Ticker Archive GACC Texas

The Bosch Group has announced it has acquired a majority share holding in Health Hero Network, a leading innovator in the remote health monitoring business. Health Hero Network is headquartered in Palo Alto, California and since it was founded in 1992, the company has been issued 63 patents. Health Hero Network currently employs 44 associates, all of whom will be retained by Bosch.

________________________________________________________________________________

Nufern to be bought by German laser maker
(Hartford Courant)

Rofin-Sinar Technologies Inc., a German-based manufacturer of industrial laser equipment and one of the world's leading developers in this segment, announced that it had signed a definitive agreement for the acquisition of Nufern as a wholly-owned subsidiary of RSTI, in a cash transaction.

________________________________________________________________________________

Manufacturer with German ties to settle in Aurora
(Chicago News)

Centa Corp. will expand warehousing and launch manufacturing operations in the United States for the first time with a new plant in Aurora. The North American daughter company of Centa Antriebe Kirschey GmbH -- a world-leading German manufacturer of flexible couplings and drive shafts for marine and industrial power transmission applications -- previously had a small leased warehouse and distribution office in Westmont.

________________________________________________________________________________

Munich Re to pay $352M for Sterling Life
(Herald Tribune)

Reinsurer Munich Re AG said it reached a deal to buy U.S. healthcare insurer Sterling Life Insurance Co. for US$352 million in cash, giving it more access to older Americans who want to buy health insurance.

________________________________________________________________________________

Daimler wins orders for 1,052 hybrid city buses
(Aviation Newswire)

Daimler AG's North American bus business has won orders from New York City and Ottawa for a total of 1,052 diesel-electric hybrid public transit buses, the company said. These buses will be powered by BAE Systems' hybrid propulsion system and will be delivered into 2010.

________________________________________________________________________________

Senate ratifies protocol to German-American tax treaty
(RGIT)

The U.S. Senate unexpectedly ratified changes to the German-American double taxation tax treaty. The Protocol amends Article 25 (Mutual Agreement Procedure) to mandate binding arbitration for disputes pending for more than two years (and in other circumstances), the first-ever such provision in a U.S. tax agreement. The Protocol takes effect in both countries on the date on which the instruments of ratification are exchanged.

________________________________________________________________________________

Bayer's Nunhems seed business acquires Paragon Seed
(CNN Money)

Bayer AG's Nunhems BV vegetable seed business, a sub-unit of Bayer CropScience AG, has acquired U.S. company Paragon Seed Inc for an undisclosed. In 2006, Paragon Seed generated sales of about 5.8 mln eur, supplying both the US market as well as Mexico, Bayer said in a statement.

________________________________________________________________________________

Kavitsky becomes CEO of Allianz of America
(San Francisco Business Times)

The CEO of Fireman's Fund Insurance Co., Chuck Kavitsky, will take on a number of new roles next year, including CEO of Allianz of America, effective Jan. 1. Kavitsky has been president of the Allianz of America holding company, and as of next month will be both its president and chief executive. Jan Carendi, Allianz of America's chairman, is stepping down to become a consultant to the company, according to a spokeswoman.

________________________________________________________________________________

Wacker to acquire Air Products' stake in construction polymers joint ventures
(Euro Adhoc)

Wacker Chemie AG plans to acquire full ownership of Air Products Polymers (APP) and Wacker Polymer Systems (WPS), its two joint ventures with Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. The two partners announced they have signed an agreement to this effect.

Wacker Chemie AG´s CEO, Peter-Alexander Wacker, saw the acquisition as another logical step in the Group´s growth strategy. "Our agreement will give Wacker fully integrated prduction sites in the USA and Asia. The economies of scale and synergies resulting from this extension of our value chain will bring us cost advantages."

________________________________________________________________________________

German and US astronomical institutions to boost cooperation
(Cordis News)

German-American collaboration in the field of radio astronomy is set to get a boost thanks to a new agreement between Germany's Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR) and the US' National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). The two institutions will continue their existing observational collaborations and share resources to improve the technical capabilities of each other's telescopes.

________________________________________________________________________________

BASF to reorganize its business into 6 segments
(Herald Tribune)

Chemical company BASF AG said that it will reorganize its business into six segments, a change that will take effect at the start of 2008. The Ludwigshafen-based company said the new segments will be chemicals, plastics, functional solutions, performance products, agriculture solutions and oil and gas.

________________________________________________________________________________

Siemens sells Newport News plant to Continental
(Daily Press)

Siemens AG sold its Newport News fuel injector plant that employs 715 workers to German tiremaker Continental AG as part of a $16.7 billion deal. No layoffs are expected at the local plant as a result of the sale, Continental officials said. But long-term market forces in the struggling automotive sector could force the company to re-evaluate staffing during the Siemens-Continental integration, said Brad Warner, a spokesman for Continental's North American operations.

DECEMBER 2007

________________________________________________________________________________

Lufthansa buys stake in JetBlue
(BBC News/New York Times)

Lufthansa is buying a 19% stake in US budget carrier JetBlue Airways for $300m. That is the first major investment by a foreign airline in an American rival since British Airways took a stake in American Airlines in the early 1990s.

The stake sale may help shore up the lagging finances of JetBlue, which has $433 million in current debt obligations and has already substantially curtailed its growth plans. Lufthansa buys 42 million newly issued shares at $7.27 each. It will also gain a seat on the discount airline’s board.

________________________________________________________________________________

Bayer's Nunhems seed business acquires Paragon Seed
(CNN Money)

________________________________________________________________________________

Kavitsky becomes CEO of Allianz of America
(San Francisco Business Times)

________________________________________________________________________________

Wacker to acquire Air Products' stake in construction polymers joint ventures
(Euro Adhoc)

________________________________________________________________________________

German and US astronomical institutions to boost cooperation
(Cordis News)

________________________________________________________________________________

BASF to reorganize its business into 6 segments
(Herald Tribune)

________________________________________________________________________________

Siemens sells Newport News plant to Continental
(Daily Press)

________________________________________________________________________________

Telekom wins court battle to lock Apple iPhone
(Post Gadget)

Deutsche Telekom won a court battle to keep its Apple iPhone locked, preventing German customers of competitor Vodafone from using the stylish new gadget. Telekom's T-Mobile wireless division had earlier been forced under a temporary injunction to sell the iPhone in Germany without any calling plan or the software lock which confines users to Apple's chosen marketing partner.

But after full argument of the case in state court in Hamburg, Vodafone's legal claims under German competition law were rejected. Judges said T-Mobile was entitled to limit sales of the 399-euro (588-dollar) iPhone to customers signing up for a two-year T-Mobile contract which costs about 1,200 euros. Both prices include tax.

