ASIA CONNECT: SGBA strengthens ICT ties with India’s Andhra Pradesh

As the official statistics of the Chinese economy paint a picture of slightly reduced growth year after year, many Swiss companies have set their sights on India as the next hot Asian market.

It’s a turn of events that was facilitated substantially by the charismatic leadership of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who already as Chief Minister of the Indian state Gujarat had proven to be seriously committed to efforts to advance the economic development of India.

It’s only been a few years since the St.GallenBodenseeArea (SGBA) in close collaboration and with the support of the University of St.Gallen (HSG) at the University’s ASIA CONNECT Center, has begun to develop this high potential market of the future. Several companies from Eastern Switzerland have already discovered the opportunities that the Indian market is offering to international corporations and particularly to SME hailing from abroad.

And their numbers are steadily growing: Among them are not only global market leaders such as food technology company Bühler (which only recently has promoted its former Head of Region South Asia, Dipak Mane, to global Chief Human Resources Officer within top management). Smaller companies such as BÜCHI, a laboratory technology provider, have successfully been doing business in the Indian market for years as well. 

Given this background, Dr. Roger Moser, Director ASIA CONNECT Center-HSG was delighted to have the opportunity to meet with Nara Chandrababu Naidu, Prime Minister of Andhra Pradesh just before this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos. On top of the agenda of the discussion between the Prime Minister and Mr. Moser: An even closer cooperation, particularly in the ICT sector, between Swiss companies from the SGBA and Andhra Pradesh, an Indian state with a population of roughly 50 million.

Andhra Pradesh’s Prime Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu is a true pioneer of digitalization. For him, the primary objective of the collaboration between Indian and Swiss companies would be the development of innovative applications for Industry 4.0 and the field of Smart Cities accordingly.