Investors stimulate the economy, create jobs, strenghten innovation impetus and bring new products, services and processes to NRW.
In doing so, they make a decisive contribution to the competitiveness of North Rhine-Westphalia. NRW.Global Business honors exemplary investments in NRW with the NRW.Global Business AWARD. At the same time, this acknowledgement is extended symbolically to all investors who have opted for NRW as their business location. Over the years since its inception, the NRW.Global Business Award has gone to either an individual company or several companies for their exemplary commitment to NRW and their contribution to the economic development of the state.
The AWARD 2023 went to companies from USA, India, Türkiye and NRW.
The red carpet is rolled out for NRW's foreign trade: Four companies could look forward to the AWARD 2023 – and each one has its own unique success story:
Levi Strauss
The U.S. clothing manufacturer from San Francisco is building its European distribution center in Dorsten on an area of around 70,000 square meters. The innovative, green logistics facility is being constructed and operated on a former coal mine site in keeping with the principles of recycling, resource conservation and zero waste. The aim is to make the ecological footprint as positive as possible and to ensure a continuous circular economy employing the "cradle to cradle" approach. Using state-of-the-art materials handling technology, the company, which is primarily known for denim products, is expected to distribute up to 55 million items per year for the European market here in full operation from May 2024.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
The Indian IT group has been active in Germany since 1991 and, as a provider of IT services and consulting, is advancing the digitization of companies. Its services range from application development and systems integration to digital business transformation. Among other things, TCS has more than 200 sustainability solutions that support companies in implementing ESG priorities. TCS has operated a regional delivery center in Düsseldorf since 2008, and this year added another in Bonn. The company is also active elsewhere in North Rhine-Westphalia in Leverkusen, Aachen and Wuppertal. The IT specialist has recorded significant growth in the state: A total of 1,300 people are employed at the five NRW locations, and 265 new jobs have been created.
GiZil
The young Turkish technology company provides software solutions for industrial companies and energy suppliers, opening its first foreign branch in Düsseldorf in 2022. Gizil's specialty is the creation of digital twins of complex power generation and industrial plants. This allows the status of a plant to be tracked in real time and all processes to be reproduced digitally – for example, by simulating production, planning maintenance or training for incidents. The company's range of services covers the entire life cycle of such plants, enabling process optimization and the reduction of costs and CO2 emissions. Technologies such as laser scanning, smart modeling, virtual and augmented reality, and gamification are used for this purpose.
Viega
The family-owned company from Attendorn in the Sauerland region of NRW is a supplier of high-quality installation technology. With almost 5,000 employees at ten international locations, Viega has become the world market leader. Today, the company exports to over 75 countries and has a global presence with production facilities in the USA, China and India as well as its own sales organizations. This year, the family-owned company also opened a highly sustainable, smart seminar center in Attendorn, thereby also setting new standards for innovative construction. Viega's products can be found in buildings, industrial plants, shipbuilding and supply engineering, and carry the North Rhine-Westphalian Viega brand around the world – for example, to the Pentagon in Washington D.C. or the Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg.
Award winners of the last years
2022
- The US hydrogen pioneer Plug.
- The Japanese technology group Asahi Kasei.
- The British-Ukrainian rocket startup SKYRORA.
- The semiconductor producern Elmos Semiconductor from Dortmund.
2021
2020
- The Indian IT group Infosys.
- The Dutch high-tech steel producer 247TailorSteel.
- The unicorn OrCam Technologies from Israel.
- The logistics service provider DPD Deutschland, subsidiary of the French
2019
- The Estonian software developer Nortal
- The French cosmetics group L'Oréal
- The Dutch online supermarket PICNIC
- The Austrian company Competence Call Center.
2018
- The US online retailer Amazon
- The British systems house Computacenter
- The Japanese high-tech company Shimadzu
- The Chinese automotive supplier Yanfeng Automotive Interiors
2017
- The British cosmetics manufacturer Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics
- The Norwegian aluminum manufacturer Hydro Aluminium Rolled Products
- The French contact center service provider Teleperformance Germany
- The hotel search engine operator Trivago
2016
- The Britisch online retailer AO
- The Japanese company Mitsubishi Electric
- The US-multitech group 3M
2015
- The Japanese company Cyberdyne Care Robotics
- The Turkish nut specialist Tadιm
- The Chinese carbide manufacturer ZCC Cutting Tools Europe
2014
- The Chinese provider of information technology and telecommunications solutions HUAWEI
- The US express and parcel delivery service UPS
- The French chemical company Air Liquide
2013
- One of the leading manufacturers of construction machinery on the Chinese market, XCMG Europe, Krefeld.
- The German corrugated cardboard specialist Schumacher Packaging, AirportPark FMO in Greven.
- The Turkish communications and technology company Turkcell, Cologne.
2012
- The German branch of the French welding equipment manufacturer GYS in Aachen.
- The winning duo 3M from Neuss and Kleine Logistik from Grevenbroich.
- The Japanese company XTREME technologies GmbH, Alsdorf.
2011
- The US company Edgetech Europe in Heinsberg.
- The Japanese automotive supplier DENSO Automotive Deutschland GmbH, Wegberg-Oval.
- The Polish company SECESPOL Deutschland GmbH, based in Düsseldorf.
2010
- The Australian company Ceramic Fuel Cells, based in Heinsberg.
- The Japanese manufacturer of power tools and petrol-powered garden equipment Makita with its German headquarters in Ratingen.
- The investor trio Danone Waters, Garbe Logistic and Reiner Bohnen Internationale Spedition.
2009
2006
- The Swedish technology company Atlas Copco, based in Essen.
- The Finnish company Rhein Papier - a subsidiary of the Finnish paper group Myllykoski - in Hürth.
- The Danish company Genan, based in the Dorsten/Marl industrial park.
- The Norwegian energy producer Statkraf, based in Düsseldorf.
2003
- The French company Bonduelle Frische GmbH and NBV/UGA GmbH for their investment in Straelen.
