Foreign companiesin the Rhineland

Brussels

Rotterdam

The Hague

Luxembourg

Düsseldorf

Frankfurt

Munich

Stuttgart

Berlin

Cologne

Hamburg

Bremen

Antwerp

GERMANY

THE NETHERLANDS

BELGIUM

Duisburg

Aachen Bonn

Wuppertal

Amsterdam

Paris

ACCESSIBLE (within a radius of 500 km):

approx. 150 million consumers

FRANCE

SWITZERLAND

AUSTRIA

CZECH REPUBLIC

POLAND

Published by Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) Aachen, Germany; Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) Bonn/Rhein-Sieg, Germany; Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) Düsseldorf, Germany; Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) Köln, Germany; Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) Mittlerer Niederrhein, Germany; Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) Wuppertal-Remscheid-Solingen, Germany; Niederrhein Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) Duisburg-Wesel-Kleve, Germany (Contacts and addresses see on page 14)

Authors | Editors: Daniel Boss, Düsseldorf; Manfred Meis, Meis Medienservice, Nettetal; Claudia Masbach, IHK Aachen; Armin Heider, IHK Bonn/Rhein-Sieg; Robert Butschen, IHK Düsseldorf; Christoph Hanke, IHK Köln; Jörg Raspe, IHK Mittlerer Niederrhein; Beatrice Achim, IHK Wuppertal; Dr. Thomas Hanicke, Niederrheinische IHK Duisburg-Wesel-Kleve.

Editor-in-chief: Robert Butschen | IHK Düsseldorf phone: +49 (0)211 3557-217 | fax: +49 0211 3557-412 | email: butschen@duesseldorf.ihk.de

Translation: RSH Management & Consulting GmbH, Düsseldorf, Gemany

Design: 360° Design, Ulrike Wiest, Krefeld, Gemany

Printed by: Druckstudio GmbH, Düsseldorf, Gemany

As at: December 2016

Foreign companies in the Rhineland: Key facts 4

The Rhineland: A strong economy and truly cosmopolitan 5

Trade comes first: both for registered companies and small companies alike 8

Remarkable diversity: Companies come from over 160 countries 10

Close-up: The districts covered by the seven Chambers of Commerce and Industry in the Rhineland 12

Contacts and addresses 14

CONTENTSSOURCES

MARKUS database of Creditreform AG, Neuss, Germany, 2016

Databases of members maintained by Chambers of Commerce and Industry in the Rhineland, Germany, 2016

Ausländische Bevölkerung in Nordrhein-Westfalen am 31. Dezember 2015Landesbetrieb Information und Technik Nordrhein-Westfalen (IT.NRW), statistics division, Düsseldorf, Germany, 2016

Konjunkturbarometer Rheinland Herbst 2016 Chambers of Commerce and Industry in the Rhineland, Germany, 2016

All the information provided in this brochure has been collated and drafted with the utmost care. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry Düsseldorf does not provide any guarantees in respect of the accuracy and completeness of the content nor is it liable for any interim changes. Reprints, including extracts, are permitted only if the source is acknowledged. Specimen copy requested.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE PUBLISHERS

OBJECTIVE This survey is designed to show that the Rhineland is truly international due to the large number of foreign companies that are members of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry, which are collaborating in the „Rheinland Initiative“, in this case the Chambers of Aachen, Bonn/Rhein-Sieg, Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Köln, Mittlerer Niederrhein and Wuppertal-Solingen-Remscheid. The foreign companies associated with the Chambers of Commerce and Industry are made up of foreign companies registered in the official commercial register and small businesses led by foreign nationals.

The Chambers of the „Rheinland Initiative“ are promoting the enhancement of the traffic infrastructure, regional concepts to create qualified jobs and a future-orientated policy on industry and real estate. They support the optimizing of networks with R&D institutions and the increase of potentials in manufacturing industries, trade, logistics, tourism, hotel and catering industry, trade fair and event business. All this contributes to the promotion of the Metropolregion Rhineland as a national and international business location.

