Working Visit to Dusseldorf Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Germany Dauren Karipov Meets with Executives of SMS Group, Henkel AG & Co. and Metro AG
DUSSELDORF, 9 July 2020 -- During his working visit to Dusseldorf, the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Germany, Dauren Karipov, held meetings with executives of SMS Group, Henkel AG & Co. and Metro AG.
The meetings took place within the framework of systematic implementation of agreements that had been reached during the meetings of Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev with German business leaders in December 2019 and February 2020.
During the talks, Ambassador Karipov presented Kazakhstan’s attractive investment climate, business opportunities, legislative support, as well as benefits and preferences for German investors.
During the meeting with the Chairman of the Management Board of SMS Group, Burkhard Dahmen, the two sides discussed the possible implementation of joint investment projects and the organization high tech production in Kazakhstan.
Founded in 1871, SMS Group is a leading global manufacturer of equipment and industrial machinery for processing steel, aluminum and non-ferrous metals. A distinctive feature of its production process is the use of the latest developments and solutions in metallurgy. The company employs about 14 thousand people and its annual turnover is approximately 3 billion euros.
During his stay in Düsseldorf, Ambassador Karipov also visited the headquarters of the world leader in the production of industrial and household chemicals, Henkel AG & Co. KGaA and met with its Corporate Vice President and Global Head of Public Affairs & Governmental Relations, Dr. Peter Florenz. During the talks, the interlocutors exchanged views on the current situation in certain sectors of the economy against the backdrop of the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, and discussed the possibility of expanding the company's presence in Kazakhstan. Following the meeting, the Ambassador visited the company’s production site and its household goods department.
Henkel operates in several fields, including industrial chemical production, cleaning and detergents, cosmetics and personal care products, as well as adhesive materials. The company holds a leading position in the industrial and consumer sectors thanks in large part to its innovative and advanced technologies. The company, whose 2019 sales exceeded 20 billion euros, employs more than 53 thousand people worldwide. In June 2008 the company opened an enterprise in Kapchagay, Kazakhstan – at the time its first site in Central Asia. Currently, Henkel Central Asia & Caucasus LLP is successfully operating in Kazakhstan.
At the conclusion of the trip’s first day in North Rhine-Westphalia, Ambassador Karipov also met with METRO AG’s Global Director for Corporate Public Policy, Ivonne Julitta Bollow, and its Head of International Affairs, Corporate Public Policy, Mark Alexander Friedrich. During the meeting the sides discussed investment prospects, including vis-à-vis increasing the representation of local products in the stores and their export to third countries through the METRO AG distribution network.
Being one of the recognized leaders in wholesale and retail trade, the company operates under the METRO and MAKRO trademarks in 35 countries and has a staff of more than 150 thousand employees. The company's turnover in 2019 exceeded 30 billion euros. The company has been operating in Kazakhstan since 2008 and currently operates stores in 6 cities, employing more than 1 thousand people in the process. The volume of investments has so far exceeded 135 million euros and last year the company's turnover in Kazakhstan amounted to 80 million euros.