________________________________________________________________________________

Audi sales fell, Porsche sales rose in the U.S.
(Bloomberg)

Audi AG, Volkswagen AG's luxury brand, said U.S. sales fell 1.1 percent last month as demand for the A4 sedan and Q7 sport-utility vehicle dropped. At the same time Porsche reported North American vehicle sales rose 2 percent to 2,776 units in November thanks to a surge in demand for its refreshed Cayenne sport utility vehicle.

________________________________________________________________________________

Biolitec Says Sales May Increase 35% on U.S. Demand
(Bloomberg)

Biolitec AG, the German company whose prostate-therapy laser was approved in the U.S. in 2007, expects revenue to rise as much as 35 percent this year, Chief Executive Officer Wolfgang Neuberger said.

North American sales accounted for 52 percent of Biolitec revenue in the year ended in June, compared with 42 percent a year earlier, as U.S. demand for cosmetic and medical lasers increased. The German company has 20 percent of the U.S. market for prostate laser therapy and aims to have 40 percent by the end of 2008, Neuberger said.

________________________________________________________________________________

Fresenius pays $200 million for Renal Solutions
(Pittsburgh Business Times)

Warrendale-based Renal Solutions Inc. has been acquired by Fresenius Medical Care for $200 million. "It's a huge deal for Renal, and it's a huge deal for the region, to have a success like this," said Renal CEO Peter DeComo.

Renal develops and manufactures products to treat kidney disease. Fresenius Medical Care, based in Bad Homburg, Germany, was founded in 1996. It is the largest integrated provider of products and services for dialysis patients in the world, DeComo said.

NOVEMBER 2007

________________________________________________________________________________

Germany's Moselle Wine Exports Rise 21% on U.S. Demand
(Bloomberg)

German wine growers on the banks of the river Moselle increased exports of their famous Riesling by 21 percent in the year through July mainly on rising demand from the U.S. Exports rose to 109 million euros ($156 million) from 90 million euros a year earlier, the Moselle Wine Growers Association said.

About 43 percent of the output in the region was sold outside Germany. More than half of the exports went to the U.S. "Americans prefer more and more expensive, high-quality Riesling," the group's president Adolf Schmitt said. In the U.S., the Moselle Riesling was sold at an average of 356 euros per hectoliter, up from 333 euros a year earlier.

________________________________________________________________________________

Wal-Mart Selects SAP
(CNN Money)

Demonstrating ongoing leadership in providing innovative solutions to retailers worldwide, SAP AG said that Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. will enhance its financial information systems using SAP. Wal-Mart chose SAP(R) ERP Financials for its ability to support the retailer's global expansion and its need to efficiently respond to changes in the business and regulatory landscape.

________________________________________________________________________________

Dow Chemical builds plant in Germany instead of the U.S.
(Boston Herald)

Dow Chemical CEO Andrew Liveris announced that the company decided to build a plant in Germany because it was more cost-efficient than building it in Texas. Liveris said corporate taxes, government overregulation, high energy prices, an expensive tort system and costly pension and health-care mandates make it hard for companies to do business in the United States.

________________________________________________________________________________

Munich Re bought U.S. Midland for $1.3 billion
(MSNBC)

Munich Re bought Midland, a specialist US primary insurance company, for €900 million ($1.3 billion), a week after the German reinsurer launched a new strategy and management team for its North American business.

The takeover will expand the presence of the world's second-biggest reinsurance company in the property and casualty underwriting business in the world's biggest insurance market.

________________________________________________________________________________

Deutsche Post maintains to return to profitability in US ops in 2009
(Forbes)

Deutsche Post World Net AG is maintaining its forecast of returning to profitability in its US express operations at the end of 2009, chief executive Klaus Zumwinkel said.

He also said that Deutsche Post will continue not to publish its results broken down by regions and countries, a major point of criticism from investors. But Deutsche Post will outline its dividend policies as well as a catalogue of measures to make its divisions more comparable to peers on Nov 8.

OCTOBER 2007

________________________________________________________________________________

ProLogis Announces New Agreements With BMW of North America
(PR Newswire)

ProLogis , the world's largest owner, manager and developer of distribution facilities, announced that it has signed two new agreements to develop approximately 1.2 million square feet of industrial space in the eastern United States for automaker BMW of North America.

________________________________________________________________________________

Hochtief AG won new U.S. contracts valued at 1.14 bln EUR
(Forbes)

Hochtief AG said it won several new international contracts with a total value of 1.14 billion eur. In the U.S., its unit Turner Construction is to build a hospital complex in Philadelphia for 166.6 million eur, Hchtief said. In addition, Turner will co-build a US army base in Aberdeen, Maryland for 338.6 mln eur, of which Turner's share amounts to 172.7 million eur.

______________________________________________________________________________

Airtricity sells U.S. business to E.ON
(Reuters)

Germany's E.ON, the world's largest utility, is taking its first step into the U.S. market for renewable energy with the takeover of wind farms there for $1.4 billion including debt. With the acquisition of the American division of Ireland's Airtricity, E.ON is buying current and future projects with a total capacity of more than 7,000 megawatts in the United States and Canada, the German company said.

________________________________________________________________________________

Mylan Completes Acquisition of Generics Business of Merck KGaA
(CNN Money)

Mylan announced today that it has completed its acquisition of Merck KGaA's generics business ("Merck Generics") to become one of the largest quality generics and specialty pharmaceuticals companies in the world. Mylan and Merck KGaA initially announced the signing of a definitive agreement under which Mylan would acquire Merck Generics for $6.7 billion.

SEPTEMBER 2007

________________________________________________________________________________

Solon invests 700,000 euros in two U.S. peers
(Reuters)

German solar module maker Solon has invested 700,000 euros ($989,000) in two U.S. peers, strengthening its position in the fast-growing U.S. solar market, the company announced.

Solon invested in U.S. company The Solar Center, which specialises in photovoltaic and solar thermal installation, via the company's parent American Clean Power. Solon also invested in California-based start-up company Sungevity, which focuses on direct-to-consumer sales and installation of photovoltaic systems.

________________________________________________________________________________

ThyssenKrupp Waupaca Plant Starts Expansion in Tennessee
(Foundrymag.com)

Ductile-iron metalcaster ThyssenKrupp Waupaca Inc. has started construction for a $162-million expansion of its Etowah, TN, which will consist of a separate operation at the six-year-old plant. It's expected to increase the total manufacturing space by about two-thirds to 472,000 ft2, and add about 100 new jobs.

“In an economy that has seen casting technology moving off-shore, we are bringing a solid basis for renewing the technology capability in America,” stated TK Waupaca president and CEO Gary Gigante.

