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RUSSIAGERMANY<br />
# 7 (49) 2014<br />
THE KEY TO RESTORING CONFIDENCE | FASHION PRODIGY REDEFINES RE-<br />
TAILING | AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION | THE DRIVE TO LOCALIZE | TURNING<br />
UP THE EXPORT VOLUME | CHEMICAL INNOVATION | THE BEST OF EUROPEAN<br />
HOSPITALITY | LOVERS OF LITERATURE UNITE | CONSCIOUS MANAGEMENT
RUSSIA — GERMANY | 3<br />
СEO Jean-Emmanuel de Witt<br />
Publisher Ekaterina Movsumova<br />
Editor Mark Gay<br />
Translations Luba Summ<br />
Art Director Maria Georgiyevskaya<br />
Head of Special Project Department<br />
Alla Naumova, a.naumova@imedia.ru<br />
Client Services Julia Bychenkova,<br />
Maria Alexeeva<br />
Publication produced in collaboration with<br />
the German — Russian Chamber of Commerce<br />
Issue No. 7 (49)<br />
Publication Date October 2014<br />
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MUTUAL BENEFIT FROM THE BOARDROOM<br />
TO THE BOULEVARD<br />
It’s a challenging time for German and<br />
Russian businesses, especially smaller<br />
and mid-sized companies. Some had<br />
recently localized production in Russia,<br />
making long-term commitments<br />
to the country. Large investment funds<br />
had been looking for prospects in the<br />
real estate market. Now some of these<br />
investors have put their plans on hold.<br />
Others worry that business will not<br />
remain independent of politics, and<br />
that ‘national security’ will be used as<br />
an excuse to create new regulations and to cripple competitors.<br />
Business associations warn that China will gain from Europe’s<br />
sanctions policy, while the Russian government has expanded<br />
restrictions on some western imports and is encouraging suppliers<br />
from other parts of the world.<br />
Yet the main message we have heard is that long-term relationships<br />
will survive the crisis. On a cultural level, Russians<br />
have a greater understanding with Germany and Europe than<br />
with China. In purely monetary terms, Russia achieves better<br />
prices for its resources in Europe, which is more easily and<br />
cheaply supplied with energy from Russia. The EU and Russia<br />
Mark Gay<br />
are interdependent. In commercial terms,<br />
EU companies benefit as Russian living<br />
standards rise.<br />
However the interdependence goes<br />
much further than many European and<br />
American policy analysts assume. In<br />
terms of civil society, the EU can only advance<br />
if Russia advances.<br />
During the cold war, western governments<br />
made concessions to their populations<br />
because western governments feared<br />
the influence of communism. Since its<br />
collapse, Europe and the U.S. have seen<br />
the decline of social mobility, the shrinking<br />
of the corporate pension system, a<br />
reduction in welfare programs, the concentration<br />
of wealth – and even attempts<br />
to undermine the universal rights of man<br />
that are the great achievement of the Enlightenment.<br />
There are many people, from the<br />
German boardrooms to the Russian<br />
boulevards, who are convinced that they<br />
share common values, and gain mutual<br />
benefit from trade and travel. A close relationship<br />
is inevitable and they are ready<br />
to nurture it.
4 | RUSSIA — GERMANY<br />
GOODWILL IS THE KEY<br />
TO RESTORING CONFIDENCE<br />
THE GERMAN<br />
AMBASSADOR<br />
TO THE RUSSIAN<br />
FEDERATION,<br />
RÜDIGER FREIHERR<br />
VON FRITSCH,<br />
WRITES THAT THE<br />
CURRENT POLITICAL<br />
SITUATION IS A<br />
CHALLENGE FOR<br />
BOTH COUNTRIES.<br />
Germany and Russia have a long-standing<br />
and close relationship. Economic exchange<br />
plays a special role. Our economy needs<br />
fossil fuels, the noble and non-ferrous<br />
metals, as well as rare earth elements, which<br />
Russia has in such abundance. German<br />
companies offer a superb opportunity for<br />
innovation and investment in Russia at<br />
almost all stages of the value chain.<br />
About six thousand German companies<br />
and companies with German capital<br />
were operating in the Russian Federation<br />
at the end of last year. They provide jobs<br />
for almost 300,000 employees; in financial<br />
terms their turnover amounted to approximately<br />
40 billion euros. At the same<br />
time, Russian companies are investing<br />
more and more in Germany.<br />
We want to awaken interest in a good<br />
and close relationship especially among<br />
young people in our countries. Here is<br />
one example: the German Embassy, our<br />
Chamber of Commerce, the German<br />
Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)<br />
and the Higher School of Economics in<br />
have responded to this in order to limit<br />
these effects and to return to rule-based<br />
coexistence.<br />
The tangible result of these developments<br />
has been the deterioration of the<br />
political framework for German-Russian<br />
economic relations and Russia’s international<br />
economic relations in general.<br />
Many companies are wondering what will<br />
happen next and how to prepare. They are<br />
rethinking their actions, and are slower to<br />
decide on new investments.<br />
Economics and politics are closely<br />
entwined with each other. The economy<br />
depends on a certain minimum level of<br />
legal security and trust, which politics<br />
should ensure. It should provide stability<br />
and transparency in the economy. Honest<br />
and open dialogue is a prerequisite. Germany<br />
has always considered this exchange<br />
important and necessary, and stands ready<br />
to continue it.<br />
Two million people in Russia are<br />
learning German and thus also showing<br />
an interest in our culture and our country.<br />
We are pleased with this. We not only<br />
want to save the bridge, but also to expand<br />
it. Therefore, a few days ago in Moscow<br />
there opened the “Year of the German<br />
language and literature,” a series of different<br />
events throughout Russia. We want,<br />
together with the Goethe Institut, to show<br />
why you should learn German, and what<br />
riches the German language and literature<br />
contains. In parallel, in Germany we are<br />
NO ONE EXPECTED PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE<br />
IN EUROPE COULD BE SUBJECTED TO SUCH<br />
A SHOCK... THIS PARTNERSHIP IS UNDERGOING<br />
A TEST OF ITS DURABILITY.<br />
Moscow jointly developed a program that<br />
allows students from Germany to gain<br />
experience with German companies in<br />
Russia. Another example: to counter the<br />
increasing lack of qualified specialists in<br />
Russia, there are plans to introduce a dual<br />
system of education according to the German<br />
example.<br />
These examples demonstrate that our<br />
countries are willing to cooperate, and the<br />
will to learn from each other remains consistently<br />
high.<br />
The challenge for relations between<br />
our two countries is the current political<br />
situation, which is a consequence of actions<br />
contrary to international law, namely<br />
the annexation of the Crimea and Russia’s<br />
actions in the conflict in Ukraine.<br />
The loss of confidence, which has<br />
arisen in connection with the violation<br />
of the fundamental principles of co-existence,<br />
is real. Germany and its partners<br />
celebrating the Year of Russian language<br />
and literature, which has given so much to<br />
our own literature. In this way we promote<br />
exchange and dialogue and awaken interest<br />
in each other.<br />
A short time ago, probably no one<br />
expected that peaceful coexistence in Europe<br />
could be subjected to such a shock.<br />
It seemed that the post-war period and<br />
the Cold War had already passed, and the<br />
partnership between Russia and Germany<br />
could not be overshadowed. This partnership<br />
is currently undergoing a test of its<br />
durability.<br />
But we continue to believe that we<br />
will be able to return to trusted and stable<br />
relations between our countries, if there is<br />
the goodwill to renegotiate the hard rules<br />
of coexistence and thereby restore confidence.<br />
In the long term there is no alternative<br />
to good German-Russian relations.<br />
We can only win from them.
RUSSIA — GERMANY | 5<br />
RETAILERS DRIVE CHANGE<br />
IN DELIVERY SECTOR<br />
LOGISTICS COMPANIES ARE ADDING HIGH QUALITY, ADDITIONAL SERVICES<br />
AS RETAIL AND INDUSTRIAL MARKETS EVOLVE, SAYS ANATOLY GVOZDEV,<br />
MANAGING DIRECTOR AT DB SCHENKER RUSSIA (ZAO SCHENKER).<br />
Has logistics and delivery changed in<br />
Russia over the past decade?<br />
With the fabulous retail growth, we see<br />
competition to upgrade services and meet<br />
clients’ demands in terms of transport<br />
quality. There is a remarkable improvement<br />
on the part of local logistics companies.<br />
Shipment size is going down in parallel<br />
with growing demand for additional services<br />
of higher quality, to which the logistics<br />
service provider must respond. This<br />
means sorting, labeling, interim storage,<br />
return logistics, transfers, forwarding,<br />
time windows deliveries, and so on.<br />
How did you develop the service that you<br />
offer to retailers? How has it evolved?<br />
We spent considerable time with our<br />
customers and the suppliers to the retail<br />
chains, working out how our mutual services<br />
can best meet the needs of specific<br />
retail chains. This included consulting,<br />
training and entry support, deep integration<br />
into the logistics process of selected<br />
major retailers. This, in turn, included<br />
pre-agreed, standard operating proceedures,<br />
placing our own staff at the handover<br />
points and distribution centers of the<br />
chains, and so on.<br />
We implemented an e-documents<br />
library where the customers can see electronic<br />
proof of delivery and scans of transport<br />
and commodity documents within<br />
two days after delivery. We are working<br />
on shortening these terms. Another great<br />
feature is our tracking system, including<br />
on-line scheduling and delivery reports.<br />
Implementation and development of the<br />
e-booking system is coming next in our<br />
short-term plans.<br />
It is quite obvious for us that Russian<br />
retail is moving into the online sector. Our<br />
first reaction was to prepare the physical<br />
platform on which such services could<br />
be realized. I would not call us a pioneer<br />
in this area but we clearly understand its<br />
importance and we will be expanding our<br />
services in that area for our customers.<br />
One big change in European and US<br />
retailing is same-day delivery, which is<br />
a revolution in the industry. What are the<br />
challenges to bringing this to Russia?<br />
We do not see evidence that suppliers and<br />
retailers are ready to implement it in Russia<br />
yet. However, there are other vertical<br />
markets like automotive, which is in the<br />
top three of the biggest markets in the<br />
country, where this or even more specific<br />
solutions like just-in-time and just-insequence<br />
delivery are required and have<br />
already been implemented.<br />
Anatoly Gvozdev | ZAO SCHENKER<br />
Would you welcome the development<br />
of more regional transport hubs across<br />
Russia, for example at Khabarovsk?<br />
We don’t just welcome but we are fully<br />
supporting this trend. We provide our contract<br />
logistics services in several branches<br />
and carry out our cross-docking operations<br />
in 24 locations around Russia. Our<br />
current network is built up to cover 80 per<br />
cent of the consumer market in the country,<br />
primarily in the European, Urals and<br />
Western Siberia areas. Our next targets lie<br />
in Eastern Siberia and the Far East and<br />
our future hopes also lie with road—rail<br />
services, especially with so-called contrailer<br />
solutions between European and<br />
Asian parts of Russia. Railroad and airfreight<br />
bridges shall connect them to provide<br />
accessibility and full control within<br />
the distribution chain for our customers<br />
in Russia.
