How far are China and other Asian countries in the field of digitalization? What conclusions can be drawn for Europe from the rapid development in these countries? These questions where at the forefront of the 3. “Enabling Innovation Impulse” presentation on January 23, 2018 at the GWS in Münster. Christoph Hertz, CEO of the Münster Celexon Group reported about his impressions gained on an IT information trip which took him to Japan and China last year at the invitation of Google. Around 50 guests followed the invitation of the regional initiative “Enabling Innovation Münsterland” and the “Digital Hub MünsterLAND” to the headquarters of GWS on the Willi-Brandt-Weg.

Hertz, whose Celexon Group is one of the largest and most important providers of home cinemas and presentation technology in Western Europe, first addressed the current culture in Asian countries in a one-hour presentation. He emphasized that, in addition to the urge to consume, in China in particular the culture today is characterized by three values: “The customer is king, in the true sense of the word”, “education is everything”, and “we are proud of our country”. The idea to no longer look up to the West and to no longer be its workbench thus prevails, the entrepreneur emphasized. “China wants to impress with its own products and brands and is now paying attention to environmental protection and quality”, says the boss of around 120 employees. Hertz generates around EUR 70 million in annual turnover, but also makes no secret that it is also supported by measures of strong state intervention and isolation against foreign suppliers.