Market Entry to Germany - At a Glance
‘Opportunities for UK Tech Businesses in Germany via the state of North Rhine-Westphalia’ was hosted by Tech UK and led by Teodora Kaneva, Head of Smart Infrastructure and Systems. The aim of the event was to provide UK businesses with practical advice and services about how to enter the market.
The German trade and investment agency NRW Business Global outlined the many supports available to businesses coming into Germany. Their service is free, confidential, and very comprehensive. They also presented a great use case on the success of UK manufacturer JSP Safety Products in the region.
The legal aspects of setting up in Germany were presented by Daniel Pott and Henrik Smailus who provided information relating to legality and tax implications. They discussed the practical steps of setting up a company, registration, and employee contracts in English and German.
A great event, thanks to Tech UK and all the speakers for their time. Check out the event recording event recording
Further Reading
FAQs
Why does Germany matter for GoSmarter?
Germany is Europe’s largest manufacturing economy and home to the Mittelstand — a network of mid-sized industrial companies that represent the backbone of German manufacturing and are exactly the kind of businesses GoSmarter is built for. These are family-owned or owner-managed businesses with deep technical expertise in their products, but often without large IT or digital transformation teams. The parallel with the UK and Irish SME manufacturing market is direct.
The Tech UK event on North Rhine-Westphalia was part of GoSmarter’s active exploration of the German market — understanding the regulatory and commercial landscape, identifying potential partners, and building the network that any international market entry requires.
What did the event cover?
The presentation from NRW Business Global outlined the support infrastructure available to UK businesses entering the German market. This is more extensive than many UK businesses realise: the German trade investment agencies offer confidential, free advisory services on company registration, legal structure, tax compliance, employment contracts, and market introduction. For a UK startup considering European expansion, this reduces the risk and complexity significantly.
The JSP Safety Products case study — a UK manufacturer that successfully established a presence in North Rhine-Westphalia — was a practical illustration of what is possible. Understanding how another manufacturing business navigated the process was valuable intelligence for GoSmarter’s own planning.
What is the legal and commercial landscape?
The legal presentation by Daniel Pott and Henrik Smailus covered the practical steps that any company entering the German market needs to understand: company registration (typically a GmbH or UG structure), employment contracts under German law, tax registration, and the compliance requirements that differ from the UK post-Brexit.
These details matter for a technology company selling into manufacturing environments, where procurement decisions often involve legal and compliance checks. Understanding the German commercial and legal context was an important step in GoSmarter’s international development.