6 | RUSSIA — GERMANY<br />
BUSINESS WILL OVERCOME ECONOMIC<br />
AND POLITICAL OBSTACLES<br />
RUSSIAN INDUSTRY HAS ALLIES WHO UNDER STAND<br />
THE LONG-TERM IMPORTANCE OF TRADE, SAYS<br />
MICHAEL HARMS, CHAIR MAN OF THE GERMAN-<br />
RUSSIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, AHK. BUT HE IS<br />
CONCERNED THAT BUSINESS IS BEING POLITI CIZED.<br />
HE TOLD MARK GAY THAT LONG-TERM TRUST IN THE<br />
RUSSIAN MARKET MUST BE REPAIRED.<br />
Michael Harms | AHK<br />
The media usually focus on consumer<br />
goods and overlook other sectors like<br />
chemicals, machine tools and heavy industry.<br />
How do you categorize Russian-<br />
German trade and which are the unsung<br />
heroes?<br />
We can summarize it as advanced<br />
manufacturing: equipment for the food<br />
sector, electro technical equipment,<br />
measuring equipment and in particular<br />
machinery and chemicals. Germany is not<br />
as strong as the United States in software.<br />
But with these hidden champions,<br />
machinery and tools, Germany is not only<br />
the leader on the Russian market but also<br />
the world leader. Consumers do not see<br />
these products but they are essential for<br />
the running of the oil and gas industry<br />
and Russian domestic industry and here<br />
the main investors are the private Russian<br />
investors in the food industry for example.<br />
Most food processing machines come from<br />
Germany or Italy.<br />
We could summarize this as three<br />
sectors: advanced manufacturing, hidden<br />
champions and industry 4.0, the Internet<br />
of things or the merger of software and industrial<br />
production.<br />
heritage in some branches of industry like<br />
aircraft and space. They have leading companies<br />
worldwide in the software market<br />
and the extraction of oil and gas so there<br />
are some interesting branches which can<br />
be developed with German and western<br />
partners.<br />
There is no special German approach<br />
to the Russian market but their mentality<br />
is quite close, and Germans like the Russian<br />
style of communication and doing<br />
business.<br />
German industry seems to have an<br />
understanding of the Russian market.<br />
Maybe destiny is too grand a word –<br />
perhaps a future that cannot be avoided<br />
in terms of trading with the east. Is there<br />
a gap between the thinking of business<br />
people and politicians?<br />
With Germany being in the heart of<br />
Europe and having these traditional ties<br />
with the east it is a kind of destiny, a future<br />
and an opportunity to expand beyond their<br />
own market and explore this huge market<br />
for German companies.<br />
I would not say that German politicians<br />
do not understand the need for a<br />
strategic approach. We were one of the<br />
first countries that defined the Partnership<br />
for Modernization with Russia, which<br />
German foreign minister Frank-Walter<br />
Steinmeier proposed five years before other<br />
such plans. Politicians realize that with<br />
the European Union Russia can be one of<br />
the most influential economic blocs. We<br />
need free trade with Russia but all these<br />
things are now questioned by the political<br />
crisis. On the one hand we know about the<br />
strategic importance of the Russian market,<br />
on the other we have certain values<br />
that are threatened by the crisis.<br />
Which values do you mean?<br />
The values of European stability, security<br />
and peace. These are threatened by the<br />
Ukrainian crisis and we cannot avoid this<br />
discussion. There is no difference on the<br />
importance of having a long-term strategic<br />
partnership with Russia on both the<br />
political and business levels.<br />
One strength of German business is the<br />
Mittelstand, the small and mid-sized<br />
companies. What can Russia learn<br />
from this?<br />
The structure of industry is very different.<br />
Most Russian SMEs are in services and<br />
local industry, unlike German mid-sized<br />
companies that are active in industry and<br />
on a global level. To transfer this whole<br />
philosophy and the whole structure is not<br />
easy. Even the United States does not have<br />
such an SME sector, which is a feature of<br />
German or German-speaking countries<br />
predominantly, though also in Italy.<br />
On the other hand the question of the<br />
Russian SME sector is in the first instance<br />
a question of business climate. You need<br />
low transaction costs, a stable business<br />
environment and economic freedom. You<br />
do not need too much state interference or<br />
the dominance of large state-owned monopolies.<br />
Unfortunately we have all these<br />
things in Russia. Politicians clearly see this<br />
problem; prime ministers and presidents<br />
have mentioned this in their speeches for<br />
10 years now.<br />
Have German companies cut their forecasts<br />
regarding the Russian market or is<br />
the situation too fluid for such forecasts?<br />
We have three main factors that have<br />
lead to a deterioration of expectations<br />
How do German companies identify<br />
the changes and needs of the Russian<br />
market?<br />
Russian industry is now part of the global<br />
market. It is no longer true that Russian<br />
industry can do everything on its own.<br />
Competitive, global companies, for example<br />
progressive, technology-driven companies<br />
like Russian Helicopters rely on global<br />
suppliers, partners and global markets.<br />
Russian industry as a whole is not<br />
competitive on the world market. You<br />
can see this from the structure of Russian<br />
exports: it is mostly oil and gas with very<br />
few manufactured products. The government<br />
has identified the problem and Russian<br />
industry is modernizing. It has a good<br />
STATISTICS<br />
Bilateral Trade between Russia and Germany<br />
(First half) 2012 2013 2014 change from<br />
previous year, %<br />
Imports to Russia, million tonnes 2.9 2.6 2.3 -14.2<br />
Imports to Russia, billion EUR 18.2 18.1 15.3 -18.4<br />
Exports to Germany, million tonnes 42.5 40.8 43.9 7.1<br />
Exports to Germany, billion EUR 21.7 19.9 20.3 2.0<br />
Trading Volume, billion EUR 39.9 37.9 35.5 -6.7<br />
Source: AHK
RUSSIA — GERMANY | 7<br />
towards the Russian market for all foreign<br />
companies. This is the slowdown of growth<br />
in Russia since last summer. The second<br />
thing is the devaluation of the ruble that<br />
affected exports and made more expensive<br />
the import of parts from the euro zone.<br />
The third thing is this political uncertainty.<br />
Together, these have led to a gloomier<br />
picture than a year ago.<br />
From our assessments and questionnaires,<br />
business is still going quite well for<br />
most branches of industry but it is clear we<br />
will not see major growth. Some branches<br />
or companies will see a slowdown in both<br />
revenue and profits, for example the automotive<br />
industry. Some German companies<br />
which provide equipment to private Russian<br />
investors in the steel and metallurgical<br />
industries are also suffering because the<br />
Russian groups are not investing and the<br />
world steel market is in a difficult position.<br />
How much is due to the ongoing global<br />
financial crisis and how much due to the<br />
political crisis?<br />
Mostly the problem is still growth and the<br />
ruble. The political situation got worse after<br />
the last round of sanctions. While we had<br />
level one and two sanctions aimed at specific<br />
individuals it was not such a problem for<br />
companies already active on the market.<br />
The bigger problem is the lack of longterm<br />
trust that a lot of German investors<br />
have felt towards the Russian market: confidence<br />
in a stable business framework.<br />
Over all, has the drive towards protectionism,<br />
which many people predicted at<br />
the start of the financial crisis, begun to<br />
accelerate?<br />
I think so. We are very concerned about<br />
the tendency for much more protectionism<br />
on the Russian market. It began after the<br />
WTO accession when Russian industry put<br />
politicians under pressure because industry<br />
is still not very competitive. What is clear<br />
form my perspective is the loss of jobs and<br />
Russian companies to the world market<br />
and they wanted to protect industry,<br />
for example the vehicle scrappage fees,<br />
regulations on medical equipment and<br />
restrictions on agricultural machinery, and<br />
now it is speeding up. Before it was just the<br />
economic question but now we will have<br />
arguments about national security, that<br />
Russia should build up its own industry for<br />
“national security”. This is a very strange<br />
argument because Russian industry can be<br />
competitive only if it is open to the world<br />
markets. If you protect your industry it<br />
is the direct path to stagnation: we saw it<br />
in the Soviet Union and we see it in any<br />
country that tries to close its economy.<br />
Are the Russian markets more open now<br />
than they were before WTO? Do you still<br />
see a net benefit?<br />
If you look at the level of import duties we<br />
clearly see an advantage. We have a more<br />
stable framework, the inclusion of Russia<br />