Fig. 1 Location of the Rhineland within Germany und Europe

Rhineland Region

Krefeld

3Foreign companies in the Rhineland2 Foreign companies in the Rhineland

FOREIGN COMPANIES IN THE RHINELAND: KEY FACTS

In the context of this brochure the Rhineland is de-fined as the districts covered by the Chambers of Commerce and Industry for Aachen, Bonn / Rhein-Sieg, Düsseldorf, Köln, Mittlerer Niederrhein, Wupper-tal-Solingen-Remscheid and Niederrhein IHK in Duis-burg. The main cities in this economically powerful region are Aachen, Bonn, Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Moers, Cologne, Leverkusen, Bergisch Gladbach, Krefeld, Mönchengladbach, Neuss, Wuppertal, Solingen and Remscheid.

The economic strength of the Rhineland is impres-sively documented by official statistics. With a gross domestic product (GDP) of € 332 billion (2014) the Rhineland generated more than 11 percent of the Fed-eral German GDP (€ 2,916 billion). Furthermore the productivity of the 3.2 million people in employment (03 / 2016) lies at approximately 10 percent above the German average. This is reflected in the disposable in-come. For example, figures produced by MB-Research, an international market research company, show that purchasing power stands at 4 percent (2016) above the Federal German average (104 to 100).

Germany has a total population of approximately 82 million and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), the country‘s most populous state, 17.9 mil-lion. The Rhineland in turn is one of the most densely

THE RHINELAND: A STRONG ECONOMY AND TRULY COSMOPOLITAN

Tab. 1 Foreign national residents in the Rhineland POPULATION AS AT 31.12.2015

Non-Germans TotalREGION NUMBER %IHK Aachen 144,800 1,240,400 11.7Städteregion Aachen 78,900 533,900 14.8Düren District 25,600 262,800 9.7Euskirchen District 11,100 191,200 5.8Heinsberg District 29,200 252,500 11.6IHK Bonn / Rhein-Sieg 108,800 915,000 11.9Bonn 51,500 318,800 16.2Rhein-Sieg District 57,300 596,200 9.6IHK Düsseldorf 205,200 1,095,500 18.8Düsseldorf 144,100 612,200 23.5Mettmann District 61,100 483,300 12.6IHK Duisburg 175,300 1,264,200 13.9Duisburg 93,400 491,200 19.0Kleve District 40,200 462,700 8.7Wesel District 41,700 310,300 13.4IHK Köln 354,200 2,247,000 15.8Cologne 214,600 1,060,600 20.2Leverkusen 24,400 163,500 14.9Rhein-Erft District 62,800 466,700 13.5Rhein-Berg District 26,500 282,700 9.4Oberberg District 25,900 272,500 9.5IHK Mittlerer Niederrhein 154,400 1,232,800 12.5Krefeld 34,500 225,100 15.3Mönchengladbach 37,300 260,000 14.3Rhine County of Neuss 57,400 450,000 12.8Viersen District 25,200 297,700 8.5IHK Wuppertal 104,200 618,200 16.9Wuppertal 62,000 350,000 17.7Solingen 17,700 109,500 16.2Remscheid 24,500 158,700 15.4Rhineland total 1,246,900 8,613,100 14.5North Rhine-Westphalia 2,207,200 17,865,500 12.3

Source: IT.NRW – statistics division. Düsseldorf 31.12.2015)

Remscheid

Bergisch-Gladbach

Wuppertal

Aachen

MönchengladbachNeuss

Düsseldorf

Leverkusen

Cologne

Bonn

Solingen

Euskirchen District

Cities Association of Aachen

Düren District

Heinsberg District

Mettmann District

Rhein-Erft District

Rhein- BergDistrict

OberbergDistrict

ViersenDistrict

Rhine County of Neuss

Rhein-Sieg District

Krefeld

Duisburg

KleveDistrict

Wesel District

Rhine

populated areas within the state with almost 50 per-cent of the latter figure, i.e. 8.6 million inhabitants.

Some 1,246,900 inhabitants of the Rhineland (14.5 per-cent) are from abroad, compared to 12.3 percent for NRW.

The Turks, with approximately 262,800 inhabitants (more than 20 percent), make up the biggest commu-nity amongst the non-German population. They are followed by Poles (105,400), Italians (85,600), Greeks (55,300) and the Dutch (48,700). These five groups together account for almost half of all foreigners liv-ing in the Rhineland area.

Wesel

Kleve

The seven Chambers of Commerce and Industry in the Rhineland have 539,602 member companies. Of these 55,475 have a foreign shareholder or owner. Or put another way, more than one in ten companies is foreign-owned.