________________________________________________________________________________

Schwartz Technical Plastics moves U.S. base to Ambridge
(Press Release)

Schwartz Technical Plastics, a leading German manufacturer of industrial plastic components, is moving its North America base of operations to Ambridge and will hire 25 people. Schwartz has been operating in North Carolina since 1999 but decided to move to Pittsburgh after a devastating fire, says Bernd Nussdorfer, president. “North Carolina was a little off our main market. The proximity here to so many companies in the steel industry clearly put Pittsburgh ahead of the competition.”

________________________________________________________________________________

Schott Solar starts joint venture with Wacker Chemie
(PRweb.com)

Schott Solar announced a new joint venture with Wacker Chemie, a globally positioned chemical company headquartered in Munich, Germany, to produce multicrystalline silicon ingots and wafers, the starting material for solar cells.

This partnership provides Schott Solar with a reliable supply of polysilicon, for the tremendous growth the company planned. It recently announced plans to build a new photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing facility that will increase its domestic PV production by more than 60 MW and is scheduled to go online in 2009.

________________________________________________________________________________

Evotec to Acquire Renovis
(Business Wire)

Evotec AG and Renovis, Inc. announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Evotec will acquire Renovis, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of drugs for major medical needs in the areas of pain and inflammatory diseases, in a stock-for-stock transaction valued at approximately US$ 151.8 million.

The merger is expected to create an emerging global pharmaceutical company with three clinical candidates, a strong late stage preclinical pipeline focusing on areas of neurological and inflammatory diseases, and pro-forma cash of approximately US$ 175 million. The merged company will be called Evotec.

________________________________________________________________________________

Deutsche Telekom buys US operator
(Financial Times)

Deutsche Telekom, Europe’s largest telephone group, underlined its determination to do business in the US by paying $2.4bn for SunCom Wireless, a mobile phone operator in south-east US.

In the spring, René Obermann, DT chief executive, pledged to expand DT’s T-Mobile in existing markets, including the US, in response to falling sales in its domestic fixed-line business.

________________________________________________________________________________

HeidelbergCement Acquires Hanson PLC
(Press Release)

HeidelbergCement completed a successful acquisition of Hanson PLC, announced the worldwide operating German based producer of building materials. As a result, in 2008 this acquisition will significantly increase the company's annual revenues in the U.S. to around US$ 7 billion and the number of employees from 6,000 to nearly 20,000.

________________________________________________________________________________

Infineon Still Stuck With Subsidiary Qimonda
(Forbes)

Try as it might, German chip-maker Infineon simply cannot unload its majority stake in loss-making memory business Qimonda. On Wednesday it announced various measures to reduce its investment from 86% to 72.5%, but analysts believe it will take some time before outside investors soak up a bigger slice of the lagging subsidiary.

As a stated "first step," Infineon declared to the Securities and Exchange Commission its intent to sell 25 million shares in Qimonda, listed on the New York Stock Exchange. There is also a so-called "greenshoe" option to sell 3.75 million more shares, given demand.

________________________________________________________________________________

German Machine Tool Production to Rise 15%
(ManufacturingTalk.com)

The German Machine Tool Builders' Association expects German machine tool output to rise 15% to EUR 12.4 billion. In the first six months of 2007 German exports grew by 16%. In 13 of the 15 most important markets, export deliveries rose by double percentage figures.

On the other hand, the 15% slump figure for German supplies to the second most important market, the USA, is misleading. "On account of the low exchange rate for the US dollar, German manufacturers have vigorously expanded their production activities in the USA," said Helmut von Monschaw, executive director of the German Machine Tool Builders' Association (VDW).

________________________________________________________________________________

German Firm Buys Boca Biotech
(Palm Beach Post)

Nabi Biopharmaceuticals Inc., a prominent but struggling biotechnology firm, announced Tuesday it would sell its Boca Raton operations to a German company for $185 million - a move that would strip Florida of a biotech headquarters even as leaders try to rev up that sector of the economy.

Biotest AG of Dreieich, Germany, plans to pay cash for Nabi's biologics division, including the firm's corporate headquarters in Boca Raton, a 2-year-old plasma-proteins plant and nine plasma collection centers.

________________________________________________________________________________

Porsche Hires Chicago-based Company for Advertising
(Associated Press)

A Chicago company is the new advertising agency for a North American subsidiary of Porsche. The German luxury automaker says it chose Cramer-Krasselt in a four-month review process involving 20 agencies. Cramer-Krasselt will handle the creative and media planning and buying for Porsche Cars North American. It's a $40 million account for the Atlanta-based company.

________________________________________________________________________________

German Firm to Invest $85 Million in Franklin County
(VA Newswire)

McAirlaid's Vliesstoffe GmbH & Co. KG, a German manufacturer of non-woven composite materials for absorbency end uses, will invest $85 million to open its first United States manufacturing facility and headquarters in Rocky Mount, Franklin County's Commerce Center. The new facility, which will employ 160 people, will use the company's patented method to produce non-woven material without chemicals or glues.

________________________________________________________________________________

VW Moving from Michigan to Virginia
(MSNBC / DetNews.com)

Volkswagen is moving its North American headquarters out of the Detroit area to the suburbs of the nation’s capital and will cut 400 jobs in the process, the German automaker announced. Volkswagen of America’s move from Auburn Hills, Michigan, to Herndon, Virginia, will begin in April 2008 and be completed by the end of next year, the company said.

600 of the current 1,400 staff will remain at Auburn Hills in call center and technical services positions, while 400 jobs will be transferred to Virginia. About 150 employees in Michigan are expected to move to Herndon, Volkswagen of America President and CEO Stefan Jacoby said.

Michigan's Gov. Jennifer Granholm struggled until the final hours to persuade the German automaker to keep its North American headquarters in Oakland County, where they have been for the past 30 years. "We are grateful that so many Volkswagen jobs are staying in Michigan," Granholm said in a statement. "We look forward to continuing our strong relationship with Volkswagen in the years to come."

________________________________________________________________________________

Business Objects to Acquire German Software Maker
(AFX News)

Software producer Business Objects said it has agreed to acquire privately held German data quality software company Fuzzy! Informatik. Clients of the acquired company include DaimlerChrysler, BMW, BNP Paribas (OOTC:BPRBF) unit Cortal Consors, Deutsche Post, Mazda and O2.

________________________________________________________________________________

Germany's Bayer says to Delist from NYSE
(Reuters)

Bayer plans to de-list its American Depositary Shares (ADS) from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to save around 15 million euros ($20 million) a year, the German drugs and chemicals group said. Bayer also said it planned to deregister with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and terminate the related reporting obligations.