in the WTO system, clear regulations<br />
and we are solving trade disputes but<br />
unfortunately nowadays we have emerging<br />
signs of a reverse development. It is still too<br />
early to assess the reform process.<br />
More German companies have begun<br />
to localize part of their operations in<br />
Russia, even mid-sized companies. Can<br />
localization provide a way around sanctions<br />
or disruptions to trade flows?<br />
It is partly a strategic trend because Russia<br />
has big enough markets that you can localize<br />
here. Also you have the Eurasian Economic<br />
Community space and, previously, the<br />
Ukrainian market. You have all the<br />
advantages of being a Russian producer,<br />
with some government support, no foreign<br />
exchange rates to worry about, no customs,<br />
and so it is the right trend especially for<br />
industries in electrical technologies,<br />
GROWTH AND STABILITY, IN POLITICS AND<br />
BUSINESS, ARE THE BEST CONDITIONS FOR<br />
LOCALIZATION. BOTH THESE THINGS ARE NOW<br />
UNDER QUESTION.<br />
agricultural machinery, automotive. But the<br />
best conditions for this are those of growth<br />
and of stability, in politics and business, and<br />
both these things are now under question.<br />
Several German companies have halted<br />
their plans to invest because of the slowdown<br />
in growth and the political situation.<br />
Does the EEC have any advantage for<br />
business in terms of harmonized taxes in<br />
the Eurasian area?<br />
I think it is a very positive trend. You have<br />
a bigger market with more or less common<br />
regulations. You have import duties<br />
with the same technical regulations and<br />
standards so you have more reliability in<br />
foreign trade. We had very close interaction<br />
with the regulation commission (that<br />
established the common regulations) and<br />
it had very qualified individuals. The dialog<br />
on technical regulations went quite well<br />
but further progress may be on hold.<br />
Have Russian customs staff improved<br />
their performance?<br />
There are still al lot of problems but things<br />
are getting better. For example the use<br />
of electronic forms is working better and<br />
better and they have moved almost all of<br />
the customs stations away from Moscow<br />
and closer to the borders where goods enter<br />
the country. This is much more efficient.<br />
I would not say there is no corruption but<br />
there is less and we see fewer complaints<br />
from German businesses.<br />
Bavarian Ministry of<br />
Economic Affairs<br />
and Media,<br />
Energy and Technology
8 | RUSSIA — GERMANY<br />
EUROPE WILL TRUMP BRICS AS<br />
THE NATURAL TRADING PARTNER<br />
Prof D r Rainer Lindner | OST-AUSSCHUSS<br />
In the face of sanctions, Russia banned<br />
agricultural products from a number of<br />
EU and western suppliers for one year<br />
and turned to rival supplies, including<br />
the BRICS. Could this reshape the trading<br />
landscape?<br />
If the sanctions remained in force for a year<br />
or longer, they would have a considerable<br />
impact on the European trading structure.<br />
Both parties would address new clients<br />
permanently and look for new suppliers<br />
as well. However, the quality of products<br />
and services would probably not be as high<br />
and costs might also rise. Otherwise, firms<br />
would already have chosen to work with<br />
these suppliers.<br />
If the Shanghai Cooperation Organization<br />
agrees to expand its membership<br />
will this represent a shift in the center of<br />
global power and commerce from west<br />
to east?<br />
China certainly is the one standing on<br />
the sideline laughing while Europe and<br />
Russia are caught in a serious conflict.<br />
At the moment China is able to increase<br />
its economic influence in Russia and<br />
access Russian resources at lower costs.<br />
Nonetheless, Russia is a mere junior<br />
partner for more than a billion of Chinese<br />
people, a fact which is well understood in<br />
Russia. Hence, in the long run we should<br />
strive to build a common economic space<br />
among Russia and the EU. This is the only<br />
way Europeans will have their share of the<br />
global economy.<br />
Does it benefit Russia to sell more of its<br />
gas to China and the east?<br />
Russia can achieve the best prices for its<br />
resources in the EU. This will not change in<br />
THE GERMAN COMMITTEE ON EASTERN<br />
EUROPEAN ECONOMIC RELATIONS (OST-<br />
AUSSCHUSS DER DEUTSCHEN WIRTSCHAFT)<br />
WAS FOUNDED IN 1952, AND PROMOTES<br />
TIES WITH RUSSIA ON BEHALF OF BUSINESS.<br />
PROF D R RAINER LINDNER, ITS MANAGING<br />
DIRECTOR, SPOKE TO MARK GAY.<br />
the long run. Therefore, turning away from<br />
the EU market will be disadvantageous<br />
for Russia on the one hand. On the other<br />
hand, the EU is highly dependent on<br />
Russian energy supplies. Over 40 years a<br />
mutual dependence has grown and worked<br />
very well. I strongly hope that as a result<br />
reason will win and a compromise which<br />
leads to a continued successful partnership<br />
will be agreed.<br />
Is there a danger that instead of rival<br />
trading blocs, we will see a retreat<br />
behind trade barriers, into the kind of<br />
fortress economy that both India and<br />
Russia tried in the past?<br />
Certainly, the danger of becoming trapped<br />
in a new wave of protectionism is fairly high.<br />
In Russia there has been a range of measures<br />
currently employed which very much worry<br />
our companies, for example the local content<br />
regulations. The compartmentalization of<br />
markets may be successful for a short period<br />
of time; however, if this happens to all<br />
markets, we stifle the global business cycle.<br />
Russia will only be able to modernize its<br />
economy in a successful way if it stays open<br />
to modern technology.<br />
On the other hand, could world trade<br />
benefit from a rebalancing, that is already<br />
happening in the consumer goods<br />
sector with the growth of the middle<br />
class in developing countries?<br />
The emergence of a middle class in<br />
Russia fostered foreign investment.<br />
Foreign investors came to the country<br />
and contributed significantly to economic<br />
growth in Russia. For instance, German<br />
companies created around 250,000 jobs<br />
in Russia. The example highlights that<br />
the integration of the Russian market in<br />
the global economy certainly has positive<br />
effects which would be jeopardized by<br />
protectionism.<br />
Cynics might argue that some interests<br />
in the west do not want Russia to develop<br />
into a rival economic force. That they can<br />
WE SHOULD NEGOTIATE A COMMON EUROPEAN<br />
FREE TRADE ZONE. THIS WOULD BE THE BEST<br />
SOLUTION FOR THE RUSSIAN AND EUROPEAN<br />
ECONOMIES.<br />
Gazprom’s LNG plant in Sakhalin is intended<br />
to help sell more gas to China. But Russia<br />
gets the best price for its energy from Europe<br />
| GAZPROM<br />
profit just as much from an autocratic<br />
Russia, which exports raw materials and<br />
simply buys lots of consumer goods and<br />
technology from the west, without actually<br />
developing any significant self-sufficiency.<br />
On the contrary: The better Russia<br />
develops economically, the higher the<br />
people´s income, the more interesting it<br />
becomes for foreign companies as they<br />
will be able to sell more products. Thus,<br />
the EU is highly interested in the positive<br />
economic development of Russia. We<br />
all are interdependent. A crisis in the EU<br />
has negative impacts on Russia, the same<br />
way a crisis in Russia hampers the Western<br />
economy. We are all in the same boat.<br />
The EU’s Eastern Partnership program<br />
promotes the harmonization of laws and<br />
its partners include countries like Armenia.<br />
As Armenia also plans to join the<br />
Customs Union or the Eurasian Economic<br />
Community — do you think these two<br />
ambitions will conflict?<br />
We would like to see the Eurasian<br />
Economic Union and the European<br />
Union harmonizing their customs and<br />
trading rules. We should start negotiations<br />
about a common European free trade<br />
zone. Countries such as Moldova, Ukraine<br />
or Armenia would no longer be forced to<br />
choose between one or another side. This<br />
would be the best solution for the European<br />
and Russian economies.<br />
Could the EU and the Eurasian Economic<br />
Community combine their positive advantages<br />
through any joint approach or<br />
program?<br />
Yes, in our opinion there is a great<br />
chance. Concrete talks about a common<br />
economic space and the abolishment of<br />
visa requirements were been taking place<br />
in 2003. We should revive this process.<br />
In which areas could the EU and the EEC<br />
achieve their greatest impact?<br />
We should work on a mutual abolishment<br />
of visa requirements and on a harmonization<br />
of licensing procedures for new<br />
products. We would save an enormous<br />
amount of money and reduce bureaucracy<br />
significantly. Another task would also be<br />
the development of new mining sites and<br />
the efficient extraction of raw material.<br />
Additionally, we need one European<br />
transport infrastructure.