Of these foreign companies, 13,055 are entered in the commercial register, while the remaining 42,420 are small companies.

Preferred sectors for those companies registered are trade (4,312) and freelance, scientific and technical services including legal advice, tax consultancy, market research etc. (2,377).

With respect to small companies, Polish entrepreneurs have a slight edge over Turkish business people, who in turn are more numerous than the Italians, Romanians and Greeks.

The capital and the businesspeople themselves come from more than 160 nations, spanning the globe from A for Australia to Z for Zimbabwe.

The Netherlands tops the list of foreign companies registered followed by the USA and Switzerland.

Trade is also the top sector for small companies (10,193), followed by construction (6,996) and the hotel and catering industry (6,327).

5Foreign companies in the Rhineland4 Foreign companies in the Rhineland

Fig. 3 Top 20 foreign registered companies and small companies in the Rhineland

Cologne, Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Jülich, Krefeld, Mön-chengladbach and Wupper tal maintain close links with industry and some businesses also run their own research facilities.

Düsseldorf and Cologne are also the venues for many of the world’s leading trade fairs. Finally, the high standard of living should not be overlooked. This is a great place to live with a wealth of culture and diver-se landscapes – not to mention the famously friendly and fun-loving Rhinelanders.

Tab. 2 Foreign companies in the Rhineland

TYPE OF COMPANY BREAKDOWN

Number %-value

Ratio of foreign companies to all companies

in the Rhineland in %

Small companies 42,420 76.5 11.6

Companies registered in the

official register of companies

13,055 23.5 7.4

Total 55,475 100 10.3

* China, Hongkong, Macao, Taiwan | Source: Creditreform, IHKs and own calculation

Small companies Registered companies

Turkey

Poland

Netherlands

Italy

Romania

Greece

United Kingdom

Greater China*

USA

Bulgaria

Belgium

France

Switzerland

Russian Federation

Austria

Croatia

Iran

Serbia

Spain

Ukraine

Other countries

8,077 | 350

8,160 | 160

1,825 | 2,823

2,872 | 363

2,422 | 28

2,158 | 61

505 | 923

524 | 889

201 | 1,163

1,219 | 20

349 | 799

437 | 662

156 | 938

803 | 277

600 | 457

918 | 8

722 | 106

606 | 17

535 | 238

591 | 75

8,740 | 2,698

There are many sound reasons for the Rhineland`s in-ternationalism. For example entrepreneurs can safely assume that they will find a first-class infrastructure with a comprehensive network of motorways and rail-ways, efficient inland ports and three international airports operating out of Düsseldorf, Cologne / Bonn and Weeze. What‘s more, neighbouring countries, such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France, are just a stone‘s throw away. State-of-the-art data connections complete the outstanding infra-structure of the Rhineland. Universities, higher educa-tion institutes and research centres in Aachen, Bonn,

THE RHINELAND: A STRONG ECONOMY AND TRULY COSMOPOLITAN

Fig. 2 Infrastructure in the Rhineland

Maas

A 57

A 40

A 52

A 44

A 4

A 44

E 34

E 40

E 314

Netherlands

Belgium

A 3

A 1A 59

A 555

A 59

A 61

E 25

A 1

A 52

A 565

A 46

Krefeld

Mönchen-gladbach

Düsseldorf

Neuss

Aachen

Weeze

Cologne

Bonn

Bergisch-Gladbach

Wuppertal

Duisburg

Wesel

Kleve

Brussels

Antwerp

Brussels

Rotterdam

Source: Creditreform, IHKs and own calculation

7Foreign companies in the Rhineland6 Foreign companies in the Rhineland

United Kingdom923

Provision of freelance, scientific and technical services 2,377

Manufacturing and processing industry 1,335

Real estate and housing 862

Information and communication 641

Trade 4,312

Provision of other business services 871

Others 797

Provision of other services 333

Provision of financial and insurance services 748

Transport and warehousing 428

Building and construction 351

Fig. 4 Top 10 industry sectors of foreign registered companies in the Rhineland

The seven Chambers of Commerce and Industry in the Rhineland have 539,602 member companies. Of those companies 175,457 or about 32 percent are noted in the Commercial Register. The total number of regis-tered companies from abroad (13,055 out of 55,475) account for more than 23 percent of all foreign busi-nesses.

