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 Markus Wild manages an international design office, having its headquarters in the Ruhr Area of Germany and in Shanghai, China. He is one of the leading German experts in the field of medical product design. After studying industrial design at the well-known Folkwang University in Essen, Germany, he was with SIEMENS design department (1988 - 1989). He then founded WILDDESIGN.
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What is a European design office doing in China?
During the past 2 years Markus Wild, owner of the German design agency WILDDESIGN, has heard that question quite often. Now, after much investigation he has established an independent design company in Shanghai, WILDDESIGN Co. Ltd. This office has been managed since early 2006 as a representation office, but has obtained the official business licence from the Shanghai authorities in early December 2006.
Quite purposefully, the boomtown of Shanghai was selected as the headquarters in Asia, after several options in Shenzhen, Beijing und Wuxihad had been reviewed. WILDDESIGN is among the first German design offices consistently investing in this growth market. A market that continuously increases in importance for European companies. Gerhard Seizer, aged 34, is the manager of the Shanghai office. Gerhard has been with the company since 2006. He is qualified industrial designer with 6 years of experience in Asia. He had been design and brand manager with an international Japanese group of companies until the end of 2005. Additionally, Gerhard has taken responsibility of brand consulting and brand management.
But what makes a German design office go to China, a country where copying is considered a compliment, and where creative services are being remunerated to an amount almost equalling the German VAT? (Value Added Tax).
 "Already after the first months it becomes apparent that our initial assumptions were wrong, but the decision itself was right on," Markus Wild explains. "First, we intended to establish an extended workbench for our German office in China to be right on the spot for doing business with our Chinese customers. Costs seemed to be low, the training standard of the local designers high."
This motivation, however, scarcely matters today. Companies from Germany, Europe, and the United States are the major customers of the industrial design contractors in China. The primary focus of these customers is to find a reliable, trustworthy partner, who is right on the spot, whether that means close to the production facilities, or close to the growth markets in China. The crucial point is reliability. WILDDESIGN had demonstrated its reliability from more than 16 years of experience in technical product design
However to emphasize, success in China has been achieved from the close partnership with one of the highest-performing producers of technical plastic components in Asia. In May 1, 2006 COXON, a Taiwanese company, and WILDDESIGN entered into a long-term arrangement. Longer term success has been assured from the very beginning by integrating with this top manufacturer with most of the "global brands" in the markets of digicams, cellphones and PDAs. The venture is working with numerous current projects because of mutual support. Also in Europe, both partners are marketing in close collaboration.
 WILDDESIGN's European customers are most interested in the new partnership through services in the Chinese office. Some of these customers have for years invested in China and are now pleased to have an ally right on the spot ensuring they receive the high design standards they have been used to.
"However, from the very beginning I noticed a strong interest of my customers for the rapidly growing Chinese market," says Markus Wild. "With our multicultural team, stationed right in the center of Shanghai, and our reliable partners on the spot we are a perfect contact for all international companies aiming at launching their own products - strategically planned - in the Chinese market." This allows us to provide China market and trend research for brand consulting. The design office cooperates with local service contractors and institutes in this field.
Markus has also discovered that top companies in China are looking for reliability and quality design services and he believes by being a German firm his firm is rated highly. In the Chinese view, German design means world class and for this reason Markus is expecting that it will not take much time for "WILDDESIGN to become a constant in China."
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author only and do not represent the views of the Techman/Kanata or of any of its directors, officers or employees. The author, Markus Wild, can be reached at mw@wilddesign.de
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March, 2007
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