RUSSIA — GERMANY | 9<br />
GERMANY PLAYS KEY ROLE<br />
IN UKRAINE CRISIS<br />
Since the conflict was originally rooted in<br />
the issue of the association treaty with the<br />
European Union, it is logical that Germany<br />
offered itself, alongside France and Poland,<br />
as a go-between.<br />
But soon after President Yanukovych<br />
was ousted from his office, Germany faced a<br />
new challenge posed by Russia’s increasing<br />
influence upon Ukrainian affairs. This became<br />
more obvious through the annexation<br />
of Crimea and the support from Moscow for<br />
the secessionist forces in southeast Ukraine.<br />
As for the German government, it was<br />
fully aware of the possible consequences<br />
for its bilateral relations with Russia. It was<br />
clear that Moscow might confront Berlin<br />
with reciprocal measures, which as major<br />
economic partners might be powerful<br />
enough to damage the German economy.<br />
Gas and oil imports come to mind.<br />
Berlin, for its part, pointed out from<br />
the start that the aim of economic sanctions<br />
was not to damage the functioning<br />
of the Russian economy as a whole or to<br />
endanger the standard of living of Russian<br />
people but to target certain individuals and<br />
companies.<br />
It is well known that the West initiated<br />
GERMANY HAS PLAYED AN ACTIVE ROLE AS AN<br />
INTERMEDIARY DURING THE UKRAINE CRISIS.<br />
THE COUNTRY’S FEELINGS TOWARDS RUSSIA<br />
ARE INTRICATE AND COMPLEX, AS INDEPENDENT<br />
ANALYST ALEXANDER SAMBUK EXPLAINS.<br />
sanctions cautiously. But the further development<br />
of the crisis prompts questions<br />
about whether the West’s strategy may have<br />
been based on wrong perceptions from the<br />
very beginning.<br />
The perceptions of politicians in part<br />
reflect the views of public opinion. It is<br />
legitimate to focus on how particular sections<br />
of German society have reacted to the<br />
Ukraine crisis.<br />
For example, many leading figures of<br />
German industry regarded the annexation<br />
of Crimea as a politically unacceptable act<br />
but at the same time, as a one-off affair that<br />
did not prevent them from doing business<br />
as usual. This sentiment prevailed among<br />
the German business community until the<br />
loss of the Malaysian Airlines flight MH-17<br />
over the territory controlled by the separatists<br />
when it conceded to tougher action<br />
against Russia.<br />
Calls for a cautious approach were<br />
partly driven by fears of the negative effects<br />
on the German economy. This was just<br />
one point on a list of arguments advanced<br />
by a loose yet influential group of opinion<br />
leaders, called by the German media Russlandversteher<br />
for their desire to accommodate<br />
Russia’s “legitimate interests”. This<br />
segment of the German public points to<br />
the historically legitimate character of the<br />
Russian special interest in Ukraine. At the<br />
same time it demands that Berlin adopt its<br />
own political course towards Russia in the<br />
Ukraine crisis, distinct from that of Washington.<br />
It would be wrong to assume that<br />
such Russlandversteher come mostly from<br />
the left segment of the German political<br />
Alexander Sambuk | MARK GAY<br />
spectrum, because one can identify echoes<br />
of the 19th century national Romanticism<br />
in the perception of Russia as an enigmatic,<br />
but valuable and desirable partner to Germany<br />
in its geopolitical endeavours.<br />
It is hard to say to what extent public<br />
and social debate has influenced German<br />
strategy in the Ukrainian crisis. However<br />
one can question whether sanctions have<br />
brought about the result desired in Brussels.<br />
Increasingly the West is forced to reconsider<br />
key elements of its policy towards Russia. It<br />
is possible that the approach of the West will<br />
go beyond the formula of gradually stepping<br />
up sanctions if the Ukraine crisis continues<br />
to develop in unexpected ways.
10 | RUSSIA — GERMANY<br />
SOWING AND REAPING<br />
THE BENEFITS OF TECHNOLOGY<br />
A CENTURY-OLD FAMILY BUSINESS IS HELPING TO MODERNIZE<br />
RUSSIAN AGRICULTURE AND INDUSTRY. REGIONAL PRESIDENT<br />
EASTERN EUROPE OF CLAAS GROUP AND GENERAL DIRECTOR<br />
OF CLAAS VOSTOK BERND LUDEWIG TOLD MARK GAY HOW ITS<br />
FACTORY IN THE BLACK EARTH REGION OF KRASNODAR SOURCES<br />
A GROWING PROPORTION OF PARTS FROM LOCAL SUPPLIERS.<br />
Bernd Ludewig | CLAAS<br />
When did you first begin localizing production<br />
in Russia and why?<br />
CLAAS has been in the Russian market<br />
of agricultural machinery for over three<br />
decades. We sold the first self-propelled<br />
forage harvester back in 1984 but modern<br />
history really dates from 1991 when we<br />
sold the first CLAAS harvester in Samara.<br />
So we have a long, common history with<br />
Russia, we know the local market and understand<br />
the needs of our customers who<br />
in return are loyal to the brand.<br />
We have always regarded Russia as<br />
a country with great prospects and potential.<br />
At the same time we are very well<br />
aware of the desire of the Russian leadership<br />
to develop their own local production<br />
of agricultural machinery. So in 2003 it<br />
was decided to build the CLAAS plant in<br />
Krasnodar. Of course, this was preceded<br />
by heated debates and there were proposals<br />
to focus on Latin America. I am very<br />
glad that this decision has been taken and<br />
that we have come to Russia to stay.<br />
And what is your strategy for the<br />
creation of such production and localization<br />
component of the base?<br />
Increasing the amount of localized production<br />
is one of the biggest and most difficult<br />
challenges facing the company. We<br />
are actively working with Russian suppliers<br />
of components. Over 10 years we analyzed<br />
more than 1,400 companies. Unfortunately,<br />
to date, we have only established stable<br />
partnerships with 35 Russian suppliers so<br />
far. Their products meet CLASS’s highest<br />
technical requirements.<br />
In 2010 it was decided to expand the<br />
existing plant and organize the full technological<br />
cycle of production of agricultural<br />
equipment, including welding, painting<br />
and metal working. The volume of investment<br />
in the project exceeds 6 billion<br />
rubles. By 2015, the level of localization at<br />
the CLAAS factory level will significantly<br />
exceed 50 per cent. The capacity of the<br />
plant will increase by two to two-and-ahalf<br />
times and the number of jobs will increase<br />
to 550.<br />
Why did you choose Krasnodar as the<br />
location for your production plant?<br />
We looked at different regions and Krasnodar<br />
region was chosen for a reason.<br />
Kuban showed the best performance in<br />
terms of investment attractiveness. The<br />
regional administration has done much to<br />
create favorable conditions for the arrival<br />
of foreign companies. In addition, it has<br />
a well-developed infrastructure, which is<br />
very important when creating your own<br />
production plant.<br />
And finally, it has a well-developed<br />
agricultural complex. It has a yield of an
RUSSIA — GERMANY | 11<br />
average of 50 quintals (5,000 kilograms) of<br />
grain per hectare. This is a high figure compared<br />
to other territories. However, there<br />
are opportunities for growth here as well.<br />
For example, in Germany we manage to<br />
collect 80 quintals per hectare. One of the<br />
reasons for the higher technological level of<br />
production and the use of modern agricultural<br />
machinery. We are confident that our<br />
machines can help solve this problem.<br />
Have governments resolved the issue of<br />
trade measures on foreign-made combine<br />
harvesters or is this still ongoing?<br />
Indeed, this year there is a limit on the import<br />
of combine harvesters into the countries<br />
of the Customs Union. The Russian<br />
quota is 424 harvesters, of which CLAAS’<br />
share is only 12. Does this sound fair? It<br />
seems to me that it doesn’t. We have completed<br />
our quota for this year and despite<br />
our efforts many of our customers could<br />
not buy the harvesters they needed. Our<br />
position is that the buyer makes his own<br />
choice and decides what kind of techniques<br />
he whats to acquire. You only need<br />
to give him that opportunity. Quotas also<br />
narrow choice and hinder fair competition<br />
in the market.<br />
Could you provide some numbers to<br />
illustrate the volume of your business<br />
here?<br />
Today, the total population of self-propelled<br />
CLAAS vehicles in Russia is about<br />
10 thousand units, according to our calculations.<br />
This includes grain and forage<br />
harvesters, tractors and telescopic handlers.<br />
Since our factory began operating<br />
in 2003 we have released about 5000 units.<br />
Currently in Russia we produce eight<br />
models of TUCANO combines; two models<br />
LEXION combines; and the tractors<br />
AXION, XERION and ARION. We are<br />
represented by dealerships in 57 regions<br />
of the country, which employ more than a<br />
thousand people.<br />
Currently, one of the main goals is<br />
decentralization; we must become more<br />
YOU NEED A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD IN THE<br />
MARKET. TO CREATE A MODERN RUSSIAN<br />
AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING SECTOR YOU<br />
NEED A FEW COMPANIES THAT ARE ABLE TO<br />
COMPETE WITH EACH OTHER.<br />
reachable for our customers. In general,<br />
we strive to provide our customers with the<br />
same level of European quality of service.<br />
For example, we can deliver an item from<br />
our warehouse in Moscow to any region of<br />
Russia during the day.<br />
The CLAAS Academy has opened in<br />
Voronezh. Could you talk a little bit about<br />
this project?<br />
It’s not enough in today’s market for the<br />
manufacturer just to produce high-quality<br />
innovative techniques. It needs to constantly<br />
upgrade the skills of its professionals<br />
who work with these techniques.<br />
This is especially important for sales staff,<br />
customer service representatives, and, of<br />
course, for those who use our equipment<br />
on the ground. In order to meet this challenge<br />
the CLAAS Academy for the CIS<br />
countries was established in Voronezh.<br />
Today the Academy is an important<br />
part of the corporation, not only in Russia<br />
but throughout the world. The number of<br />
trainees is growing. It trained 900 people<br />
in 2012, and this rose to 1,000 in 2013.<br />
There are plans to build a new Academy<br />
building near Voronezh on 16 hectares of<br />
land.<br />
What is your view of the development of<br />
Russian agriculture with regards to the<br />
agricultural sectors that Claas supplies?<br />
In general, we commend the development<br />
of the agricultural machinery market. The<br />
industry is growing, there is a good potential<br />
for development. Recent events have<br />
drawn attention to agriculture, so you can<br />
