VZCZCXRO5973
RR RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHLZ
DE RUEHMZ #0059 0431454
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 121454Z FEB 08
FM AMCONSUL MUNICH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4278
INFO RUCNFRG/FRG COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS MUNICH 000059 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:N/A 
TAGS: CMGT GM
SUBJECT: MUNICH CONSULAR LEADERSHIP DAY AT INFINEON 
 
REF: (07) STATE 152284 
 
¶1.  Summary.  The themes of Munich's 2008 Consular Leadership Day 
were the CA Leadership Tenets "Learn Constantly" and "Build Great 
Teams."  On January 30 we traveled together to Regensburg, about 90 
minutes from Munich, where the German semiconductor company Infineon 
manufactures the electronic chips used in U.S. passports.  In 
addition to touring the factory and watching the chips being 
processed and inserted into the blue U.S. passport covers, the 
regional newspaper interviewed and photographed the consular chief 
to produce an article highlighting the themes of travel security and 
German-American business ties.  Munich's consular team is stronger 
and better-informed as a result of this year's Consular Leadership 
Day.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  Munich is the headquarters of Infineon (motto: "Never Stop 
Thinking"), a German company in the semiconductor and security 
industry which has the sole source contract for the manufacture of 
electronic chips in U.S. passports.  The chips are processed in 
Regensburg, a city about 90 minutes from Munich.  Infineon was 
delighted to organize a visit for our consular section and rolled 
out the red carpet for us.  We traveled together by van to 
Regensburg, and our program began with a presentation and briefing 
by Infineon executives on the development of chip technology and 
applications in their many projects producing secure travel 
documents in Europe and North America.  In addition to electronic 
passports they produce electronic national ID cards, credit and 
debit cards with chips and are developing electronic drivers 
licenses and European health cards. 
 
¶3.  After the overview the consular section staff changed into 
protective clothing and caps for our tour of the sterile environment 
of the chip production assembly line.  We saw chips being sliced, 
diced, ground, "bumped," and checked for quality and uniformity.  We 
saw how chips were removed from their round wafers onto long strips 
and finally from the strips into passport backing.  The highlight 
was to watch our blue U.S. passport covers move along the assembly 
line, be fitted with chips and then loaded into boxes for shipment 
to the GPO where the gold lettering on the front would be added and 
the paper pages inserted.  We all appreciated the irony of the fact 
that some of the passport books would eventually return to Germany 
from NPC in the form of individual passport documents. 
 
¶4.  After the briefing and tour, we posed for a group photo and the 
consular chief was interviewed by the regional newspaper about our 
visit.  Our day-long field trip was informative and enjoyable. 
Staff appreciated the insight into the private sector and the high 
tech world of chip technology which we see every day in the form of 
our new electronic U.S. passports.  Fostering a sense of pride in 
our work, we received an insider's view of the future of secure 
travel documents.  In addition, our escape from the routine of the 
office was a valuable opportunity to get to know one another better 
and to build a stronger consular team. 
 
Nelson