Well-known foreign companies in NRW
Every year, more and more multinational enterprises decide to invest in North Rhine-Westphalia. According to the ORBIS Europe company database, around 20,000 foreign companies have already established business operations in NRW. This equates to one fifth of all multinational enterprises in Germany as a whole. Here you can find an overview of the multinational enterprises in NRW.
International companies in NRW at a glance
Netherlands / 4,000 companies
e.g. Lyondell Bassell Industries, Demcon, Picnic, Primagas, Refresco, Seacon Logistics, 247 Tailor Steel
UK / 1,700 companies
e.g. AO, BP, Computacenter, Dyson, Lush, Vodafone
USA / 1,500 companies
e.g. 3M, Amazon, FedEx, Ford, Medtronic, QVC, TJC (TK Maxx), UPS
Switzerland / 1,400 companies
e.g. Keramag, Lindt & Sprüngli, Lonza, Oerlikon, Rolex
China* / 1,200 companies
e.g. Hisense, Huawei, Minmetals, WISCO, XCMG, ZCC Cutting Tools, ZTE
France / 1,000 companies
e.g. Air Liquide, Bonduelle, Decathlon, L‘Oréal, Peugeot, Renault, Saint Gobain, Rigips, Teleperformance, Total
Austria / 800 companies
e.g. Benteler, Hasco Hasenclever, Müllers Mühle, Papstar, Strabag, Voestalpine
Turkey / 750 companies
e.g. ALFA Möbel, Gökbora, Karaca Porzellan, Kässbohrer/Tirsan, Sarar, Tadim, Turbelco
Japan* / 600 companies
e.g. Alps Electric, Asahi Kasei, Canon, Fujifilm, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Toshiba, Toyota
Italy / 570 companies
e.g. Barilla, Diesel, Elettronica, R.D.M. Arnsberg, TX Logistik
Sweden / 330 companies
e.g. Atlas Copco, Ericsson, Ikea, SANDVIK, Securitas
Poland* / 300 companies
e.g. GWI, Hoesch Design/Sanplast Group, FLT-Metall, Tele-Fonika Kable
Denmark/ 250 companies
e.g. Arla Foods, Grundfos, ISS Facility Services, NKT, Only Stores
Russia* / 250 Unternehmen
e.g. HBL Holding, Hotel St. Petersburg, OMK Steel, Omsk Carbon, Sovtransavto
Finland / 130 companies
e.g. Kemira, Metso, Outokumpu Nirosta, Stora Enso Paper, UPM Kymmene/Rhein Papier
Israel / 130 companies
e.g. Albaad Deutschland, BTN Baran Telecom, Calorplast Wärmetechnik, Constab Polyolefin Additives, CoreTigo, Kornit Digital Europe, Optibus, OrCam, Safe Ride
India / 110 companies
e.g. Ashok Leyland, Bharat Forge, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Group, Wipro
Taiwan* / 100 companies
e.g. Aiptek, Asus, Benq Deutschland, Nanya Technology, QCG Computer
Norway / 70 companies
e.g. Hydro Aluminium, Oldo Sports, Statkraft Markets, SuperOffice, Tomra Systems
Korea* / 60 companies
e.g. Bixolon, Clark Europe, CTR, Doosan, EH Med, Hwacheon, Posco, Seegene
* own investigation
Sources: ORBIS Europe business database, August 2021; NRW.Global Business GmbH
Outstanding investment projects in NRW
Alongside the many compelling economic and infrastructure-related arguments in favor of North Rhine-Westphalia, NRW stands out on account of its cosmopolitan atmosphere and hospitality. Cultural diversity is a defining feature of NRW. For example, Cologne has a broad-based Chinese infrastructure (medical professionals, service providers, schools etc.). Over the past 150 years of lively economic and cultural exchange with Japan, Europe’s third largest Japanese community has emerged in the city of Düsseldorf. Due to these favorable conditions, foreign investors feel at home in NRW, both culturally and economically.
Enapter
Enapter, the hydrogen technology specialist from Thailand, is building a mass production facility for highly efficient hydrogen generators based on anion exchange membrane (AEM) technology in Saerbeck, Germany. In the future, modular systems for the production of green hydrogen will be manufactured and refined at the "Enapter Campus". More than 100,000 electrolyzer units per year are to be produced there from 2022. The aim is to make green hydrogen economically competitive with fossil fuels worldwide and to supply it in the quantities required worldwide.
Marelli
Since the end of 2020, the Japanese automotive supplier Marelli has established a new production facility for electric vehicle drives on the Ford factory premises in Cologne. On an area of 18,000 square meters, the company produces 800-volt electric motors for vehicle manufacturers in Germany. Space for future expansion has already been planned. In the first step, Marelli is creating 160 new jobs in Cologne. The group, which was formed in 2019 from the merger of the Japanese company Calsonic Kansei and the Italian company Magneti Marelli, is one of the ten largest independent automotive suppliers in the world.
OrCam Technologies
The Israeli unicorn based in Jerusalem is regarded as a pioneer in the field of artificial vision and is currently building its new European headquarters in Cologne. OrCam Technologies develops camera-based visual aids for blind and visually impaired people. An attachment with a small camera records texts, people and products, analyses them with artificial intelligence and reads them out loud or describes them. The company controls its marketing, distribution and personnel management from North Rhine-Westphalia in order to further establish the product on the European market.
Xiaomi
Chinese technology giant Xiaomi launched its first German sales office in Düsseldorf in 2019. In the meantime, the company, which is one of the largest manufacturers of smartphones and smart home devices in the world, has moved into its new German headquarters at the site and opened its first Mi Store in the state capital. Since then, Xiaomi has risen to become Germany's third most important smartphone brand in just one year. Further growth in North Rhine-Westphalia is planned.
NRW.Global Business News
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