count on an additional influx of investment<br />
into the industry. We are confident<br />
about the future and believe in the future<br />
of our business in Russia. The proof of this<br />
is in the large-scale expansion of CLAAS’s<br />
project in Krasnodar with multi-billion<br />
ruble investment and the development of<br />
the dealer network in the regions.<br />
What would help to develop agricultural<br />
machinery in Russia?<br />
First and foremost, you need a level playing<br />
field in the market. After all, to create<br />
a modern Russian agricultural engineering<br />
sector you need a few companies that can<br />
compete with each other for the benefit of<br />
customers. Of course, this should be the<br />
companies that are actively involved in the<br />
localization of production and technology<br />
transfer.<br />
Do subsidies help to promote specific<br />
agricultural sectors – or do they simply<br />
distort the market in the Russian context?<br />
We support initiatives to establish mechanisms<br />
to support companies that have<br />
specific plans to localize its production<br />
in Russia. Formation of clear and understandable<br />
rules for the market are in the<br />
interests of both the manufacturers and<br />
farmers. It is logical that the state pays<br />
greater attention to those projects that are<br />
important for the development of agriculture.<br />
And it seems to me that the creation<br />
and expansion of the plant in Krasnodar is<br />
a good example of such a project.<br />
advertising
12 | RUSSIA — GERMANY<br />
NOWHERE TOO REMOTE<br />
FOR ONLINE FASHION<br />
Nilsen Togzen | LAMODA<br />
Where did the idea to create Lamoda<br />
come from?<br />
By the time when we founded the company,<br />
the Internet as a channel of retail sales<br />
had grown rapidly in the United States and<br />
Great Britain. People realized how convenient<br />
it was to choose from a huge range,<br />
and then get them with free home delivery.<br />
We saw that in Russia this business model<br />
had great potential in the mass-market<br />
segment.<br />
When was the first time you felt like an<br />
entrepreneur?<br />
I became interested in business at an early<br />
age, when I started to read books about<br />
successful entrepreneurs. I admired the<br />
opportunity to build a successful business<br />
out of nothing. At 16 years I started helping<br />
the local German retailers to sell products<br />
online. It was a very interesting time<br />
when the owners of small shops were just<br />
beginning to look closely at the Internet.<br />
WITH CONSULTANT STYLISTS AND CHANGING<br />
FASHION LINES, LAMODA IS AN ECOMMERCE<br />
PHENOMENON. CUSTOMER-FRIENDLY<br />
POLICIES LIKE “TRY BEFORE YOU BUY”<br />
AND RIGHT TO RETURN ARE A REVOLUTION<br />
IN RUSSIAN RETAILING, AS CO-FOUNDER<br />
AND CEO NILSEN TOGZEN TOLD MARINA<br />
MARSHENKULOVA.<br />
prejudice of clients toward online shopping:<br />
many simply didn’t understand why<br />
and how to use an online store, they had<br />
doubts about the quality of goods, etc. We<br />
made the purchase conditions so transparent<br />
and beneficial that gradually we managed<br />
to overcome those fears.<br />
Then we saw there was not enough<br />
technology capacity for development:<br />
the infrastructure of Russian market just<br />
couldn’t cope with our requirements. So<br />
we had to build our own: to open a delivery<br />
service, to build a warehouse.<br />
Are you going to expand the business<br />
further?<br />
It is one of the priorities. We started with<br />
a regional expansion, aiming to cover the<br />
entire Russian market, then we went outside<br />
of Russia. In 2012, Lamoda started<br />
working in Kazakhstan, becoming a leader<br />
among online clothing and shoe stores,<br />
then, in 2014, Ukraine. In the future,<br />
Lamoda will continue its international<br />
expansion and will be released in the new<br />
markets of the CIS. We strive to ensure so<br />
that in Russia and the CIS everyone knew<br />
that for the fashion goods they should<br />
turn to Lamoda, and get the most out of<br />
shopping at our online store. For this it is<br />
necessary to expand its geographic presence,<br />
constantly improve the service level<br />
and create new service benefits enabling<br />
customers to make the process of buying<br />
clothes and shoes as easy as possible.<br />
How would you define the internal culture<br />
of your organization?<br />
Lamoda’s corporate culture is based on<br />
the principles of mutual respect and teamwork<br />
that requires demonstrations of personal<br />
responsibility and initiative at all official<br />
levels. Our company is committed to<br />
actively contributing to their employees to<br />
achieve their potential. Thanks to the team<br />
spirit, the employees identify themselves<br />
with the company and help to fulfill our<br />
commitments to the customers because<br />
they are interested in the success and prosperity<br />
of the company.<br />
How do you motivate your employees?<br />
We have a motivation system in Lamoda<br />
including remuneration, development of<br />
the social package, guarantees and compensation,<br />
assistance to the staff in addressing<br />
social and domestic issues. We<br />
encourage staff development and offer<br />
trainings, free foreign language education,<br />
mentoring system for new employees and,<br />
of course, prospects for career advancement.<br />
What is unique about the products and<br />
services that Lamoda provides?<br />
Lamoda offers the best level of service and<br />
a wide selection of products — our range<br />
includes more than 1,000 brands of clothing<br />
and accessories. In addition, thanks to<br />
the courier service Lamoda Express residents<br />
of 45 Russian cities can receive their<br />
order the next day after clearance and try<br />
things on for free before buying.<br />
Have you attracted investors for your<br />
projects?<br />
The project Lamoda was created with the<br />
support of the world’s leading investor,<br />
Rocket Internet. Over the past three years,<br />
we have attracted several major investments,<br />
including a record for the Russian<br />
e-commerce market attachment in the<br />
amount of $130 million from Access Industries,<br />
Summit Partners and Tengelmann.<br />
Other investors are Holtzbrinck Ventures,<br />
Investment AB Kinnevik, JP Morgan Asset<br />
Management and PPR Group.<br />
What challenges did you face while leading<br />
your business?<br />
As the business develops, the problems<br />
change. First, the main difficulty was the<br />
STATISTICS<br />
10 facts about Lamoda<br />
It has 350,000 social network subscribers | The longest delivery of a customer’s order was 3,700 km | It takes 8.6 seconds on average<br />
for the operator to respond | The longest conversation with a client lasted 1 hour and 40 minutes to order 48 items | The most expensive<br />
order was worth 1,012,742 rubles which consisted of 319 items.<br />
The founders of Lamoda are Niels Tonsen, Florian<br />
Jansen, Dominik Picker and Burkhard Binder.<br />
The fi rst order was made in March 2011.<br />
Within three and a half years Lamoda employed more<br />
than 2,500 people.<br />
The collection of online store is updated daily and has<br />
over 2 million items from more than 1,000 brands.<br />
Slogan: “Fashion with delivery.”<br />
It has attracted more than two million customers.<br />
Free shipping all over Russia; refund within 365 days,<br />
online consultation with stylists.<br />
Still using print — for seasonal magazine<br />
One of the company’s investors is a French holding company<br />
PPR which owns Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Puma.<br />
In June 2013 Lamoda received $130 million from Access<br />
Industries, Summit Partners and Tengelmann — the<br />
largest investment in Russian online commerce.<br />
Source: LAMODA
RUSSIA — GERMANY | 13<br />
LEGAL CHANGES OFFER<br />
BUSINESS SAVINGS<br />
CHANGES TO THE RUSSIAN CIVIL CODE COULD SAVE<br />
COMPANIES MONEY, SAYS HELGE MASANNEK, DIRECTOR<br />
TAXES & LEGAL, AT RUSSIA CONSULTING. BUT IMPENDING<br />
TAX RISES COULD BOOST COSTS. HE SPOKE TO MARK GAY.<br />
Helge Masannek | RUSSIA CONSULTING<br />
On tax, is there a worry that Russia’s<br />
days as a low tax country may be coming<br />
to an end? What will the proposed increase<br />
in sales tax mean for businesses?<br />
We have seen a remarkable improvement<br />
in the Russian tax system in recent years,<br />
along with the tax administration and<br />
court practice in tax cases. The governmental<br />
tax policy guidelines for 2014 to<br />
2016 state that the tax system shall further<br />
be improved and contain a statement that<br />
they will not introduce new taxes. Unfortunately<br />
we have seen recently a tendency<br />
to increase tax rates and to re-introduce<br />
the sales tax. This will increase the administrative<br />
burden on business and also<br />
in terms of tax inspections.<br />
There is a certain probability that<br />
smaller businesses will try to evade sales<br />
tax. Furthermore the increase or introduction<br />
of new indirect taxes will lead to an<br />
increase of the tax burden upon consumers<br />
and thus will have an impact on consumer<br />
demand, as consumers will have less money<br />
to spend on goods and services.<br />
Are there any positive changes? How do<br />
recent amendments to the civil code affect<br />
companies?<br />
The new Civil Code makes it possible<br />
to assign the general director functions<br />
to a management company. This can<br />
be very attractive to foreign investors<br />
as the use of a management company<br />
can mean a significant cost reduction.<br />
Take the example of a small subsidiary of<br />
a Western company that deals only with<br />
the sales of goods or services. All business<br />
decisions are taken within the parent<br />
company, so it does not need to employ an<br />
expensive general director on the Russian<br />
market. In this case, the use of a management<br />
company is more than justified.<br />
Using an independent management<br />
company also means improving the quality<br />
of control of the Russian business. The<br />
employees of the company can objectively<br />
inform the parent company immediately<br />
about anything important that affects the<br />
subsidiary, even in English, German or<br />
any other language.<br />
Does this make German companies<br />
less likely to acquire Russian subsidiaries<br />
or to localize their operations<br />
in Russia?<br />
German companies are continuing with<br />
their ongoing projects. So if the decision<br />
to set up a subsidiary has been taken, such<br />
decisions are normally not cancelled.<br />
Also companies that have already decided<br />
to localize production in Russia are continuing<br />
with their projects. But we also<br />
are seeing that if decisions have not been<br />
taken yet, then plans are likely to be postponed<br />
until the situation becomes clearer.<br />
So the real problem is the uncertainty<br />
about how the situation will develop in<br />
the near future.
