Bodenseekreis District is the economic and technological centre of the international region of Lake Constance and home to a number of major companies. Bodenseekreis District has been named one of the most innovative and sustainable economic hubs in Germany in numerous rankings. Focus Money voted for it as the strongest business location in Baden-Württemberg and the second most powerful in Germany and it ranks top in the Innovation Index published by the Regional Statistical Office of Baden-Württemberg and the Career Atlas issued by Prognos.

Products and services
On behalf of its partners and consortium partners (see infobox), the WFB promotes measures to improve the economic structure and is committed to retaining and creating jobs throughout the district. It helps business start-ups and companies to look for and choose a suitable economic development scheme. Start-ups in particular are on an ‘expedition into the future’ and
need answers to all their questions. To respond to this demand, the WFB offers personal advice on all aspects of starting up a company or takes a critical look at their business plan.

With events such as “Business Breakfast Bodensee” or the “Fit for Self-Employment” forum, the WFB also has established communication platforms with the aim of facilitating the dialogue between members and promoting the creation of sustainable networks.

Two projects have been launched with the goal of attracting talented professionals to the region of Lake Constance in future: “Know what you can do!” offers companies the opportunity to make contact with young people and future trainees early on. “Career in the South” is an initiative backed by the business devel-opment offices of the city and district of Ravensburg and the state of Vorarlberg, as well as the WFB. Under the motto of the same name “Career in the South – Discover new Opportunities,” it introduces interested university graduates to the innovative economic area of Lake Constance and arranges contacts to companies in the region. The internet platform www.karriere-im-sueden.de is a regional marketplace for jobs, internships, and dissertations.

The WFB also provides an overview of industrial real estate around Lake Constance in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland with its online portal www.immoportalbodensee. net. Companies and investors can enter different search criteria to find a suitable commercial property, offices or retail premises in prime locations, or the perfect production space. But this ultra-modern service
is not only available for businesses looking for property. Providers of real estate can also advertise items of property and real estate free of charge and receive advice from the WFB if needed.

A t  a  G l a n c e

Business Development Office of the Bodenseekreis District GmbH
Leutholdstraße 30
D-88045 Friedrichshafen
Phone: +49 (0) 75 41/38 58 80
info@wf-bodenseekreis.de
www.expedition-zukunft.de

Überlingen Office
Heiligenbreite 34
D-88662 Überlingen
Phone: +49 (0) 75 51/9 47 19 37

O u r  W e bs i t e s

www.wf-bodenseekreis.de
www.expedition-zukunft.de
Homepage of the Business Development Office of the Bodenseekreis District

www.karriere-im-sueden.de
www.bodenseejobs.net
Career portal with current job vacancies on Lake Constance

www.immoportal-bodensee.net
Commercial property and premises in the region

www.filmregion.de
Representative locations for the film industry

www.bodensee-airea.de
Landing and taking off in the aerospace region

According to the so-called Cluster Atlas, a study carried out by the Economics Ministry of the State of Baden-
Württemberg, Lake Constance is the only region in Baden-Württemberg in which the aerospace industry plays a
pivotal role. In a nationwide survey, it is one of the five most important aerospace regions in the country alongside
Hamburg, Bremen, Frankfurt and Upper Bavaria.

The aerospace industry in the Bodenseekreis district covers large parts of the value chain. It includes the development and production of components, systems, devices and equipment as well as complete aircraft for the aerospace industry. Historically speaking, the emergence of this local, technological cluster dates back to 1908, when Count Zeppelin founded his airship company Zeppelin GmbH in Friedrichshafen. Zeppelin as well as Dornier wrote aviation history on Lake Constance. The people here are proud of this achievement.

Thanks to Zeppelin and Dornier, the region not only boasts an eventful past; it is also one of Germany’s strongest regions in the aerospace industry today. In addition to major companies like EADS Astrium that is famous for satellite construction or Diehl and Liebherr with aviation equipment and airplane control, numerous lesser known small and medium-sized high-tech companies are spread throughout the Bodenseekreis district.

All these companies make Lake Constance one of the few cluster regions for aerospace engineering in Germany. They develop and produce components for all common kinds of airplane and for space travel. To ensure a fresh supply of new talent, a unique course has been set up in aerospace technology on the Friedrichshafen campus of the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University.

A trip on an airship was and still is a special experience. For almost a decade, Zeppelins have been developed and constructed again in Friedrichshafen. The Zeppelin New Technology is the most modern airship in the world. A flight on a Zeppelin combined with a guided tour around the hangar in its home town is something that can only be enjoyed here. The Zeppelin Museum directly on the lakeshore is dedicated to the Zeppelin legend. In addition, the new Dornier Museum, situated right next door to the airport, provides information on the history of aviation and organizes events. The international airport in Friedrichshafen
offers around 40 direct flights within Europe and serves more than 300 destinations via the hubs in Frankfurt, Cologne and Vienna.

AERO in Friedrichshafen is the leading European trade fair for general aviation with a global reach. Every year, it draws not only the main decisionmakers and multipliers in the industry to this border triangle, but also thousands of aviation fans. For more in-depth information and links to aerospace companies on Lake Constance, see www.bodensee-airea.de.

