BLUE ASH - Uwe Mueller, owner of a small lighting factory in Ilmenau, Germany, walked by the bustling production lines of LSI Industries Inc., a premier commercial lighting and graphics manufacturer, and envisioned what his business could be someday.

        “I need bigger markets,” Mr. Mueller said in German. He employs 10 people at Neon Industries, a company he started five years ago. Through a translator, he spoke proudly of the company's recent sales to a Florida business. But he knows much work lies ahead before he can compete with the LSIs of the world.

        LSI employs about 600 people at its Blue Ash facility, which manufactures commercial lighting and drive-through order boards for fast-food chains such as McDonald's.

        Mr. Mueller, part of a 22-member delegation from Ilmenau, Blue Ash's sister city, paid special attention as he toured the company's facilities.

        The German contingent of city officials and business representatives arrived Thursdayand will stay through Wednesday.

        Blue Ash and Ilmenau formalized their sister-city relationship in April, but this visit is meant to kick off a mutually beneficial exchange of ideas.

        The goal is for both cities to learn from each other and, in the process, better their high-tech industrial base.

        Bob Ready, the CEO of LSI, and executive vice president James Sferra believe that the relationship could help bolster their company's international sales. Right now, foreign sales represent about 3 percent of LSI's revenues.

        “Any networking that we can do is going to help,” said Mr. Sferra, who guided Mr. Mueller and Rolf Frielinghaus, Ilmenau city manager, on Monday's tour.

        Other delegation members toured other businesses, visited Paramount's Kings Island, golfed and observed operations at a farm near Dayton Monday.

        At the start of the day they also heard Debbie Page, a Raymond Walters College German instructor, talk about how Americans and Germans can differ in their business practices.

        The list was lengthy. It was drawn up by Ilmenau university students who recently visited Blue Ash.

        According to them, Germans are loathe to take risks and are conservative, formal in manner, and meticulous about schedules.

        Americans tend to be overly self-confident, optimistic, improvisational and informal, the students observed.

        But Mr. Frielinghaus thinks the two can establish some common ground and learn from each other.

        He said he finds Blue Ash residents to be sehr freundlich - very friendly.

        He also likes how American companies are constantly training and re-training their employees.

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