Upcoming Activities:

• Mexico: Delegation trip for the Annual Meeting of the German Mexican Working Group on Quality Infrastructure
  January 19th to 23rd 2026 (Annual Meeting Jan.22nd) | Mexico-City, Mexico; Status: confirmed
• Indonesia: Stakeholder Consultation in Preparation of the Annual Meeting of the German Indonesian Working Group on Quality Infrastructure
  2nd week of February | hybrid; status: tbc
• Brazil: Annual Meeting of the German Brazilian Working Group on Quality Infrastructure
  April 22nd 2026 | Hannover, Germany; status: confirmed
• Indonesia: Delegation trip for Annual Meeting of the German Indonesian Working Group on Quality Infrastructure
  May 04th to 08th 2026 (Annual Meeting May 07th) | Jakarta, Indonesia; status: tbc
• India: Annual Meeting of German Indian Working Group on Quality Infrastructure
  Week 26 or 27 (June/July) 2026 | Berlin, Germany; status: tbc
• China: Annual Meeting of the Sino-German Working Group on Accreditation and Conformity Assessment and Working Group on Product Safety and Market Surveillance
  June or November 2026 | Beijing, China, status: tbc
• China: Annual Meeting of the Sino-German Standardization Commission Cooperation
  September 2026 | Germany; status: tbc

Voices from our Network

Strengthening Ties: Successful 10th Annual Meeting of the Indo-German Working Group on Quality Infrastructure

Picture 1: 10th Annual Meeting of the Indo-German Working Group on Quality Infrastructure, from left to right: Chandan Bahl (BIS), Bharat Khera (Dep. Of Cons. Affairs), Ole Janssen (BMWE), Boris Böhme (BMWE)

Organized by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) on the Indian side, the meeting saw the participation of over 75 stakeholders, including representatives from both partner ministries, BIS, the German Embassy in New Delhi, German Quality Infrastructure (QI) bodies, and industry representatives.

The Annual Meeting, stretching from July 14th to 16th, provided a valuable platform to discuss emerging topics and current priorities, including the digitalization of quality infrastructure and good regulatory practices. It also offered stakeholders an opportunity to explore ways to contribute more effectively to the Working Group and share their perspectives.

A key highlight of the meeting was the adoption and signing of the Work Plan 2025, marking the official start of its implementation and representing a significant milestone in strengthening bilateral collaboration within the Working Group.

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Strengthening Quality Infrastructure: MHI-led Indian Delegation’s Study Visit to Germany on Machinery Safety Regulations

Picture 2: Visit of the MHI-led Indian delegation at Siemens. From left to right: M. Reigl (Siemens), D. Vielsäcker (Siemens), H. Dhundia, (GIZ), V. Mittal (MHI), M. Janoiya (BIS), G. Stumpf (Siemens), A. Djuranovic, (Siemens), A.Kumar (CMTI), A. Nair (Siemens)

From December 17th to 19th, a delegation from the Indian Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI), led by Joint Secretary Mr. Vijay Mittal, conducted a high-level study visit to Germany under the Indo-German Working Group on Quality Infrastructure, focusing on machinery safety.

On 17th, the delegation gained direct insight into advanced production workflows, automation, and globally recognized machinery safety standards at Krones AG, a leading German packaging and bottling machinery manufacturer and VDMA member. Discussions through the VDMA network reinforced dialogue on long-term standards harmonization and regulatory convergence.

The group toured Siemens’ Lighthouse Electronics Factory and the TÜV Rheinland testing facility in Nuremberg the following day. They explored digital transformation initiatives, smart manufacturing, and rigorous product testing frameworks. These insights support India’s efforts to enhance national machinery safety regulations and quality assurance systems.

Finally, strategic discussions focused on aligning Germany’s implementation of the EU Machinery Directive with India’s regulatory framework. The meeting deepened understanding of EU market surveillance mechanisms and identified new collaboration opportunities within the Indo-German Working Group.

This study visit successfully strengthened bilateral cooperation on machinery safety, provided actionable insights for policy and regulatory alignment, and highlighted opportunities to adopt global best practices in manufacturing and quality infrastructure.