The aim of the Business Development Office of the Bodenseekreis district is to bring aerospace companies and institutions within the region closer together and improve their market presence outside the region. Competition between economic locations is intensifying and they run the risk of becoming interchangeable in their public appearances. The aerospace
industry provides the Business Development Office of the Bodenseekreis district with a prime example that there is more to Lake Constance than wonderful scenery and tourism: The combination of economic strength and quality of life is a unique feature of the Bodenseekreis district.

Mechanical engineering companies and automotive suppliers are the biggest employers in the Bodenseekreis district, providing over 17,000 jobs. In an interview, Thomas Sigi, Executive Vice President responsible for Human Resources at ZF Friedrichshafen AG (approx. 7,000 employees in Friedrichshafen and about 60,000 worldwide) explains how he intends to make the company the most attractive employer in the automotive supplier industry.

Mr. Sigi, following the global financial and economic crisis, many companies have experienced a decline in production. How did ZF manage to overcome the crisis?

We also had to cut back production significantly last year. Overall, we contended with a drop in sales of around 25 percent. But the signs are pointing to growth again. For the current year, we expect sales to increase by at least ten percent. Our efforts to prepare the company for periods of decline while the going was good by investing in tangible assets as much as in technological
know-how have paid off. Our financing is on a sound basis and we have an excellent global market presence. All this means that the future looks promising.

You were appointed Executive Vice President responsible for Human Resources at ZF in August last year. What is your greatest challenge in this position?

As Executive Vice President for Human Resources, I am responsible for the company’s most important asset, its employees. ZF is a technology-driven company, and as such we constantly rely on ideas and innovations. These are mainly formed in people’s minds. As a result, they constitute an important competitive factor for the entire Group.

What are your long-term goals?

A core focus is on positioning ZF as the most attractive employer in the automotive supplier industry. Because only attractive companies can recruit and retain the best staff. With the best brains, we can offer the most innovative products. That in turn boosts our market success and ensures that we are profitable, which, of course, enhances our reputation as an employer. I guess you could say it’s a cycle with a long-term impact.

How do you plan to go about this?

So-called hard factors play a role, such as performance-based pay, job security and individual perspectives. But long-term aspects also have an impact, for example the working atmosphere or the image of our products and company. As Executive Vice President responsible for HR, I can and intend to either work directly on these fundamental issues affecting our corporate culture or influence them in some way.

ZF is a global company. How important are the headquarters in Friedrichshafen for the company?

Germany as a location still has top priority for us. Over 60 percent of ZF employees work here. Friedrichshafen also continues to play a key role in the global network. Our central R&D activities are located here, and for good reason. The region supplies highly-qualified engineers who work on tomorrow’s products. However, our top team not only comprises engineers, but also a
large number of skilled workers who implement ideas, guarantee quality and reliable delivery, and keep a continuous optimization process going with their own ideas.

In recent decades, Tettnang in the east of the Bodenseekreis district has grown into a centre for the electronics industry with around 2,000 jobs in this sector. One of the most successful companies in the field of electronics is wenglor sensoric. Dieter Baur, founder and managing director of wenglor, tells us about the secret of his success.

Mr. Baur, in the 1980s you discovered a gap in the market for optoelectronic sensors. What are optoelectronic sensors exactly?

Optoelectronic sensors are devices that can capture objects by means of light, triggering a control, switching or regulating function. In today’s highly automated industry they are indispensable. When we started out in 1983, there were already sensors like this on the market, but our goal was to develop new technologies and functional principles to enhance the performance and areas of application of these sensors. For example, we developed sensors that can measure distances precisely by integrating
laser technology. After that we included safety technology for personal protection and, in 2005, industrial image processing.

Your company has grown steadily. Many companies change their location when they expand. Did you ever consider moving away from Lake Constance?

When you live and feel at home in a region, you do all you can to stay there. Despite initial resistance, we acquired our current premises in 1989. But more importantly, a successful company needs dedicated employees and we had no problem finding these in Tettnang. wenglor’s employees are its most important asset. We can only be innovative and flexible and grow internationally if our staff are motivated and content.

Many companies in the region of Lake Constance complain about a lack of qualified staff. How do you cope with this challenge?

For companies like us that grow at a double-digit rate and in a region in which unemployment is not an issue, it can be difficult to find qualified employees. This is why we at wenglor decided to train our own staff. An estimated 50 percent of our employees are trained in-house. Is it a problem attracting people from further away to the more rural region of Lake Constance?
Of course you often hear that highly-qualified staff prefer conurbations like Munich or Stuttgart. On the other hand, there are also plenty of people who want to get away from them. At the moment, my impression is that a lot of people are moving out of the big cities. In addition, recreation and leisure are gaining in importance, and here, of course, we can offer an extremely high quality of life.

Many companies were hit hard by the recession last year. How did wenglor cope with the crisis and what are your prospects for the next few years?

We felt the crisis as well. We make products for the capital goods sector, in particular mechanical and plant engineering. This market has experienced a considerable slump in the last two years, and that had an impact on us too. With a view to the future, I have a positive outlook and I think that with creative talent and intelligence and new ideas, we will be able to launch
new pro-ducts onto the market and sell them worldwide for many years to come. I don’t like it when people criticize the whole time. As a business man, I have to act if things don’t go the way I want. That’s the only way to change things. Otherwise you may as well accept the situation. There’s nothing in-between.