Three years after the Ortenau economic region (WRO) was renamed “Nectanet”, Managing Director Dominik Fehringer has drawn a positive balance. He is counting on a partnership with Brazil.
Offenburg. What was not said behind closed doors when Wirtschaftsregion Ortenau (WRO) presented its new name on July 28, 2022. At best, “Nectanet” evoked associations with bees and beekeepers, but not with the region between the Rhine and the Black Forest. However, Dominik Fehringer had already won over the 200 or so member companies, the 50 towns and municipalities as well as the district and the chambers as shareholders: “In a globalized economy, we need a language and a self-image that works beyond regional borders,” the “Nectanet” Managing Director is still convinced.
In the three years since it was renamed, “Nectanet” has left the borders of Ortenau far behind in its search for strategic partnerships. The focus is on Brazil. “Our business delegation in 2023 has opened doors – to institutions, business associations, politics and universities,” says Fehringer. The South American country not only has a high potential workforce – especially in the technical and industrial sectors – but is also very open to Germany and the Black Forest.
While Ortenau no longer plays a role in the advertising slogans of the economic development agency, the Black Forest enjoys great importance as the “Black Forest Power Region”. This claim gives the region “a geographically tangible, emotionally charged identity that works globally”, explains Fehringer. In the heavily German-speaking regions of Brazil, this calculation probably works.
In cities such as Joinville and Blumenau, “Nectanet” organized its own fairs to recruit trainees and workers. “The response was overwhelming,” said Fehringer, looking back: over 5,000 applicants came, 3,500 CVs were submitted and 160 job interviews were held afterwards. As of today, 17 employment and training contracts have already been concluded with companies from the Nectanet region. “And that’s with only 13 exhibiting companies.” A clear success for Fehringer and the reason to promote the “Black Forest Power Region” in Brazil again in 2026 – “with the clear goal of significantly increasing the number of exhibiting companies”. He is convinced that a similar level of attention “would simply not have been possible with the former name”.
Real success stories
According to the Managing Director of “Nectanet”, it is not only the recruitment of workers that has picked up speed in Brazil, but also the economic commitment. The first companies from the region have already invested locally, or are in the process of doing so. “Real success stories are emerging here that show how we, as a regional business development agency, can provide concrete support for the internationalization of SMEs.”
Brazil is not the first country in which “Nectanet” has put out feelers. In China, Fehringer initiated a cooperation with the technology group Huawei. This was very promising, Fehringer looked back – “technologically, strategically and for our positioning as an innovation region”. Some companies had benefited from this and were very satisfied with the technology used. However, this selective cooperation had been “slowed down by political framework conditions and geopolitical developments” “which we as a location agency cannot influence”. However, the decades-long partnership with the city of Jintan/Changzhou in Jiangsu continues to develop “very positively”. Nectanet is expecting a high-ranking delegation from this region in October. For many Nectanet member companies, China is the most important market. “In recent years, more companies from our region have decided to invest in the Sino-German Industrial Park Jintan – all of them are highly satisfied.”
An article in the Mittelbadische Presse by Simon Allgeier
https://mittelbadische.de/