Austrian CEO: Europe is too slow and Chinese are catching up

About this episode

In this episode of ABROAD STAGE, we sit down with Jürgen Brunner, CEO APAC at AGILOX China. His 26 year international career has taken him across Europe, the Middle East, Australia, the United States and China.His career changed in 2003 when he took on an Australian project nobody else wanted. That decision opened the door to the United States and, in 2010, what was supposed to be a 5 day assignment in China, turned into 16 years here.He explains what it was like arriving in a city where almost nobody spoke English, restaurant menus had no pictures and foreign products were difficult to find. Instead of isolating himself, he learned through local food, local teams and the people who found ways to help him.The career developed alongside China’s transformation. He moved from technical engineering and project management into budgets, strategy, leadership and company management, eventually becoming a General Manager and later CEO APAC.We discuss how Chinese manufacturing evolved from importing European machinery to producing high-quality equipment locally, why China became so competitive in automotive manufacturing and industrial automation, and why international companies must localize to survive in the Chinese market.Jürgen also tells the story of AGILOX. How six founders developed an autonomous mobile robot in a garage after work. Their first trade fair produced dozens of orders before they had a purchasing department or assembly facility. Years later, one LinkedIn comment led Jürgen to join the company and build its China operation and APAC hub in Shanghai.One of the strongest parts of the conversation is his comparison between China speed and European business culture. After years in Asia, returning to an Austrian office felt painfully slow. Small decisions could require three meetings, while Chinese teams were ready to execute and adjust along the way. He believes slow decision-making is affecting Europe’s ability to compete with China and other Asian economies.Beyond business, Jürgen shares what 26 years abroad taught him about patience, adaptability and leadership. He also challenges the idea that university degrees alone create good leaders, arguing that practical experience and vocational education matter just as much.Best parts of the episode:🌍 How a f5 day China visit became a 16-year journey🌍 From engineering and project management to CEO APAC🌍 Why Europe feels slow after working in China🌍 How Chinese manufacturing caught up with Europe🌍 Why global companies must localize in China🌍 The garage startup story behind AGILOX🌍 How living abroad develops stronger leadersIf you work in manufacturing, logistics, warehouse automation, automotive, robotics or supply chain, are building a company in China or APAC, or want to understand European and Chinese business culture, this episode is for you.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━👤 GET IN CONTACT WITH JÜRGEN BRUNNER🔗 LinkedIn:   / j%c3%bcrgen-brunner-3366b813b  🌐 AGILOX: https://www.agilox.net/en/━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🎙 ABOUT ABROAD STAGEABROAD STAGE explores the international careers, entrepreneurship, personal growth and lessons of people who built extraordinary lives abroad.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━⏱ CHAPTERS00:00 Intro03:04 Working in the United States05:21 The Assignment in China That Changed His Life08:30 What Europe Gets Wrong About China12:13 Why He Stayed in China15:19 How Chinese Manufacturing Caught Up17:14 From Engineer to General Manager19:08 Leadership Mistakes and Learning Patience22:33 Joining AGILOX and Its Garage Startup Story27:28 Startup Culture vs. Corporate Structure28:11 Why Europe Feels Too Slow37:07 How Living Abroad Changed Him38:03 Advice for Moving Abroad40:23 Experience vs. University Degrees