The remaining 364,145 companies (68 percent) are small businesses. Companies led by foreign nationals comprise 77 percent of these businesses (42,420), far higher than the proportion of registered firms. Trade once again claims top spot in the list of sectors in which small businesses from abroad are active (10,193 businesses); it is followed by construction (6,996) and the hotel and catering industry (6,327).

TRADE COMES FIRST: BOTH FOR REGISTERED COMPANIES AND SMALL COMPANIES ALIKE

France 662

Austria 457

Japan 432

USA 1,163

Belgium 799

Italy 363

Greater China* 889

OTHER COUNTRIES 3,606

TOTAL 13,055

Netherlands2,823

Switzerland 938

Fig. 5 Top 10 countries - showing origin of foreign registered companies in the Rhineland

Fig. 6 Top 10 industrial sectors of foreign small companies in the Rhineland

Building and construction 6,996Arts, entertainment and recreation 906

Health and social services 2,013

Trade 10,193

Information and communication 989

Others 2,444

Provision of other services 3,384

Hotel and catering industry 6,327

Transport and warehousing 1,768

Provision of other business services 4,262

Provision of freelance, scientific and technical services 3,138

Croatia 918

Iran 722 Romania 2,422

Greece 2,158

Turkey8,077

NL 1,825

Bulgaria 1,217

OTHER COUNTRIES 13,246

TOTAL 42,420

Poland8,160

Italy2,872 Russian Federation 803

Fig. 7 Top 10 countries - showing origin of foreign small companies in the Rhineland

TOTAL42,420

* China, Hongkong, Macao, Taiwan | Source: Creditreform, IHKs and own calculation Source: Creditreform, IHKs and own calculation

TOTAL13,055

The No. 1 business activity is trade (wholesale, retail and commercial agencies) with 4,312 companies, fol-lowed by freelance, scientific and technical services (2,377) and manufacturing (1,335).

9Foreign companies in the Rhineland8 Foreign companies in the Rhineland

out Europe from Duisburg while Dong Feng sells agricultural machines from Wuppertal. Finally there is Lead in Cologne, whose main activities are the devel-opment, production and distribution of PC-compo-nents.

JAPANThe area around Immermannstrasse in the state capital Düsseldorf is often referred to as ‚little Tokyo‘, and with good reason. Ninety percent of all Japanese compa-nies in North Rhine-Westphalia are based in the city or the neighbouring districts of Mettmann and Neuss. Japanese companies represent numerous sectors In-cluding the automotive industry (Toyota, Nissan), IT / communications (Canon, Epson, Kyocera, NEC), photo graphy (Canon, Fuji), mechanical engineering and steel (Komatsu, Mitsubishi, Nippon Steel), high tech material (Toho Tenax) and cosmetics (Shiseido).In 2014 Futec settled down in Duisburg, a manufac-turer of inspection systems for the printing industry.

BELGIUM, NORWAY, SWEDEN AND MANY MOREScores of other big companies from almost every country in Europe and many other corners of the globe have chosen to set up in the area.

The Belgian presence include UCB Pharma in Mon-heim and Rheinkalk in Wülfrath, where is limestone mining and processing.

Examples from Norway are Hydro Aluminium with operations in Neuss, Grevenbroich and the energy supplier Statkraft, which organizes the business in Germany from Düsseldorf and runs a power plant in Hürth.

Ericsson, the Swedish manufacturer of telecommuni-cations equipment, has its German headquarters in Düsseldorf along with research institutes in Aachen and Herzogenrath. Meanwhile the security services provider Securitas and the tool maker Sandvik are based in Düsseldorf.

After the takeover of Thyssen Krupp Nirosta by Outokumpu, there is a major company from Finnland located in Krefeld with a stainless steel mill.

France has a high profile in the Rhineland with the German head offices of car producers Renault in Brühl and Peugeot/Citroën located in Cologne, while those of cosmetics company L’Oréal are to be found in Düsseldorf and Neuss. Other examples of french companies are the Axa insurance with headquarters in Cologne and Targobank with ist headquarter in Düsseldorf and a service center in Duisburg.

