MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR SL, GERMAN COLLABORATION IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Atop German official said yesterday that there are a lot of opportunities for Sri Lankan and German companies to collaborate in various sectors of construction. Addressing a function to mark the opening of the SL Build 2019 inauguration ceremony yesterday at the BMICH, Andreas Hergenroether, Chief Delegate of German Industry and Commerce in Sri Lanka, said he was delighted and honoured to participate in the opening of Build SL 2019.

“In my function as the official representative of German business in Sri Lanka I am very proud to announce that our first ever German Pavilion at Build SL 2019, which is the largest pavilion at the exhibition, covers the entire hall E and showcases highly innovative and state-of-the-art products and solutions for the construction industry. From specialized civil engineering, construction machinery, building technologies, energy efficient materials and chemicals, power tools and customized kitchens to sophisticated logistic solutions. From market leaders such as BASF, the largest chemical company in the world, DHL, the world’s largest logistics company, Wurth, the world’s leading company for fasteners and tools, Linde, Siemens, Allianz and Knauf to highly specialized SMES such as Stihl, Fischer, OWA, Parkett Freund, Luctra and specialized civil engineering company Ludwig Pfeiffer.

German products and services are recognized worldwide for their outstanding quality and innovation. These are the main reasons why Germany was the second world’s largest exporter in 2018, with a total export volume of 1,547 trillion USD behind PRC with 1.904 trillion but ahead of the US with 1.497 trillion USD. Given Germany’s population of 82.84 million, its exports translate to roughly US$ 19,400 for every resident in the European economic hub. Heading the exports per capita statistics worldwide by far, Germany again for many years has achieved the world’s largest trade surplus with 228 billion USD.

Germany has been a pioneer in the field of energy efficiency for decades, more than for 400,000 employments and even new professions such as energy advisers have been created. During the conference “The future of the construction of buildings,” which we organized jointly with CCI and which will take place today at 1 pm at the Theatre Lounge at the BMICH, we will discuss innovative solutions for buildings in Sri Lanka to increase living and health standards and to decrease energy consumption. From 2000 to 2017 total primary energy intensity for all of Germany - that is the relation of primary energy consumption to real GDP dropped by nearly 25%. According to a study by the American Council for an Energy-efficient Economy, Germany heads the ranking. The study praised Germany’s comprehensive energy strategy and awarded the country maximum points for its building codes, retrofit policies as well as tax credit and loan programs. I quote: “Germany’s commitment to creating a framework that encourages investment in energy efficiency has made it a world leader. For example, Germany’s state development bank’s building renovation loan program stimulated private investments of about 46 billion USD in 2013.”

Today, there are a lot of opportunities for Sri Lankan and German companies in various sectors of construction. Currently many building activities are being realized in Sri Lanka while the energy consumption increases by more than 5% per year. More than 30 % are being used for the cooling of buildings. Enforceable standards for insulation and building operation could lead to energy savings and beyond that to the improvement of living standards and comfort of residents,” he said.