autoregion international - Ausgabe 1/2021

6 Important milestones for new growth By Dr. Carsten Meier, Managing Director of the IHK Saarland and member of the board of autoregion What a year! It was definitely unusual, in many areas even crazy or disruptive: The global corona pandemic has tor- pedoed almost everything that we have previously taken for granted. In particular, it has put a considerable strain on our coexistence, our freedom and numerous entrepreneurial activities. In economic terms, a ten-year growth phase in Germany came to an end with the deep recession in 2020. Unfortunately, with the onset of the second wave of infections in autumn, the pessimists had finally gained the upper hand. None of this promised anything good, because actually “optimism is a must”, as Karl Popper has already stated. But at the end of the year the good news was finally there - and in several ways. The first corona vaccine was approved in Europe. With increasing vaccination rates, it should be pos- sible to get the pandemic under control in the foreseeable future. Therefore, this success cannot be rated highly enough. Considering this ray of hope, the last-minute free trade agreement between the EU and Great Britain almost faded into the back- ground. For the export-oriented Saar econ- omy, however, the contract is an important milestone in order to be able to maintain the existing supply chains and value networks with Great Britain without substantial addi- tional costs. And finally, the new US President Joe Biden: With him, there is hope that the US will return to a rule-based trade policy and that trans- atlantic trade relations will normalize quickly. A lifting of the punitive tariffs on EU imports would create confidence and could give the export-oriented Saar economy a boost in the medium term. And the year ended promisingly in Saarland as well. Because the structural change in Saarland now has its potential game changer: SVOLT Technology. The settlement of the Chinese high-tech company is for many like winning the lottery. Because SVOLT will invest up to two billion euros in two locations: In Heuswei- ler, the former “Laminate Park”, a module and pack factory will be built. A state-of-the-art cell factory with 24 GWh production capacity for cobalt-free batteries is to be built on the Linslerfeld in Überherrn. This means that up to 500,000 electric cars can be equipped with a range and durability that will exceed anything previously known. A total of 2,000 jobs are to be created in the final expansion stage. This would be a blessing for the Autoland Saarland, which recently had to cope with numerous bit- ter dampers, even if not all details have been clarified and, as is usual with major projects, resistance is to be expected. With SVOLT, Saarland nowhas a real chance of advancing into the premier league of electro- mobility. Who would have thought that a few months ago? Now, however, significant skills and capacities can be built up in battery-elec- tric mobility. This would further reduce the de- pendence on the internal combustion engine. In addition to its many years of expertise in the field of combustion engines and the hydrogen technology that is currently being developed, the Saarland is also gaining an option. This is the basis for ensuring that the Saarland does not lose touch in the future fields of mobility and that the automobile can remain one of the central pillars of the industrial location. But the greatest significance of this successful settlement lies in the new future prospects for our country. SVOLT offers the potential for a turnaround Saarland as an industrial location with radiance far beyond our state. This key investment will result in further settlements. From this nucleus, new value-added centers and numerous other jobs in other industries can arise in the greater region. In the current decade alone, the regional economic effects are likely to amount to a total of five to seven billion euros, as our calculations have shown. All of this will help to close the growth gap with the federal government. The settlement success of SVOLT shows that structural change can also succeed within in- dustry. This is a good start, but it won’t be enough. One swallow doesn’t make a summer. Because good location conditions are import- ant for entrepreneurial investment decisions, the Saarland will have to create noticeable improvements in the attractiveness of the location with its own courageous steps in the future. The state government should quickly present the site security concept announced in the coalition agreement. It is also essential to have a clear timetable for the “decade of investments” it has proclaimed, with reliable answers as to which infrastructure invest- ments are to be made when, where and to what extent in the next few years. Answers to the question of how Saarland can become more competitive as an industrial location are at least as necessary. There is a lot to do here, because the location costs are in some cases significantly higher than elsewhere. The key words here include trade and property trans- fer tax. Entrepreneurial investments in Saar- land must be at least as profitable as in other regions. The IHK will continue to promote it. At the federal level, the new federal govern- ment will need a strategy that will help com- Image: © IHK Saarland S H A R E Dr. Meier is the Managing Director of the Saarland Chamber of Industry and Commerce and heads the area of economic policy and business promotion, inwhich the IHK Competence Center for Foreign Trade is also integrated. Dr. Meier looks after the key sectors of the Saar economy and is responsible for the region of the Saarlouis district.