14 | RUSSIA — GERMANY<br />
COACHING GERMAN STYLE —<br />
OPPORTUNITIES SQUARED<br />
Eleonora Sandulenko | FBK-COACHING<br />
FOR MORE THAN 10 YEARS FBK-COACHING<br />
HAS INTEGRATED THE BEST GERMAN<br />
PRACTICES INTO RUSSIA’S BUSINESS<br />
ENVIRONMENT. ELEONORA SANDULENKO,<br />
GENERAL DIRECTOR, FBK-COACHING, SPOKE<br />
TO MARINA MARSHENKULOVA.<br />
Could you describe your company’s<br />
business?<br />
FBK-Coaching provides the services of<br />
coaching, training and change management<br />
mainly to German companies in<br />
Russia. Ninety-five per cent of our customers<br />
are German companies like Volkswagen,<br />
Liebherr and others. The company<br />
also publishes professional German<br />
books in Russian for HR specialists, trainers,<br />
coaches and senior managers.<br />
Is there a difference between Russian<br />
and German managers?<br />
I’ll give you one example from my coaching<br />
experience, which clearly illustrates<br />
the difference in mentality. A German top<br />
manager from a major company noticed<br />
mistakes in a report by his Russian assistant<br />
and asked her to correct them. Imagine<br />
how surprised he was when he came<br />
out of his office some time later to find<br />
her crying in the corridor. When he asked,<br />
“Why are you crying?” he got no answer<br />
and was left absolutely confused.<br />
What happened there? The woman<br />
reacted with pain to his comments, thinking<br />
he was trying to hurt or even fire her.<br />
As a result, instead of a corrected report<br />
we have a sobbing employee and a perplexed<br />
manager. The level of relationships<br />
outweighed the actual issue. To improve<br />
communication and eliminate misunderstanding,<br />
we use a model called “four<br />
ears”, which was developed by the father<br />
of communicative psychology, Professor<br />
Schulz von Thun. Every message has four<br />
levels: facts, self-revelation of the speaker,<br />
the attitude and an appeal for further action.<br />
Hence, the communication problem:<br />
a German manager often communicates at<br />
the level of facts and a Russian colleague<br />
perceives all the information at the level of<br />
relations.<br />
Of course, this is just the tip of the<br />
iceberg encrypted in the cultural codes of<br />
Russia and Germany. Both sides can and<br />
should be able to learn how to decrypt<br />
it, both at the level of personal relations,<br />
boss-to-subordinate, and at the level of<br />
the organization, when changes are introduced.<br />
We are convinced that the synergy<br />
of two cultures, the neutral (German) and<br />
emotional (Russian) as defined by Fons<br />
Trompenaars, can improve business opportunities<br />
for both sides.<br />
Do you maintain relations with your<br />
clients once the work is done?<br />
Yes, continue to commnicate with them<br />
in a free mode. But coaching is a self-help<br />
method. As Germans say: ‘Hilfe zur selbsthilfe,’<br />
or help for self-help. This is what<br />
coaching is all about. A coach must prepare<br />
clients to cope with problems themselves<br />
and to be able to find a solution for<br />
any situation.
RUSSIA — GERMANY | 15<br />
UNIQUE VIEW OF MOSCOW’S<br />
HISTORIC SKYLINE<br />
AFTER FOUR YEARS IN BERLIN, OLIVER ELLER HAS<br />
RETURNED TO MOSCOW AS GENERAL MANAGER OF THE<br />
HOTEL BALTSCHUG KEMPINSKI AND KEMPINSKI AREA<br />
DIRECTOR OF RUSSIA. BACK IN 2007 HE LAUNCHED<br />
ANOTHER LUXURY HOTEL IN MOSCOW. HE TOLD MARK<br />
GAY ABOUT HIS FEELINGS UPON HIS RETURN.<br />
Oliver Eller: It’s wonderful to be back in<br />
Moscow. I lived here for five years, made<br />
many business partners and friends, and<br />
married a Russian lady.<br />
It truly has been a great opportunity<br />
to have had the chance to open the Ritz-<br />
Carlton on Tverskaya street several years<br />
ago, with a view of the Kremlin from one<br />
side, and now to be standing here on the<br />
terrace of the Baltschug and look back in<br />
the other direction onto St. Basil’s Cathedral<br />
and Red Square. I think we have a<br />
matchless view!<br />
This was the first international luxury<br />
hotel in the heart of Moscow. How does<br />
transport accessibility influence the type<br />
of guest today?<br />
I TRULY FEEL THAT MOSCOW IS NOT JUST<br />
THE BIGGEST EUROPEAN CAPITAL. IT IS<br />
AN INTERNATIONAL CITY THAT IS FULL OF<br />
OPPORTUNITIES AND FULL OF LIFE.<br />
Every Muscovite is a potential guest for the<br />
Baltschug. How you arrive does not matter,<br />
whether you come to have a cup of coffee or<br />
to book 10 rooms for 10 nights. You get the<br />
same heartfelt, warm welcome.<br />
Having said that the next metro station<br />
is 10 minutes away on Pyatnitskaya<br />
ulitsa, which has just been renovated and<br />
it is a beautiful street. It is lively, there are<br />
cafés, bars and restaurants and it is a street<br />
where you want to walk. It’s nice, in a city<br />
of so many millions of people, to have a<br />
walking district nearby that is safe and attractive.<br />
What can you do to lure the wealthy independent<br />
travelers who are still quite rare<br />
in Moscow?<br />
Although the company is growing,<br />
Kempinski never wants to manage more<br />
hotels than the companies’ age and we were<br />
founded in 1897. That’s because we believe<br />
luxury is limited. If it is for everybody it is<br />
no longer luxury.<br />
Standing on the Library terrace at<br />
the Baltschug Kempinski, the location<br />
and the view is my unique selling point<br />
as a weekend hideaway. We don’t sell<br />
just food, beverages and beds; what we<br />
sell is an experience. We want every guest<br />
when he leaves to say, “wow, that was<br />
different”. What makes a difference is<br />
exquisite, personalized service. We have<br />
ladies and gentlemen who have worked<br />
here for 20 years. That says a lot about<br />
the management of the company, about<br />
knowing your clients and about fulfilling<br />
guests’ wishes before they have been<br />
announced. This goes back to what I said<br />
about selling an experience. We invite<br />
every Muscovite, every guest around the<br />
world, to try the Hotel Baltschug.<br />
How does each hotel capture the character<br />
of a city while still being part of the<br />
Kempinski Group?<br />
We are not a chain in which each element<br />
is equal. We are a group of individuals.<br />
There are very successful chains of popular<br />
restaurants that are the same everywhere.<br />
We believe our guests like the individual<br />
touch. When they visit Moscow they want<br />
to feel Moscow. If I wake up at the Çırağan<br />
Palace Kempinski I know I am in Istanbul.<br />
If I wake up in the Emirates Palace, I<br />
know I am in Abu Dhabi and at the Adlon<br />
Kempinski I can only be in Berlin. We have<br />
flagship properties all around the world that<br />
give you a true sense of place.<br />
But as a Swiss group, surely there is a<br />
character?<br />
I hold a German passport but that doesn’t<br />
mean I’m just German. I’m a human being<br />
who was born in Germany. I have lived<br />
all around the globe. On the other hand,<br />
many famous luxury brands — Gucci,<br />
Hermes, Chanel, Dior, Ferrari, Lamborghini<br />
and Porsche — are European. And<br />
we believe that Kempinski is the oldest<br />
STATISTICS<br />
Oliver Eller | HOTEL BALTSCHUG<br />
KEMPINSKI MOSCOW<br />
luxury hotel company in Europe. That’s<br />
what we stand for.<br />
People must ask you about the timing of<br />
your return to Moscow. Is it a good time?<br />
Everyone asks that! I believe the<br />
opportunities are great now, especially<br />
in business. I also think that whomever<br />
you meet now, whatever relationships<br />
you build, they might prove to be more<br />
sustainable.<br />
I have lived every five years in a different<br />
country and managed hotels around<br />
the world. I truly feel that Moscow is not<br />
just the biggest European capital. It is an<br />
international city that is full of opportunities<br />
and full of life. It’s a great place to do<br />
business and it is a great weekend hideaway.<br />
How will you measure success?<br />
I personally will be measured not by what I<br />
may have done 10 years ago. The only fair<br />
measurement is to compare me and the<br />
Baltschug Kempinski to the competitive set<br />
in town.<br />
If you take that into consideration, I<br />
can promise you that the Baltschug is going<br />
to more than compete because as they say,<br />
with every great building you need a strong<br />
foundation and we have that: we have the<br />
oldest European hotel group, an unbelievable<br />
location and tremendous staff.<br />
Five Facts about the Hotel<br />
Baltschug Kempinski Moscow<br />
The Baltschug is the warmest spot in Moscow, according to<br />
weather forecasters.<br />
It was the site of the fi rst Moscow kabak (bar) during the reign of<br />
Ivan the Terrible in the 16th century.<br />
Russian artists A. Kuindzhi, I. Kramskoi and A. Vasnetsov<br />
painted the views of the area more than 100 years ago.<br />
The fi rst international 5-star luxury hotel in Russia — Hotel Baltschug<br />
Kempinski Moscow – welcomed its fi rst guests in 1992.<br />
The fi rst phase of renovation of rooms and suites at the hotel was<br />
completed in 2013.