The Santander Group from Spain focuses its banking activities in Germany in Mönchengladbach. Edscha Holding GmbH, part of the Spanish corporate group Gestamp is a global market leader for hinge systems based in Remscheid.

The presence of Korean companies increased signifi-cantly during the last years, including the German headquarters of LG Electronics in Ratingen and sev-eral operations of the Doosan group in Dormagen and Ratingen.

Since Tata Steel took over the Corus Group, India has been represented by the steel businesses Hille & Müller in Düsseldorf and Degels in Neuss.

A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF SMALL COMPANIES ARE FROM POLAND AND TURKEYThe most active nation when it comes to establishing small companies is Poland: 8,160 people from the neighbouring state not far to the east have acquired a trading licence, making up more than 19 percent of all small companies from abroad. The Turks are in second place slightly behind with 8.077 companies. The pres-ence of both communities in the Rhineland is under-lined by an increasing number of registered compa-nies, which are now 350 companies from Turkey and 160 from Poland.

The third, fourth, and fifth place of small companies are taken by the Italians (2,872), Romanians (2,422) and Greek (2,158).

Of the 13,055 foreign firms registered in the Rhineland, the undisputed frontrunner with a share of more than 20 percent is the Netherlands with 2,823 having a majority Dutch ownership. In second place is the United States (accounting for 9 percent with 1,163); then comes Switzerland (938), the United Kingdom (923) Greater China (889) and Belgium (799). Here is an overview of some of the important nations doing business in the Rhineland:

NETHERLANDSThe Dutch are lucky to have a massive market right ontheir doorstep and use the Rhineland as a springboardinto North Rhine-Westphalia and Germany as a whole.Examples are the biotechnology firm Qiagen in Hilden, dairy giant FrieslandCampina (which has its largest German site in Cologne), the parcel delivery firm TNT in Troisdorf and at Cologne/Bonn Airport, the mail company Postcon in Ratingen, the furniture manufacturer Leolux in Krefeld and LeasePlan in Neuss. In the construction sector, the project devel-oper Kondor Wessels has a base in Wuppertal. The chemical group AkzoNobel has locations in Düren, Hilden, Köln und Leverkusen.

USAOne of the first examples of American investment in Germany began in 1908 when International Harvest-er was established in Neuss and started manufactur-ing agricultural machines. Sometime later in 1930 the Ford Motor Company established a base in Cologne and produces cars till today. Over a period of 60 years, the German headquarter of multi-technology group 3M in Neuss, with sites in Hilden and in Jüchen, has expanded to become the firm‘s second largest outside of the USA. Other big names include the food pro-ducer Mars in Viersen and Procter & Gamble, manu-facturer of sanitary products in Euskirchen. Logistics specialist United Parcel Service (UPS) directs its fleet of vehicles from Neuss and uses Cologne/Bonn airport as its hub for Europe. Havi Logistics runs large opera-tions in logistics for the food and retail business from Duisburg. Ford and Microsoft meanwhile maintain research and innovation centres in Aachen. The paint specialist Axalta has a plant in Wuppertal. Johnson & Johnson, producer of healthcare and other consumer goods has a subsidiary in Neuss. Eaton operates glob-ally providing diversified power management services with sites in Bonn, Lohmar, Meckenheim, Nettersheim and Neuss. Cook Medical, suppliers of minimally in-vasive medical devices, has its European distribution

REMARKABLE DIVERSITY: COMPANIES COME FROM OVER 160 COUNTRIES

centre in Baesweiler. General Electric, one of the world‘s largest conglomerates, is represented in Solingen with the European headquarters of its ultrasound division.

SWITZERLANDA number of Swiss businesses located in the Rhineland are world famous, including master chocolate maker Lindt & Sprüngli with production facilities in Aachen, whilst the Nestlé Group has locations in Neuss (“Thomy” delicatessen products) and Euskirchen (pet foods). Switzerland, with its reputation as a provider of insurance and financial services, does considerable business through the Zurich Insurance Group with its German headquarters based in Bonn. The personnel recruitment services company Adecco maintains its German headquarters in Düsseldorf, while textiles firm Christian Fischbacher has a base in Remscheid.