________________________________________________________________________________

OM Group to Acquire Borchers GmbH
(CNN Money)

As it moves forward with its long-range portfolio transformation and growth strategy, OM Group, Inc. today announced that it has agreed to acquire Borchers GmbH, a leading Germany-based specialty coatings additive supplier. The Borchers operations will be integrated with OMG's existing Advanced Organics business.

With headquarters in Langenfeld, Germany, Borchers has production operations in France and is supported by regional technical service centers in Germany, the United States and China. The company has more than 90 employees and is represented in about 130 countries through a global sales network.

________________________________________________________________________________

Hamburg Port Sees Growth Rate Easing
(Reuters)

Growth in trade handled at Hamburg port is likely to slow slightly in the second half of 2007. "We expect a little slowdown in the second half of this year," said Juergen Sorgenfrei, chairman of Port of Hamburg Marketing, an organisation backed by the city authorities and port operators which compiles statistics on the port and promotes it.

"This is just the world economy," Sorgenfrei added. "Overall, there is a lot of vitality in foreign trade," Hamburg Chamber of Commerce chief Karl-Joachim Dreyer agreed. "The US has perhaps weakened a little but China is in no way weakening. The east Asian area has not weakened."

Hamburg is Europe's second-biggest container port after Rotterdam and handles around 10 per cent of Germany's foreign trade.

________________________________________________________________________________

Healthways Shares Up on Deal in Germany
(Forbes)

Shares of disease management program administrator Healthways Inc. rose Thursday after the company said its subsidiary signed a deal with a German health insurer.

Subsidiary Healthways International GmbH signed a three-year agreement to provide Deutsche Angestellten Krankenkasse with health and care support programs to members with chronic diseases in the Bavaria and Baden-Wurttemburg regions of Germany. The contract is effective January 1.

________________________________________________________________________________

Bayer Buys Citracal Business from Mission Pharmacal
(Reuters)

Bayer has agreed to buy the Citracal line of over-the-counter calcium supplements from U.S. Mission Pharmacal Company for an undisclosed sum, the German drug and chemicals company said on Thursday. The acquisition, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year, will increase Bayer Consumer Care's market presence in the United States, the world's largest OTC market.

________________________________________________________________________________

Arrow Expands Role as Distributor for German Company
(Newsday.com)

Arrow Electronics Inc. in Melville has been chosen as the exclusive North American distributor for a German company's electronics-products business. Previously Arrow, a Melville electronic-components company, distributed connector parts for Conec in Canada. The new agreement expands that distribution to include the United States and Mexico. Conec's parts are used in the electronic and communications industries.

________________________________________________________________________________

German Company Locating in Cherokee County
(TheState.com)

Bericap, a German producer of specialized plastic closures, will build a manufacturing plant in the Upstate Corporate Industrial Park in Cherokee County. Bericap will invest about $20 million and initially will hire about 45 full-time operators and management personnel locally. Construction of the first phase building, consisting of 90,000 square feet, will begin this year with completion set for full production in early 2008.

The S.C. plant will be the company’s third North American facility in 11 years. The existing plants are in Ontario, California, and Burlington, Ontario, Canada.

<//strong>

AUGUST 2007

________________________________________________________________________________

German company to add 170 jobs in Michigan
(Associated Press)

German-based EDAG Engineering and Design plans to invest approximately $7 million to expand its operations in Michigan over the next two years, creating 140 new jobs, said Gov. Jennifer Granholm near the end of a weeklong trade trip to Sweden and Germany.

The Democratic governor also met with executives from Brose Fahrzeugteile and ZF Lemforder to thank the global auto suppliers for their past commitment to Michigan and to encourage their future growth in the state.

Michigan is home to more than 300 German-owned companies, defined as those with at least 50 percent German ownership, that employ over 170,000 people.

________________________________________________________________________________

Genomatix launches U.S. training site
(Michigan Live)

A German bioinformatics company established its first American operation in Ann Arbor this summer, aiming to increase American software sales as a percentage of its revenue. Genomatix Software Inc. is also the first tenant of a wet lab incubator started by Ann Arbor SPARK in cooperation with the University of Michigan.

Peter Grant, CEO of Genomatix Software, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Munich-based Genomatix Software Gmbh, said the company would conduct software training and sales in Ann Arbor.

________________________________________________________________________________

DaimlerChrysler Names Grube for Chrysler Board Seat
(Bloomberg)

DaimlerChrysler AG, the world's second-biggest maker of luxury cars, named strategy chief Ruediger Grube and two other executives to represent the automaker at the newly independent Chrysler.

Grube will represent DaimlerChrysler's 19.9 percent stake in Chrysler Holding LLC, created after the U.S. division's Aug. 3 sale to Cerberus Capital Management LP, said Silke Walters, a spokeswoman at the Stuttgart, Germany-based carmaker.

________________________________________________________________________________

US Court orders Lyondell to pay BASF US$ 170 mln in damages
(Forbes)

A New Jersey court ordered Lyondell to pay German chemicals company BASF AG 170 mln usd in damages, a BASF spokesman said. BASF had filed suit against Lyondell after it found out that the US company had broken a 13-year contract, signed in 1998, that guaranteed BASF the purchase of propylene oxide at a specifically low price, he explained, adding that Lyondell nevertheless sold the chemical to other companies at lower rates.

________________________________________________________________________________

German Auto Makers Rev Up U.S. Output
(The Wall Street Journal)

In Spartanburg, South Carolina, BMW AG is gearing up to boost production capacity at its only U.S. factory to more than 200,000 vehicles a year fom 104,000. Separately, Volkswagen AG, which stopped building cars in the U.S. nearly 20 years ago, is mulling the idea of starting again as par of a broader turnaround of its money-losing North American business.

In Vance, Alabama, DaimlerChrysler AG is setting production records at its 10-year-old Mercedes-Benz factory. Thanks to a $600 million expansion, employment at the factory has doubled since 2001 to 4,000 people, as production has grown to 173,000 vehicles annually - more than twice the plant's original capacity.

________________________________________________________________________________

Color Kinetics Announces Anti-Trust Clearance for its Acquisition by Philips
(Sys-Con Media)

Color Kinetics Incorporated , which had previously announced its agreement to be acquired by Philips Holding USA Inc., for $34.00 per share in cash, today announced that the 30-day waiting period for the transaction under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, expired on August 10, 2007. The Federal Cartel Office of the Federal Republic of Germany, acting pursuant to the German Act Against Restraints of Competition, has also cleared the transaction.

________________________________________________________________________________

German Manufacturer dSPACE Moves North American Headquarters to Wixom
(ExpansionManagement.com)

dSPACE Inc. has moved its North American headquarters from Novi, Michigan, to a newly refurbished facility in Wixom, Michigan. The company is a subsidiary of dSPACE GmbH in Germany, the worldwide leading provider of tools for embedded controller development and testing.