16 | RUSSIA — GERMANY<br />
YOUNG MUSCOVITES WELCOME<br />
YEAR OF GERMAN LANGUAGE<br />
BY MARINA MARSHENKULOVA<br />
A TWIST ON THE WORD, ZDRAVSTVUY,<br />
GREETED VISITORS TO THE HERMITAGE<br />
GARDEN FOR THE LAUNCH OF EVENTS TO<br />
CELEBRATE TWO TONGUES, IN PRINT, STUDY<br />
AND PLAY.<br />
Germany and Russia will be celebrating<br />
each other’s languages and literature this<br />
year and next. The series of events is an extension<br />
of the years of Germany in Russia<br />
and of Russia in Germany, which began in<br />
2012-2013.<br />
Organized by the Ministry of Foreign<br />
Affairs of Germany and the Goethe<br />
Institut, the aim is to strengthen longterm<br />
bonds in cultural and educational<br />
spheres, and to promote the German<br />
language within the Russian education<br />
system, by showing its value in business<br />
and the arts.<br />
Starting young has a special advantage<br />
in language learning and the program has<br />
a strong focus on youth. As well as professional<br />
development, the year of language<br />
and literature will promote early language<br />
learning, improving the training of teachers<br />
of German, as well as the training of<br />
writers, translators and publishers, especially<br />
in the field of art, and children’s and<br />
young adult’s literature.<br />
The Year of German language and<br />
literature opened on September 13-14<br />
with a major festival “German, cubed”<br />
which was held in Moscow’s Hermitage<br />
garden. Children and adults had the opportunity<br />
to dive into the colorful world<br />
of the German language and literature<br />
with the help of theatre and dance, performances<br />
by |German bands and musicians,<br />
and readings by German authors.<br />
There were giant books, interactive art<br />
ONLINE RESOURCES<br />
FROM LANGUAGE<br />
GAMES TO<br />
AUDIOVISUAL<br />
MATERIALS CAN<br />
BE FOUND WITH<br />
THE KEYWORD<br />
DEUTSCH2014-2015.<br />
Young and old enjoy<br />
bilingual theatre<br />
at the launch of<br />
the Year of German<br />
Language and<br />
Literature. Right:<br />
the word wall, a sort<br />
of large Scrabble |<br />
MARK GAY<br />
objects, children’s lectures, and a poetry<br />
slam and many other exciting events during<br />
the festival.<br />
Among the guests at the festival there<br />
were rap-poet Bas Böttcher, the legendary<br />
break-dancer Niels Robitzki, known<br />
under the pseudonym Storm, and German<br />
rapper, CRO. Younger guests of the<br />
festival could get acquainted with the<br />
German language in the game form during<br />
the open classes, take part in theatrical,<br />
artistic and scientific workshops and<br />
competitions. They also had a unique opportunity<br />
enter the world of German fairy<br />
tales with the help of visiting German<br />
animators.<br />
As the year of literature and language<br />
continues, there will be: a forum of Russian<br />
teachers of German; a competition “The<br />
best German teacher in Russia, 2014” in<br />
seven categories; awards for the best German<br />
language interpreter; and book fairs<br />
for fiction and non-fiction literature.<br />
In the first half of 2015, teachers of<br />
German from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok<br />
will be able to take part in traveling<br />
educational forums. German authors will<br />
hold readings in different cities, journalists,<br />
translators and writers will have their<br />
own events; students will compete in the<br />
Second Russian National Olympiad in the<br />
German language; the German-Russian<br />
University in Kazan will open; and an international<br />
youth environmental project<br />
will highlight the advances of both countries<br />
in this sphere.<br />
Online resources include educational<br />
materials, tips for learning German, biographies<br />
of contemporary German authors,<br />
recommendations for readers, excerpts<br />
from fiction literature, interactive language<br />
games, audio and video materials, and also<br />
a large collection of links with other suggestions<br />
from the organizers and partners<br />
of the project.The official website of the<br />
year of language and literature in Russia is<br />
www.deutsch2014-2015.ru
RUSSIA — GERMANY | 17<br />
CHEMICALS COMPANY AIMS TO BOOST<br />
SELF SUFFICIENCY<br />
FROM ANIMAL FEEDS TO FERTILIZERS, “GREEN” TIRES<br />
TO SOUND INSULATION, EVONIK MAKES PRODUCTS THAT<br />
HELP MAKE RUSSIA LESS RELIANT ON IMPORTS. JULIO<br />
VRBANIC, GENERAL MANAGER, EVONIK CHIMIA, SPOKE<br />
TO VLADISLAV SHAYMAN.<br />
Can you summarize the range of chemicals<br />
you produce and which ones to you<br />
make in Russia?<br />
Evonik is one of the world-leading<br />
companies in the production of specialty<br />
chemicals. Profit growth and a continuous<br />
increase in capitalization are the main<br />
strategies of the company. About 80 per<br />
cent of our sales are in leading industry<br />
markets, and we plan to develop these<br />
markets in the future. We focus on<br />
emerging markets, developing new areas<br />
of activity through innovation and external<br />
development, and continuously improving<br />
our pricing and technological position.<br />
The company strives to follow<br />
emerging mega trends, namely: health<br />
and nutrition, resource efficiency and<br />
globalization of technologies. It develops<br />
products so that they match customers’<br />
and companies’ needs, a rather difficult<br />
task, which is best addressed by joint<br />
efforts. We are convinced that the presence<br />
of customers and joint decision-making<br />
are the keys to success.<br />
Talking specifically about our business<br />
in Russia, I would note the construction of<br />
a plant for the production of Biolys which<br />
is a feed additive. The new plant will use<br />
the fermentation process developed by<br />
Evonik that creates amino acids. We have<br />
been recently been granted permission to<br />
start building in Volgodonsk.<br />
All of the above created important<br />
prerequisites for the continuous<br />
development of the project. But we are<br />
also very active in other areas of the<br />
industry: for example, in paintwork<br />
materials, production of so-called “green<br />
tires”, as well as in the production of road<br />
markings, special building insulation<br />
and noise insulation. Our Russian joint<br />
venture produces, for example, materials<br />
that are used for sound absorption and<br />
sound insulation. These materials were<br />
widely used in the construction of sports<br />
facilities in Sochi. For the production<br />
of lightweight structures, we develop<br />
products and technologies that are used in<br />
the automotive industry, and which will in<br />
the long term be used in aircraft.<br />
Can you say more about the new feed<br />
plant in Volgodonsk?<br />
Evonik has recently been granted<br />
permission to build the plant. It will<br />
strengthen the position of Evonik in the<br />
Russian market and will contribute to<br />
the effective and long-term production of<br />
pork and poultry in Russia. The plant is to<br />
be commissioned in 2016 with a capacity<br />
of about 100,000 tons per year. It will use<br />
a new fermentation technology developed<br />
by Evonik, which produces Biolys, an<br />
effective source of lysine for animal feed.<br />
Russia is an important market for<br />
us. We see a steady increase in demand<br />
for amino acids for animal feed. With<br />
the construction of the factory we can<br />
become independent of imported meats.<br />
As a raw material we will use wheat grown<br />
in the Rostov region, which the joint<br />
venture will process. For us, it has several<br />
advantages. Firstly, we integrate in the<br />
opposite direction, and secondly, we enter<br />
deeper into the chain of building value.<br />
Which areas of agriculture do your<br />
chemicals support?<br />
World population growth poses<br />
the challenge of increasing agricultural<br />
food production through better use of<br />
existing acreage. Plants are the starting<br />
materials for food, and also have a use<br />
in energy production. One of the ways<br />
to increase the productivity of cultivated<br />
areas is the introduction of highly<br />
effective plant protection products.<br />
Whether for cereals, fruit or grapes: plant<br />
protection is an integral part of longterm<br />
cultivation. Evonik’s product range<br />
includes innovative solutions for the<br />
agricultural industry. So it will further<br />
develop formulations for plant protection<br />
products and their optimization for<br />
long-term increase of productivity in<br />
agriculture. The efficiency of fertilizer or<br />
crop protection chemicals is significantly<br />
increased by the use of silicic acid. The<br />
new formulation reduces the number of<br />
active substances used while maintaining<br />
efficiency.<br />
Evonik also offers granular soil that<br />
accumulates water supplies and provides a<br />
uniform supply of soil water and nutrients<br />
in dry land areas, thereby making it<br />
possible to cultivate plants in areas where<br />
