The safety of the fishermen of India and the tourists of Indonesia has improved in the past two years thanks in part to 40 German-made cubes that line the rim of the Indian Ocean: weather-resistant computers that collect information as part of the United Nation’s tsunami warning system, installed after the tragedy of 2004.
Nearly 10,000km away, in Leipzig, eastern Germany, Dietmar Schulz is not shy to talk about his company’s invention – sold as the Seiscomp or the Priocomp – as a classic example of German ingenuity creating a niche in a global market dominated by high-volume manufacturers from countries where labour is cheap.