________________________________________________________________________________

Adidas Keeps Fit While Reebok Lags
(Forbes)

German sportswear company Adidas reported strong second quarter results that exceeded analyst expectations, including a 26.9% boost to profits. But retail difficulties in the U.S. took their toll on Reebok, Adidas' $4 billion acquisition that is currently operating below peak performance.

________________________________________________________________________________

Postbank Has EU800 Million in U.S. Real-Estate Investments
(Bloomberg)

Deutsche Postbank AG, Germany's biggest consumer bank by clients, has about 800 million euros ($1.1 billion) of investments linked to U.S. residential mortgages, including subprime loans.

The lender last week moved 600 million euros of investments, including 200 million euros in subprime-related securities, on to its own balance sheet, Postbank spokesman Joachim Strunk said. The 600 million euros stem from liquidity lines to two special- purpose vehicles run by Rhineland Funding Capital Corp., the U.S.-based company whose subprime woes led to a government- sponsored bailout of IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG.

________________________________________________________________________________

German manufacturer opens Fenton facility
(St. Louis Business Journal)

Hella Behr Plastic Omnium said that it plans to open a 60,000-sqaure-foot front-end module manufacturing plant in Fenton, Montana. Based in Lippstadt, Germany, Hella Behr Plastic Omnium's global sales last year totaled $716 million. The firm employs 835 people worldwide. The company's North American headquarters are in Troy, Michigan.

________________________________________________________________________________

TechniGraphics Buys Germany's CUTit Systemes' PLM Business
(TenLinks.com)

TechniGraphics, a leader in PLM and Engineering Services announced today that it has purchased the PLM business assets of CUTit Systemes and Engineering located in Steinebach, Germany. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“This acquisition continues the aggressive expansion of our PLM business,” said Dee Vaidya, CEO of TechniGraphics. “As our large, multinational customers continue to invest in PLM technologies, TechniGraphics will be available to support them across all of their multisite locations.”

“We are very excited to become a part of TechniGraphics,” said Rudolf Kalkert, Managing Director of CUTit, an IBM business Partner. TechniGraphics has seven U.S. office and employs now - with the addition of the German company - over 400 people worldwide.

________________________________________________________________________________

WestLB Says It Has EU1.25 Billion in Subprime-Linked Securities
(Bloomberg)

WestLB AG, Germany's third-largest state bank, has 1.25 billion euros ($1.7 billion) invested in securities linked the U.S. subprime mortgage market.

“We're relatively relaxed regarding the long-term valuation of our securities because of their high underlying quality,” spokesman Hans Obermeier said in an interview today. Of the subprime securities, 98 percent are rated A or better and 87 percent AA or better, he said.

________________________________________________________________________________

AIG subsidiary to buy German P/C insurer Wüba
(Newstex)

American International Group Inc (AIG) said it will buy German insurer Württembergische und Badische Versicherungs AG (Wüba) and its subsidiaries from JC Flowers & Co LLC for an undisclosed sum.

AIG said Wüba - which is based in Heilbronn, Germany, and a major subsidiary of DARAG Deutsche Versicherungs-A.G. - offers property and casualty, marine, personal lines, and accident and health insurance.

________________________________________________________________________________

Chrysler is American Again
(CNN Money)

The Chrysler Group returned to U.S. ownership, just as the troubled automaker and its U.S. rivals are facing make-or-break labor negotiations and American car buyers are increasingly turning away from domestic makers. DaimlerChrysler AG transferred an 80.1 percent stake in Chrysler to New York-based Cerberus, one of the world's largest private equity firms, in a $7.4 billion deal. The German automaker retained a 19.9 percent interest in the new company, Chrysler LLC.

Due to the new corporate structure, DaimlerChrysler AG is to be renamed as Daimler AG. The shareholders are to decide on this change at an Extraordinary Shareholders' Meeting in Berlin on October 4, 2007. So the DaimlerChrysler name won't disappear officially until early October, but in a message to Daimler employees, Dieter Zetsche, the company's chief executive officer, said a new era had begun for the automaker, which will concentrate on selling luxury cars and trucks.

________________________________________________________________________________

Lufthansa considers triple bunk beds in economy
(Daily Mail)

German Airline Lufthansa is considering introducing economy sleeper cabins with triple bunk beds on its long-haul flights. They are set out in the herring-bone pattern of a kipper - designed to give the maximum number of passengers the chance of a kip. The fly-and-lie "kipper class" service is likely to take place first on the giant Airbus A380, giving budget fliers the chance of a horizontal snooze that, until now, is the preserve of business and First class fliers.

Details of the idea - which would radically alter intercontinental travel - emerged yesterday as the airline hailed encouraging feedback from customers quizzed in an online poll. Lufthansa spokeswoman Amelie Lorenz said: "We are going to analyse the results of the survey and then we will decide whether to proceed or not. But the first results have been very positive."

JULY 2007

________________________________________________________________________________

German American Bancorp's 2Q profit grows
(Courier Press)

An improving economic climate and increased lending helped German American Bancorp post higher quarterly profit, the Jasper-based bank’s President and CEO Mark Schroeder said. For the quarter ending June 30, German American posted net income of just more than $2.6 million, or 24 cents a share, a 6 percent increase from profit of $2.5 million, or 23 cents a share a year ago.

________________________________________________________________________________

VW may consider having a factory in US
(Yahoo Business News)

Volkswagen AG considers having its own car factory in the US. According to the newly designated North American head Stefan Jacoby, the existing available capacity in VW's Mexican plant is not 'sufficient' to support the company's product plans in the North American market. If the US dollar 'remains at current levels, then we clearly have to consider a production location in the US.'

________________________________________________________________________________

Continental to buy a Siemens unit for US$ 15.6 billion
(Corporate Website)

Continental AG, which makes chassis, brake and safety components for the auto industry, is buying automotive electronics company Siemens VDO to create a powerhouse European supplier with significant operations in Michigan.

Continental said it plans to pay $15.6 billion for Siemens VDO, the automotive arm of Siemens AG, making it the largest acquisition in Continental's history. With Siemens VDO, Continental would more than double its sales to automakers to $26 billion, and stands to be the world's fifth-largest auto supplier.

________________________________________________________________________________

Germany's Tognum wins big order from US coastguard
(Google Finance)

German diesel motor manufacturer Tognum AG said it has won an order to provide speedboat engines to the US coastguard which, depending on option take-up, is worth US$ 30 to 40 million. The company's US subsidiary MTU Detroit Diesel Inc is to supply two S60 engines for each of 180 new, high-speed multipurpose boats.