there is often drought.<br />
Biogas is produced from renewable<br />
raw materials, sludge treatment plants,<br />
liquid manure or agricultural waste as a<br />
result of microbial fermentation. First,<br />
the crude biogas consists of more than<br />
one-third carbon dioxide and other gases<br />
WE LISTEN TO OUR CUSTOMERS AND WE<br />
INVESTIGATE THE GROWTH OF MARKETS<br />
IN EASTERN EUROPE. NEEDS THAT HAVE ARISEN<br />
IN RUSSIA IN RECENT YEARS FIT WITH OUR<br />
CORE ACTIVITIES.<br />
in small quantities. These impurities must<br />
be separated from the methane. Plastic<br />
membranes made by Evonik allow the<br />
separation of CO2 with maximum selectivity<br />
and thereby constitute a highly efficient<br />
technology for the production of<br />
biogas.<br />
You expect Russia to become an even<br />
more important market. Can you put that<br />
in perspective compared with others?<br />
In 2011, the launch of the project “Development<br />
Strategy for Eastern Europe”,<br />
contributed to the advance of the region as<br />
a whole. It increased not only the growth<br />
of our core markets, but also opened up<br />
potential new markets.<br />
The fact that Evonik pays special attention<br />
to this region’s development plays<br />
an important role in the development of<br />
Julio Vrbanic | EVONIK<br />
the project. Russia with all its size and<br />
dynamics of its markets is a generator for<br />
the development of this project. Although<br />
Evonik has been an active and successful<br />
business in Eastern Europe for a long<br />
time, the form of this activity is not perfect.<br />
The aim of our project is to improve<br />
it. I firmly believe that with the help of<br />
this project, we will implement our most<br />
ambitious goals. At the same time, Russia<br />
will surely play the role of locomotive in<br />
achieving these goals in Eastern Europe.<br />
What are the advantages to Evonik of localizing<br />
production in Russia? How many<br />
plants do you have, or plan?<br />
We have developed a general investment<br />
program up to 2020 totaling six billion<br />
euros, of which two thousand have already<br />
been invested. Also, we continuously<br />
research and develop new markets and<br />
new projects. We listen to our customers<br />
and we investigate the growth of markets<br />
in Eastern Europe. Needs that have arisen<br />
in Russia in recent years fit with our<br />
core activities, namely: mobility, oil and<br />
natural gas, as well as agriculture.<br />
Evonik also runs the online science<br />
education program, Cyber Classroom,<br />
for children around the world, as a kind<br />
of a charitable effort to encourage the<br />
teaching of science. Will this be available<br />
to Russian students?<br />
It really is an option that we are considering<br />
at the moment. Russian schools and<br />
universities offer very high standards and<br />
Russian graduates are interested in our<br />
company. So why not support the development<br />
of potential employees from the<br />
very beginning?
18 | RUSSIA — GERMANY<br />
FROM METAL TO MODERN: BANDS FIND<br />
COMMON CHORD<br />
BY VLADIMIR KOZLOV<br />
GERMAN MUSIC HAS PROVED A SUCCESSFUL<br />
EXPORT, LARGELY IN THE POP AND ROCK<br />
SEGMENT. NOW RUSSIAN PERFORMERS ARE<br />
BEGINNING TO REPAY THE COMPLIMENT.<br />
Throughout most of the 1970s and 1980s,<br />
Germany was a gateway through which<br />
contemporary rock and pop music came<br />
to the Soviet Union. Two decades later,<br />
Rammstein’s huge popularity in Russia<br />
came as another proof of the two countries’<br />
special relationship in the domain of pop<br />
and rock music.<br />
Musical connections between Russia<br />
and Germany, however, go back much further<br />
than the 1970s.<br />
A few years ago, Oleg Nesterov, the<br />
front man of the Moscow-based band<br />
Megapolis, launched a side project, Berlin<br />
Postmen’s Orchestra. Featuring violin,<br />
accordion, bass, guitar and drums, the<br />
orchestra has been performing 1920s and<br />
1930s German songs, with lyrics translated<br />
into Russian.<br />
“When I was translating German pre-<br />
WWII songs into Russian, I was struck by<br />
the melodic similarity [between them and<br />
Russian songs of the time],” says Nesterov.<br />
A real conquest of Soviet audiences by<br />
German pop acts began in the 1970s when<br />
the likes of Boney M. and Dschinghis Khan<br />
made it through the Iron Curtain.<br />
“By the 1970s, West Germany had<br />
regained its economic power to become<br />
Europe’s strongest economy,” says Yevgeny<br />
Safronov, general director of the music<br />
news agency InterMedia. “Accordingly, a<br />
very powerful music industry formed in<br />
the country. Unlike, for instance, France,<br />
which deliberately protected its market<br />
and language from expansion of Englishlanguage<br />
culture, the majority of Germany’s<br />
music industry was export-oriented<br />
and was therefore English-speaking.”<br />
Boney M. hits featuring Caribbean<br />
and Jamaica-born singers were so popular<br />
in the Soviet Union that the band,<br />
which has gone through numerous lineup<br />
changes and several rifts during a career of<br />
almost four decades, still remains sought<br />
after for new year corporate parties in Russia.<br />
One of the band’s singers, Bobby Farrell,<br />
died in St. Petersburg of a heart attack<br />
in late 2010 while doing a series of New-<br />
Year gigs with Boney M.<br />
Another band that originated from<br />
Germany, Dschinghis Khan, owes its popularity<br />
to the 1979 song “Moscow” and to<br />
Soviet censors who banned the innocuous<br />
song themed on the upcoming 1980 Moscow<br />
Olympics for no apparent reason.<br />
Soviet television intended to air a<br />
video of the song as part of the new year<br />
THEY DIDN’T TRY TO FOLLOW BRITISH POP<br />
STANDARDS BUT PRODUCED PRIMITIVE<br />
MELODIES AND ARRANGEMENTS THAT WERE<br />
EASILY ADOPTED.<br />
show on the night of January 1, 1980.<br />
But Communist censors apparently got<br />
scared at the very last moment and only<br />
a 15-second clip of the song was actually<br />
aired.<br />
In the second half of the 1980s, a new<br />
wave of German disco acts, such as Modern<br />
Talking, Blue System and C.C. Catch<br />
conquered the Soviet Union’s dance floors.<br />
“Modern Talking’s huge popularity<br />
in the Soviet Union and Russia is explained<br />
by the fact that they didn’t try to<br />
follow British pop standards but produced<br />
very primitive melodies and arrangements,<br />
which were easily adopted by local groups<br />
copying those aesthetic approaches,” adds<br />
music expert Alexei Mazhayev.<br />
Incidentally, the most popular Russian<br />
pop acts of the late 1980s, Mirazh<br />
and Laskovy Mai, were, to a large extent,<br />
copying Modern Talking.<br />
Throughout the 1980s, Western music<br />
often came to the Soviet Union through<br />
East Germany, which, as a member of the<br />
Socialist Bloc, had close ties with the USSR.<br />
The East German record label Amiga<br />
put out licensed records by Western rock<br />
acts, which were legitimately available at<br />
Soviet music stores and were in high demand.<br />
At the same time, East German<br />
Thomas Anders of the 1980s duo Modern Talking, singing in Cologne<br />
in 2007 | ELKE WETZIG<br />
rock bands, including Puhdys, Karat<br />
and Stern-Combo Meissen, which often<br />
toured the Soviet Union were, to some<br />
extent, a substitution for Western acts that<br />
almost never made it through the Iron<br />
Curtain.<br />
New music trends and styles often<br />
came to the Soviet Union through Germany<br />
rather than directly from the United States<br />
or England, where they originated. That<br />
was the case with heavy metal as Germany-based<br />
Accept and Scorpions were more<br />
popular here than any British or U.S. bands.<br />
Scorpions were among the first major<br />
Western acts to tour the USSR as soon as<br />
Mikhail Gorbachev’s Perestroika reforms<br />
led to the removal of the Iron Curtain and<br />
the USSR’s gradual opening to the outside<br />
world in the late 1980s.<br />
In early 1991, Scorpions released<br />
the Perestroika-themed single “Wind of<br />
Change,” which sold millions of copies as<br />
the world rediscovered Russian themes.<br />
A decade later, a new music phenomenon<br />
from Germany arrived in Russia, the<br />
industrial metal band Rammstein, which<br />
became hugely popular here.<br />
“Rammstein turn their shows into<br />
clownery, featuring swearing, marches, elements<br />
of the industrial and soundtracks to<br />
porno films,” says Mazhayev. “However,<br />
nowhere in the world is Rammstein treated<br />
as seriously as in Russia. For Germany and<br />
Europe in general, this is a parody of everything<br />
German, a very exaggerated parody.<br />
Plus, the adjective “Teutonic,” used in just<br />
about every article on Rammstein, sounds<br />
cool in Russian.”<br />
Oleg Nesterov and his Berlin Postmen’s Orchestra perform German<br />
music of the 1920s and ‘30s, on violin, accordion, acoustic bass,<br />
acoustic guitar and percussion. | LARISSA TIMOFEEV