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In Germany you compete with manufacturers playing at home
German buyers have plenty of manufacturers nearby. At ACHEMA 2024, the big process industry show in Frankfurt, 2,842 companies from 56 countries exhibited, and 36.7 percent of them were German. Germany alone had more exhibitors than the rest of Europe put together.
So a German buyer's question is simple. Why buy a bioreactor or a TFF system from a Spanish manufacturer when there is one much closer. Your marketing has to answer it before the first meeting, with information in their language, complete documentation and evidence that other customers already trust you.
| Origin | Exhibitors |
|---|---|
| Germany | 36.7% |
| Rest of Europe | 32.9% |
| Africa, Asia and Australia | 26.4% |
| Americas | 4% |
German website and datasheets, starting with the key pages
An English-only website can work for a first contact with a scientist, but it often falls short once procurement, quality and production get involved. Translate into German the pages for the equipment you want to sell there, the PDF datasheets, the contact form and a company page that explains who you are, where you manufacture and who provides service.
The translation has to be technical and checked by someone who speaks German and knows the field, such as an engineer at your distributor. Put these pages in a /de/ folder with hreflang so Google shows the German version to people searching from Germany, and do your keyword research in German, because the terms are not always a literal translation of the English.
Do I need to translate my whole website into German?
Not at first. Start with the pages for the equipment you want to sell in Germany, the datasheets, the contact form and the company page. The rest can stay in English. Extend the translation once you see which pages get visits and enquiries from Germany, and always have the copy checked by someone who knows the field.
Documentation persuades as much as the equipment
For equipment going into GMP environments, buyers often ask to see the documentation before they talk price. They want to know how you will answer their URS, what your FAT and SAT cover and how you will support IQ, OQ and PQ qualification. If your website already shows what you deliver and how, you get closer to the level of local manufacturers.
There is a legal side too. Article 10(7) of the EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230, which applies from 20 January 2027, says instructions for use and safety information must be in a language easily understood by users, as determined by the Member State concerned. If your equipment falls under it, confirm which language Germany requires and reuse that translation on your website.
- An index of the documentation you deliver with each system
- An anonymised sample FAT protocol or test report
- Product contact materials and their certificates
- How you support customers through IQ, OQ and PQ
- Software compliance with 21 CFR Part 11, where it applies
Is ACHEMA worth it without a distributor in Germany?
It can be, if you go with a clear goal. Besides finding customers, the show is a good place to meet potential distributors and service partners. Book meetings beforehand, bring material in German and decide afterwards which sales model fits the contacts you made.
Want to know whether your website and documentation hold up next to a German manufacturer? Leave us your details and we will take a look.
Review my websiteReferences a German buyer can actually check
A reference is worth more the closer it is to the buyer. One case at a lab or plant in Germany, Austria or Switzerland usually carries more weight than several cases in Spain. If you do not have one yet, start with European customers running a similar process and describe them with concrete facts such as scale, modality and the problem that was solved.
When the customer will not let you publish their name, which is common in pharma, write an anonymous case with the type of company, the bioreactor or TFF scale and the challenge. And make it clear who provides service in Germany, with a local phone number and address if you already have a distributor or service partner.
What if customers will not let me publish their name?
Write anonymous cases. Describe the type of company, the modality, such as monoclonal antibodies or cell therapy, the equipment scale and the problem solved, without details that identify the customer. Agree in writing what you can publish and, if the customer is happy to, offer the German buyer a private call with them.
Make ACHEMA 2027 the centre of your calendar
ACHEMA is the big event for reaching German process industry buyers. The next edition runs from 14 to 18 June 2027 in Frankfurt. According to the official 2024 figures, 51.1 percent of participants came from Germany, and the organiser says 52 percent of participants attend no other trade show.
Plan it months ahead. Before the show, have the German version of your site ready, a show landing page and a LinkedIn campaign to book meetings. At the show, German datasheets and a short demo. Afterwards, follow up in German within a few days, with the material each contact asked for.
David Monje, founder of crida studio, led marketing at TECNIC Bioprocess Solutions for four and a half years. There he bridged engineering, product and sales to open markets such as Germany, Scandinavia and Asia, and international trade shows were his testing ground.
Do I need a .de domain to sell in Germany?
It is not essential. A German folder on your main domain, with correct hreflang and reviewed content, lets Google show that version to people searching from Germany. A separate domain can feel more local, but it adds maintenance and SEO work, and when you are starting out it is usually easier to keep everything on one domain.
Where to start if you do not sell in Germany yet
You do not need to do everything in year one. Pick one or two equipment lines where you have a clear edge and prepare material only for those. Then decide whether you will sell direct, through a distributor or with a service partner, because that decides the contact number, what you show on the website and who follows up.
- German product pages and datasheets for the chosen lines
- A documentation and service page written for procurement and quality
- Two or three European cases with facts that can be checked
- An ACHEMA plan with meetings before, a demo at the booth and follow-up after
- A CRM that tags German contacts so you can see what works