The US coastguard has the option to increase the order to up to 250 vessels. The vessels will be built between 2008 and 2013 at the Marinette Marine shipyard in Wisconsin and the Kvichak Marine shipyard in Washington State, the company said.

________________________________________________________________________________

Siemens to acquire Dade Behring
(Corporate Website)

Siemens has signed a merger agreement with US-based Dade Behring, Inc., a leading clinical laboratory diagnostics company. The planned acquisition has a total transaction volume of approximately US$7 billion (roughly €5 billion). Closing is expected in the second quarter of fiscal year 2008. Dade Behring, headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, has operations in 35 countries and serves more than 25,000 customers around the world.

________________________________________________________________________________

German company buys out Boehme Filatex
(Reidsville Review)

DyStar of Germany has bought Boehme Filatex in Reidsville, North Carolina. DyStar bought 75 percent of the company last year and finished the buyout last month. German Boehme Group is the former parent company of Boehme Filatex.

The company produces chemicals used in textile manufacturing. The Reidsville headquarters were opened in 1981. Karl Michel, a spokesman for DyStar, said Thursday the company believes the purchase makes it a stronger competitor in the global market. Boehme Filatex owns six North American plants, including one in California and three in Mexico. DyStar owns agencies in 50 countries. Its North American headquarters are in Charlotte.

________________________________________________________________________________

Michigan Governor Traveling to Sweden, Germany to Bring New Investment Back
(Michigan State Website)

Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm will travel to Sweden and Germany next month to meet with company leaders looking to expand in North America. The trip, scheduled for August 19-25, will be Granholm's fifth overseas investment mission. Her investment missions to Germany in 2004 and 2007 resulted in several companies investing approximately $102 million and creating more than 1,400 new Michigan jobs, including Behr America, Eberspacher, Bosch, Karmann, Mahle, FACTON, Kostal, MBTech Autodie, and AVL. Michigan Economic Development Corporation President and CEO James C. Epolito will accompany Granholm on the trip.

________________________________________________________________________________

Google loses court battle to German upstart
(Corporate Website)

Young German entrepreneur Daniel Giersch won a legal battle against internet behemoth Google on the use of its "Gmail" brand for free electronic mail service. The hanseatic Higher Regional Court in Hamburg ruled that Google may not use the name in Germany, upholding 33-year-old businessman Daniel Giersch's claim to have a copyright on it. Giersch says he has used the name "G-Mail" since 2000, four years before the US giant launched its "Gmail" product.

Google regrets the decision by court but said the ruling will not affect its ability to offer the Web-based mail service in Germany, Google Senior Legal Counsel Arnd Haller said in a statement. As in the U.K., here it likewise doesn't own the Gmail trademark, Google provides the service under the name "Google Mail" in Germany.

________________________________________________________________________________

New CEO at Volkswagen of America
(Corporate Website)

The Volkswagen Group Board of Management has appointed Stefan Jacoby (49) as President & CEO of Volkswagen of America, Inc. effective September 1, 2007. Jacoby will assume overall responsibility for the Group’s automotive business in the USA. He succeeds Frank Witter (48), who is moving to Volkswagen Credit, Inc., where he will become Co-President, sharing the post with the present incumbent Kevin Kelly (60).

Jacoby will restructure automotive business in the USA in close coordination with the Group Board of Management. The objective is to achieve further significant expansion in the position of Volkswagen and Audi on the US market through attractive and competitive products.

________________________________________________________________________________

T-Mobile to Sell Apple's iPhone in Germany
(Rheinische Post)

Deutsche Telekom AG's T-Mobile division has won a deal to sell Apple Inc.'s iPhone in Germany starting on Nov. 1. T-Mobile won the bid at the last minute from Europe's largest mobile operator, Vodafone Group PLC, according to a report in the Rheinische Post newspaper. Apple launched the iPhone in the U.S. on Friday to largely positive reviews, although its mobile partner there, AT&T Corp., experienced delays in activating some people's phones over the weekend.

________________________________________________________________________________

Germany's Solon establishes U.S. operations in Tucson
(InsideGreenTech.com)

Solon AG, one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of solar energy systems for commercial and government facilities, today announced a new U.S. subsidiary in Tucson, Arizona. Manufacturing operations are scheduled to begin in late 2007.

The company is finalizing agreements to acquire a 100,000+ square foot facility in Tucson, where it will produce high efficiency solar modules and provide design and installation services to large-scale commercial, municipal and utility customers throughout the United States, it said. Production during the next few months is to focus on preliminary operations as the plant ramps up toward full production in early 2008.

JUNE 2007

________________________________________________________________________________

German Automakers' U.S. Gains in June
(Bloomberg)

Germany's Volkswagen AG and Bayerische Motoren Werke AG led European automakers' U.S. sales gains in June on demand for small cars as well as luxury sport sedans. Volkswagen, Europe's largest carmaker, said the namesake brand's U.S. sales climbed 15 percent in June, helped by demand for the Eos, Jetta and Rabbit small cars. BMW, the world's largest luxury automaker, said U.S. vehicle sales rose 6 percent, pushing the brand's first-half increase to 4.5 percent. Porsche, whose U.S. sales account for more than a third of total sales, said demand for its vehicles rose 14 percent in June in the U.S.

_________________________________________________________________________________

German Productivity Growth Outstrips US
(Invest in Germany Newsletter)

A new international study shows that German productivity growth surpassed that of the United States in 2006. The study, published by the US-based Conference Board, showed that German labour productivity growth accelerated to two percent last year. In the United States, meanwhile, productivity growth slowed to just 1.4 percent, its smallest gain in more than a decade.

MAY 2007

________________________________________________________________________________

Jena-Optronik is Boeing's first German "Supplier of the Year"
(GIS News)

Jubilation at Jena-Optronik. The Boeing Company selected the Jena-based company yesterday as one of only 11 chosen from a field of more than 27,000 suppliers in nearly 100 countries around the world. This award from Boeing, the world's leading aerospace company, is the company's premier supplier award, presented annually to its top suppliers for their commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction.

The winning suppliers were chosen based on statistical measurements of quality, on-time delivery, post-delivery support and cost for performance in 2006.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Germans fall behind peers on dividends
(Ft.com)

German companies are meaner than their international peers when sharing spoils with shareholders. Proposed dividend increases are barely keeping pace with last year’s hefty rises in profits.

The country’s 30 biggest public companies are paying out an average 35.3 per cent of 2006 profits, half a point less than the year before and below the rewards seen by investors elsewhere.

