MSME Minister Kondapalli Srinivas visits Switzerland and Germany to explore industrial collaborations

Andhra Pradesh Minister for MSME Kondapalli Srinivas, during his visit to Europe, attended a series of high-level meetings in Switzerland and Germany to explore industrial collaboration, innovation partnerships, and technology-driven growth opportunities for the State, a press release from his office said here on Friday.

In Switzerland, the Minister met Mr. Oliver Fuchs, CEO of Fuchs Design AG, who expressed interest in expanding textile manufacturing operations to India. Highlighting Andhra Pradesh’s skilled workforce and robust textile clusters, he invited the company to establish its advanced garment production unit in the State and explore collaborations with the Tourism Department for custom design solutions.

Later, during discussions with Mr. Philipp Assmus, Founder and CEO of FyrstGen, the Minister proposed linking FyrstGen’s innovation-to-enterprise model with Andhra Pradesh universities and MSME Parks to transform dormant patents into viable startups. Both sides agreed to develop a structured framework connecting research institutions with MSME infrastructure.

In Germany, the Minister held talks with Export-Akademie Baden-Württemberg to enhance export competence among Indian SMEs and proposed joint training and certification programmes with Andhra University.

The day concluded with a networking dinner hosted by The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), Germany, in Frankfurt, where experts and industry leaders discussed establishing a German Tech Hub in Visakhapatnam and expanding Indo-German collaboration in technology, AI, and advanced manufacturing.