Contact:
Himanshu Dhundia (Coordinator India):
himanshu.dhundia@giz.de
india@gpqi.org

Insights from the EU’s Digital QI Initiative: Germany and Indonesia Closed Door Exchange on the Introduction to the Digital Product Passport

Picture 3: Boxes with QR-codes symbolizing growing online-trade © Zapp2Photo / Shutterstock

On September 9th 2025, representatives from the Ministry of Industry (MoI), the German Technical-Scientific Association (VDE), the Association of German and European Mechanical Engineering Companies (VDMA), and Siemens AG convened an insightful exchange on the EU’s latest key initiative, the Digital Product Passport (DPP), within the framework of the German - Indonesian Bilateral Dialogue on Quality Infrastructure.

The closed-door exchange offered an opportunity to introduce the overarching concept of the DPP, discuss the opportunities and challenges from a mechanical engineering perspective, and present an overview of the DPP for Industry 4.0 (DPP 4.0) as an industry-ready tool for machine-readable product information, shared by the German counterparts.

The Indonesian side expressed strong interest in the DPP, particularly its requirements and implementation timeline. The need for companies to understand these obligations and begin preparing for compliance was strongly emphasized. There was also notable interest in the DPP 4.0 system developed in Germany. Germany’s experience on the DPP was viewed as a valuable reference to support Indonesia in strengthening its quality infrastructure and advancing sustainable industrial practices.

Contact:
Heriani Meidiati (Temporary Coordinator Indonesia):
heriani.meidiati@giz.de
indonesia@gpqi.org

Sino-German exchange for improved safety, transparency and trust in the trade sector

Picture 4: Group picture from the annual meeting of the Sino-German working group on Product Safety & Market Surveillance as well as Accreditation and Conformity Assessment

On September 23rd 2025, representatives from politics, business, and quality infrastructure organizations from Germany and China met at the BMWE for the annual meeting of the Sino-German Working Group Product Safety and Market Surveillance as well as Sino-German Working Group Accreditation and Conformity Assessment.

The focus was on the following topics:

• Product safety and market surveillance: from new legal developments and vehicle safety to the question of how e-commerce platforms can be better monitored. Digital tools for greater market transparency were also a key topic.
• Accreditation & conformity assessment: the main focus here was on trust – for example, in the recognition of testing laboratories, the certification of products and new digital procedures. The role of accreditation in decarbonisation also played an important role.

Sino-German cooperation for standardization: Highlights of the 13^th annual Sino-German Standardization Cooperation Commission Meeting (SGSCC) in Qingdao, China

Picture 5: Group picture from the annual meeting of the SGSCC featuring also the chairs of the event C. Guo (SAC), Y. Wang (SAC) and H. Xiao (SAC), T. Zielke (BMWE), and M. Stephan (DIN)

This year’s Sino-German Standardization Cooperation Commission (SGSCC, in German DCKN) took place from November 10th to 13th 2025 and recorded an impressive participation of a total of 130 specialists. The delegation consisted of 53 experts from Germany and 77 experts from China, highlighting the high relevance of the cooperation and strong commitment of both countries.

The content-focused agenda centered on the meetings of the two Sub-Working Groups (SWGs) on Industry 4.0 and Electromobility for, as well as a variety of Technical Expert Groups (TEGs), in which detailed technical coordination took place. Complementing these discussions, a high-level plenary session concluded the event, during which the strategic direction of the cooperation for the coming year was defined.

Additionally, new white papers were presented in the areas of Security Grading for Industry 4.0 and Intelligent Manufacturing, Technical Expert Group Network Communication, and Digitalization of functional safety for Industry 4.0 and Intelligent Manufacturing. These documents provide important guidance for future technical alignment and deepen the shared understanding of key standardization topics.