_________________________________________________________________________________

A new broom
(The Economist)

Klaus Kleinfeld told the supervisory board of Siemens that he would step down from the post of chief executive in October. The German engineering group is reeling from allegations that is paid bribes to secure contracts. An investigation is also under way into whether the management at Siemens financed a rival to its main trade union. Heinrich von Pierer, the board's chairman, resigned already.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Deutsche Börse to buy NY-based ISE
(Ft.com)

Deutsche Börse announced plans to buy the International Securities Exchange for $2.8bn in cash, extending the group’s US foothold with the addition of an options platform and a fledgling equities business. The agreement with the German group’s Eurex derivatives arm was expected to trigger another potential bidding war in the US derivatives sector, despite a price viewed as rich by analysts, with the recently-formed NYSE Euronext seen as a possible suitor.

APRIL 2007

_________________________________________________________________________________

Utimaco Continues on Its Path of Growth in the Americas region
(Finanznachrichten.de)

According to current calculations, Utimaco has achieved revenues of € 37.4 million in the first nine months (July 2006 to March 2007) of fiscal year 2006/2007. In the first nine months of the fiscal year, revenues continued to show strong growth in the Americas region, increasing by around 98% to € 8.8 million (previous year: € 4.5 million).
Utimaco is a world leading producer of professional solutions that secure data within companies and government agencies.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Chrysler to Build Two Plants in Michigan
(New York Times)

The Chrysler Group said that it would spend $1.43 billion to build two plants in southern Michigan that would make parts for Chrysler and Mercedes vehicles, even as the American and German companies prepare for a possible divorce.

________________________________________________________________________________

Americans say Germany is important US partner, but positives lag
(dpa)

Americans rate Germany as the fourth most important international partner of the United States, after Britain, Canada and Japan, according to a study.

The study, financed by the German government, sought to measure how US attitudes have changed since relations reached a low point over the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
The results, released by the German embassy in Washington, showed a continuing low level of perception that US-German relations are "excellent" - from 20 per cent in September 2001 to 4 per cent during 2003 as the US started pushing for the invasion to a current 5 per cent in February this year. But negative and non-committed ratings have dropped from 22 per cent in 2003 to 8 per cent this year.

The study also looked at economic and life style perceptions among Americans of Germany. Americans viewed successful economic cooperation as the most positive aspect of bilateral relations, for example.

_________________________________________________________________________________

PPR buys Puma
(The Economist)

PPR, a luxury-goods group that includes Gucci in its portfolio, agreed to buy Puma, a German sports-equipment and fashion company, for 5.3 billion Euro ($7.1 billion). Puma's share price rose amid speculation that Nike might step in with an offer.

JULY 2007

________________________________________________________________________________

German American Bancorp's 2Q profit grows
(Courier Press)

An improving economic climate and increased lending helped German American Bancorp post higher quarterly profit, the Jasper-based bank’s President and CEO Mark Schroeder said. For the quarter ending June 30, German American posted net income of just more than $2.6 million, or 24 cents a share, a 6 percent increase from profit of $2.5 million, or 23 cents a share a year ago.

________________________________________________________________________________

VW may consider having a factory in US
(Yahoo Business News)

Volkswagen AG considers having its own car factory in the US. According to the newly designated North American head Stefan Jacoby, the existing available capacity in VW's Mexican plant is not 'sufficient' to support the company's product plans in the North American market. If the US dollar 'remains at current levels, then we clearly have to consider a production location in the US.'

________________________________________________________________________________

Continental to buy a Siemens unit for US$ 15.6 billion
(Corporate Website)

Continental AG, which makes chassis, brake and safety components for the auto industry, is buying automotive electronics company Siemens VDO to create a powerhouse European supplier with significant operations in Michigan.

Continental said it plans to pay $15.6 billion for Siemens VDO, the automotive arm of Siemens AG, making it the largest acquisition in Continental's history. With Siemens VDO, Continental would more than double its sales to automakers to $26 billion, and stands to be the world's fifth-largest auto supplier.

________________________________________________________________________________

Germany's Tognum wins big order from US coastguard
(Google Finance)

German diesel motor manufacturer Tognum AG said it has won an order to provide speedboat engines to the US coastguard which, depending on option take-up, is worth US$ 30 to 40 million. The company's US subsidiary MTU Detroit Diesel Inc is to supply two S60 engines for each of 180 new, high-speed multipurpose boats.

The US coastguard has the option to increase the order to up to 250 vessels. The vessels will be built between 2008 and 2013 at the Marinette Marine shipyard in Wisconsin and the Kvichak Marine shipyard in Washington State, the company said.

________________________________________________________________________________

Siemens to acquire Dade Behring
(Corporate Website)

Siemens has signed a merger agreement with US-based Dade Behring, Inc., a leading clinical laboratory diagnostics company. The planned acquisition has a total transaction volume of approximately US$7 billion (roughly €5 billion). Closing is expected in the second quarter of fiscal year 2008. Dade Behring, headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, has operations in 35 countries and serves more than 25,000 customers around the world.

________________________________________________________________________________

German company buys out Boehme Filatex
(Reidsville Review)

DyStar of Germany has bought Boehme Filatex in Reidsville, North Carolina. DyStar bought 75 percent of the company last year and finished the buyout last month. German Boehme Group is the former parent company of Boehme Filatex.

The company produces chemicals used in textile manufacturing. The Reidsville headquarters were opened in 1981. Karl Michel, a spokesman for DyStar, said Thursday the company believes the purchase makes it a stronger competitor in the global market. Boehme Filatex owns six North American plants, including one in California and three in Mexico. DyStar owns agencies in 50 countries. Its North American headquarters are in Charlotte.

________________________________________________________________________________

Michigan Governor Traveling to Sweden, Germany to Bring New Investment Back
(Michigan State Website)

Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm will travel to Sweden and Germany next month to meet with company leaders looking to expand in North America. The trip, scheduled for August 19-25, will be Granholm's fifth overseas investment mission. Her investment missions to Germany in 2004 and 2007 resulted in several companies investing approximately $102 million and creating more than 1,400 new Michigan jobs, including Behr America, Eberspacher, Bosch, Karmann, Mahle, FACTON, Kostal, MBTech Autodie, and AVL. Michigan Economic Development Corporation President and CEO James C. Epolito will accompany Granholm on the trip.

________________________________________________________________________________

Google loses court battle to German upstart
(Corporate Website)

Young German entrepreneur Daniel Giersch won a legal battle against internet behemoth Google on the use of its "Gmail" brand for free electronic mail service. The hanseatic Higher Regional Court in Hamburg ruled that Google may not use the name in Germany, upholding 33-year-old businessman Daniel Giersch's claim to have a copyright on it. Giersch says he has used the name "G-Mail" since 2000, four years before the US giant launched its "Gmail" product.

