Germany in the World
The members of the German Chamber Network (AHKs) with its 120 locations in 80 countries, is present on site where 98 percent of German foreign trade is carried out. German companies thus have at their disposal an extremely helpful starting point in the world´s most important markets.

The AHKs are in a process of transformation: in order to improve service offers, here are some of the actions which have been undertaken in the last few years:

• The offer of basic services provided by AHKs is presented in a more comparable form worldwide.
• Special services have been expanded, improved and when required, are also offered to the client as joint services.
• Together with their co-operation partners, the AHKs are constantly enlarging their range of services for the promotion of foreign trade.

Especially for smaller and medium-sized German companies this would mean:
better market access and better client orientation together with full transparency and use of the networks.

Comparable Service Offer
The service portfolio of AHKs can be broadly divided into those services which are offered and demanded worldwide (i.e. basic services which range from address research to more complex market entry support services) and those services which are carried out on an individual basis according to the location (special services). Preliminary advice and information is given by AHKs free of cost.  

The basic services are therefore qualitatively comparable and are offered in a standardized form. In most of the AHK countries, the client can refer to this "basic set" and can, for example, better compare the outcome of marketing advice or business partner assistance given at different places. This comparability will make it easier for example, to introduce a new product in East European countries or to take up negotiations with potential business partners in the South Asian region. 

Market studies that to date were presented in different forms and structures are now uniform. The company which has to decide between Brazil, Argentina or Chile, can certainly receive a better overview of local conditions and thus gain a decisive competitive advantage through the cooperation and close coordination of services offered by all the AHKs working there.

The AHK Network Creates New Synergies
The AHKs work together not only in providing basic services, but also in offering individualized special services. There are even more advantages of close networking to be gained in the future to the benefit of all our customers. For example,  services successfully introduced  by the AHK USA – New York such as the job application management system “jobXchange” (Personnel database for placements of trainees, internships and short term assignments for professionals), or the Business Presence Model of the AHK USA — Atlanta (full representation of German companies in the US market) are successively introduced into other AHKs: 

There is also close cooperation in respect of business delegations: The Chambers in a specific region work together with a view to enabling the representatives of companies to travel together in order to view and compare the scope and opportunities available in several adjacent markets. The AHKs have thus supplemented their traditional responsibility for their specific regional location with a new and more open role. The world is “getting smaller” and the boundaries are losing their significance. The AHKs take this development into account and bring people together from and to diverse markets.

German Clients Have More Partners on their Side
The new market role of the AHKs also has a new name: DEinternational. Under this name the AHKs combine the strengths of all their partners to the mutual benefit of German and local clients. Jointly with its network of correspondents together with the know-how of the German Office for Foreign Trade (bfai) and also with the location promotion agency "Invest in Germany" there is a wealth of information about companies and markets provided and this is to a great extent free of charge: basic data on economic conditions in other countries and also Germany is prepared accordingly and made available through DEinternational. Through an Intranet created specially for this purpose, information to the client can always be provided by the AHKs in a decentralized manner (and by the bfai) tailored specifically to individual company needs.

The First Port of Call at the Respective Location
DEinternational gives claim to a new slogan within the AHK Network: uniform role worldwide at the same time with acknowledgement and acceptance of local differences and characteristics. The AHKs as the "first port of call" for the smaller and medium-sized industries combine the advantages of their local contacts, regional knowledge and proven services under the name DEinternational. This also finds expression in a new logo whereby the international code for Germany "DE" overlaps with the word “international” to signify Germany in the world. Optimal contacts and the very best network are supported by the service segment of the AHKs. AHKs are bilateral associations established under civil law and combine the three functions: association of members, promotion of German foreign trade and provider of services.