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Contact:
Moritz Mang (Coordinator China):
moritz.mang@giz.de
china@gpqi.org

GPQI Facilitates Inmetro’s Strategic Mission to Berlin: The Digital Future of Quality Infrastructure

Picture 6: Delegation of Inmetro in Berlin. Left picture (left to right: M. Gomes – GPQI BRA, M. Pereira – Inmetro, F. Meneses - GPQI BRA, G. Kuster - Inmetro), right picture (left to right: F. Meneses, C. Amarante - GPQI, M. Gomes, Boris Bohme – BMWE, G. Kuster, M. Pereira, J. Martins Neto - Brazilian Embassy in Berlin)

Between October 8th and 10th 2025, the delegation from Inmetro's International Technical Cooperation Division (Dicoi) and the GPQI team carried out a mission in Germany to intensify the strategic bilateral partnership in the field of QI.

The mission’s highlight was participation in the QI-Digital Forum 2025, held at the PTB Campus in Berlin. The agenda continued with a strategic bilateral meeting, held at the BMWE focused on market surveillance, DPP, and the challenges posed by e-commerce.

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Kick-off Meeting: Co-creation of the DPP Roadshow

Picture 7: Introduction slide for the Roadshow “Passaportes Digitais de Produtos”

On December 3rd 2025, a co-creation and planning virtual meeting was held by the GPQI BRA team in Brasília to mobilize strategic actors in the Brazilian innovation, industry, and research ecosystem to promote knowledge, cooperation, and pilot projects on Digital Product Passports (DPPs), aligned with the European ESPR guidelines and the BRA National Quality Infrastructure Strategy (ENIQ).

The closed-door meeting offered an opportunity to discuss expectations and ideas from various Brazilian QI institutions and German actors based in Brazil, such as Inmetro, ABNT, CPQD, Siemens, and VDMA, with a focus on defining the strategy for the organization of a DPP Roadshow in 2026.

The DPP Roadshow initiative aims to reach a target audience comprising leaders, specialists, and decision-makers in Brazilian industry, strategic actors in the innovation, industry, and research ecosystem, and technology startups. The main sectors mentioned during the meeting were steel, software, machinery and batteries/automotive.

Three priority themes were highlighted during the meeting for the future Roadshow's agenda:

• Raising Awareness: As the topic still lacks maturity in Brazil and requires initiating awareness with business leaders and decision-makers on the strategic importance of using interoperable technologies for conformity proof and value chain traceability.
• Capacity Development: In a second phase, the Roadshow will need to focus on developing training on the topic’s importance for industrial competitiveness, monitoring use case opportunities, and facilitating technical workshops between Brazil and Germany.
• Standardization: Noting that the joint technical committee (ISO/IEC JTC-5) still awaits a referendum from the highest ISO and IEC committees, it is necessary to start identifying interested companies to establish a Study Commission on DPP standardization in Brazil.

Contact:
Carolina Amarante (Coordinator Brazil):
carolina.amarante@giz.de
brazil@gpqi.org

GPQI Mexico Roadshow highlights Industrial Interoperability

Picture 8: Symbolic picture from the roadshow (here: Carlos Ramirez from Wago)

GPQI Mexico successfully concluded the roadshow “Prepared for the Future with OPC UA: Driving Mexican Industry through Interoperability and Smart Manufacturing”, organized jointly with VDMA as part of the Mexican-German Dialogue on Quality Infrastructure. The events brought together over 180 participants from companies such as Bosch, ENGEL and Siemens, alongside government and academic representatives including the National Metrology Centre, state innovation authorities and the Undersecretary of Upper Secondary Education.

From November 4th to 10th, the roadshow visited Saltillo (COECYT), Querétaro (UPQ) and Puebla (BUAP), promoting high-level discussion on industrial interoperability and machine communication through OPC UA, a platform-independent standard that enables secure and reliable data exchange in automated systems.

Through expert panels and technical sessions, the program illustrated how OPC UA can support greater efficiency, adaptability and competitiveness in Mexican industry. The initiative strengthened Mexico’s commitment to standardization, interconnectivity and innovation in a fast-evolving economic landscape.

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Contact:
Philipp Schroeder (Coordinator Mexico):
philipp.schroeder@giz.de
mexico@gpqi.org