Google regrets the decision by court but said the ruling will not affect its ability to offer the Web-based mail service in Germany, Google Senior Legal Counsel Arnd Haller said in a statement. As in the U.K., here it likewise doesn't own the Gmail trademark, Google provides the service under the name "Google Mail" in Germany.

________________________________________________________________________________

New CEO at Volkswagen of America
(Corporate Website)

The Volkswagen Group Board of Management has appointed Stefan Jacoby (49) as President & CEO of Volkswagen of America, Inc. effective September 1, 2007. Jacoby will assume overall responsibility for the Group’s automotive business in the USA. He succeeds Frank Witter (48), who is moving to Volkswagen Credit, Inc., where he will become Co-President, sharing the post with the present incumbent Kevin Kelly (60).

Jacoby will restructure automotive business in the USA in close coordination with the Group Board of Management. The objective is to achieve further significant expansion in the position of Volkswagen and Audi on the US market through attractive and competitive products.

________________________________________________________________________________

T-Mobile to Sell Apple's iPhone in Germany
(Rheinische Post)

Deutsche Telekom AG's T-Mobile division has won a deal to sell Apple Inc.'s iPhone in Germany starting on Nov. 1. T-Mobile won the bid at the last minute from Europe's largest mobile operator, Vodafone Group PLC, according to a report in the Rheinische Post newspaper. Apple launched the iPhone in the U.S. on Friday to largely positive reviews, although its mobile partner there, AT&T Corp., experienced delays in activating some people's phones over the weekend.

________________________________________________________________________________

Germany's Solon establishes U.S. operations in Tucson
(InsideGreenTech.com)

Solon AG, one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of solar energy systems for commercial and government facilities, today announced a new U.S. subsidiary in Tucson, Arizona. Manufacturing operations are scheduled to begin in late 2007.

The company is finalizing agreements to acquire a 100,000+ square foot facility in Tucson, where it will produce high efficiency solar modules and provide design and installation services to large-scale commercial, municipal and utility customers throughout the United States, it said. Production during the next few months is to focus on preliminary operations as the plant ramps up toward full production in early 2008.

JUNE 2007

________________________________________________________________________________

German Automakers' U.S. Gains in June
(Bloomberg)

Germany's Volkswagen AG and Bayerische Motoren Werke AG led European automakers' U.S. sales gains in June on demand for small cars as well as luxury sport sedans. Volkswagen, Europe's largest carmaker, said the namesake brand's U.S. sales climbed 15 percent in June, helped by demand for the Eos, Jetta and Rabbit small cars. BMW, the world's largest luxury automaker, said U.S. vehicle sales rose 6 percent, pushing the brand's first-half increase to 4.5 percent. Porsche, whose U.S. sales account for more than a third of total sales, said demand for its vehicles rose 14 percent in June in the U.S.

_________________________________________________________________________________

German Productivity Growth Outstrips US
(Invest in Germany Newsletter)

A new international study shows that German productivity growth surpassed that of the United States in 2006. The study, published by the US-based Conference Board, showed that German labour productivity growth accelerated to two percent last year. In the United States, meanwhile, productivity growth slowed to just 1.4 percent, its smallest gain in more than a decade.

MAY 2007

________________________________________________________________________________

Jena-Optronik is Boeing's first German "Supplier of the Year"
(GIS News)

Jubilation at Jena-Optronik. The Boeing Company selected the Jena-based company yesterday as one of only 11 chosen from a field of more than 27,000 suppliers in nearly 100 countries around the world. This award from Boeing, the world's leading aerospace company, is the company's premier supplier award, presented annually to its top suppliers for their commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction.

The winning suppliers were chosen based on statistical measurements of quality, on-time delivery, post-delivery support and cost for performance in 2006.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Germans fall behind peers on dividends
(Ft.com)

German companies are meaner than their international peers when sharing spoils with shareholders. Proposed dividend increases are barely keeping pace with last year’s hefty rises in profits.

The country’s 30 biggest public companies are paying out an average 35.3 per cent of 2006 profits, half a point less than the year before and below the rewards seen by investors elsewhere.

_________________________________________________________________________________

A new broom
(The Economist)

Klaus Kleinfeld told the supervisory board of Siemens that he would step down from the post of chief executive in October. The German engineering group is reeling from allegations that is paid bribes to secure contracts. An investigation is also under way into whether the management at Siemens financed a rival to its main trade union. Heinrich von Pierer, the board's chairman, resigned already.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Deutsche Börse to buy NY-based ISE
(Ft.com)

Deutsche Börse announced plans to buy the International Securities Exchange for $2.8bn in cash, extending the group’s US foothold with the addition of an options platform and a fledgling equities business. The agreement with the German group’s Eurex derivatives arm was expected to trigger another potential bidding war in the US derivatives sector, despite a price viewed as rich by analysts, with the recently-formed NYSE Euronext seen as a possible suitor.

APRIL 2007

_________________________________________________________________________________

Utimaco Continues on Its Path of Growth in the Americas region
(Finanznachrichten.de)

According to current calculations, Utimaco has achieved revenues of € 37.4 million in the first nine months (July 2006 to March 2007) of fiscal year 2006/2007. In the first nine months of the fiscal year, revenues continued to show strong growth in the Americas region, increasing by around 98% to € 8.8 million (previous year: € 4.5 million).
Utimaco is a world leading producer of professional solutions that secure data within companies and government agencies.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Chrysler to Build Two Plants in Michigan
(New York Times)

The Chrysler Group said that it would spend $1.43 billion to build two plants in southern Michigan that would make parts for Chrysler and Mercedes vehicles, even as the American and German companies prepare for a possible divorce.

________________________________________________________________________________

Americans say Germany is important US partner, but positives lag
(dpa)

Americans rate Germany as the fourth most important international partner of the United States, after Britain, Canada and Japan, according to a study.

The study, financed by the German government, sought to measure how US attitudes have changed since relations reached a low point over the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
The results, released by the German embassy in Washington, showed a continuing low level of perception that US-German relations are "excellent" - from 20 per cent in September 2001 to 4 per cent during 2003 as the US started pushing for the invasion to a current 5 per cent in February this year. But negative and non-committed ratings have dropped from 22 per cent in 2003 to 8 per cent this year.

The study also looked at economic and life style perceptions among Americans of Germany. Americans viewed successful economic cooperation as the most positive aspect of bilateral relations, for example.

_________________________________________________________________________________

PPR buys Puma
(The Economist)

PPR, a luxury-goods group that includes Gucci in its portfolio, agreed to buy Puma, a German sports-equipment and fashion company, for 5.3 billion Euro ($7.1 billion). Puma's share price rose amid speculation that Nike might step in with an offer.

Search

Contact Person

Ticker Archive

Search