UNITED KINGDOMBritish companies tend to focus on the districts around Düsseldorf and Cologne. Examples include Vodafone (telecommunications), Castrol/BP (lubri-cants), HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt (banking) and BBDO (advertising). However Wilkinson Sword, re-nowned for its shaving and cosmetic articles, has its German subsidiary in Solingen.

GREATER CHINACompanies from Greater China (including China, Hongkong, Macau and Taiwan) are displaying an in-creasing interest in the Rhineland. Its figure increased to almost 900 during the last years. Chinese IT giants Huawei and ZTE oversee their European operations from Düsseldorf, construction machinery manufac-turers XCMG has its European headquarters and a development centre in Krefeld while Sany has a factory in Bedburg. The autotomotive supplier Kiekert in Heiligenhaus has been taken over by a chinese group. NGC distrubutes since recently drives through-

11Foreign companies in the Rhineland10 Foreign companies in the Rhineland

AACHENIt is perhaps not surprising that Aachen is a particularly international and cosmo-politan city as it is situated right where the borders of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands come together. Major com-panies and research facilities around the world are highly appreciative of one of Europe‘s most research-intensive regions. The industrial scene is dominated by me-chanical engineering and chemicals as well as the production of rubber, plastic goods, paper and food. The region is also home to innovative firms working in such future-oriented sectors as energy, engi-neering services, IT, life sciences, automo-tive and environmental engineering. The IHK covers the region of the Städteregion Aachen as well as the districts of Düren, Heinsberg and Euskirchen.

BONN/RHEIN-SIEGThe economic structure of the region is determined by the service sector. In par-ticular the area accommodates the infor-mation and telecommunications branch, the logistics sector and other providers of production related services. The manufac-turing sector also has a strong presence in the Rhein-Sieg District, especially the plastics industry, mechanical engineering and automotive component suppliers. Nine teen UN bodies and around 150 inter-national organisations and NGOs are lo-cated in Bonn, helping it to enjoy consid-erable international networking in the fields of renewable energy, sustainable resources ma nagement and cooperation with development projects. The city also offers world-class facilities for organising international conferences, meetings and other events and ranks as an outstanding science and research hub.

COLOGNEProud of its Roman origins, the city of Co-logne has over its long history developed into one of Germany‘s principal logistical

centres and is now home to one of the country‘s largest freight depots and pos-sesses the second largest inland harbour and cargo airport in Germany. Cologne is also a hub for the insurance industry, cre-ative industries and the media sector. In-dustry as a whole has established strong international links with an export ratio of over 50 percent, yet Cologne is also an in-novative, research-intensive academic re-gion with several institutes of higher edu-cation. The IHK Köln District incorporates the urban districts of Cologne and Lev-erkusen as well as the districts of Ober-berg, Rhein-Erft and Rhein-Berg.

DÜSSELDORFThe capital of North Rhine-Westphalia is one of the most international cities in Ger-many. The region profits from the proximity to all national and European markets and the services of Düsseldorf Airport and the Messe Düsseldorf. The city‘s Japanese busi-ness community is one of the largest in Eu-rope. In recent years, a constantly growing Chinese presence underlines the strong Asian character. Düsseldorf today is a busi-ness hub for leading industrial firms as well as the telecommunications, advertising, fi-nance, legal advice, management consul-tancy, fashion and life sciences sectors. The area covered by the Chamber includes the Mettmann District where business activity focuses on the automotive supply industry, pharmaceutical industry as well as keys, locks, and security technology.

DUISBURG AND THE LOWER RHINE AREAThe district of Niederrhein Chamber of Commerce and Industry comprises the city of Duisburg and the districts of Wesel and Kleve. Logistics is a significant field of competence in this region. Many national and international logistics companies set-tled down especially in the port of Duis-burg – Europe’s biggest inland port – but also in other cities nearby. Likewise, mate-

rial technologies are of big importance as you find in Duisburg the biggest produc-tion of iron and steel in Europe. Other main sectors are the chemical industry, IT technologies, Energy and environment, food processing and tourism.

MITTLERER NIEDERRHEINThe region – which includes the cities of Krefeld and Mönchengladbach, the Rhine County of Neuss and the Viersen District – extends from the Rhine in the east to the Dutch border in the west. With an ex-tensive motorway network and conveni-ently located airports and inland harbours, the region is superbly connected. No won-der so many international companies – which now account for a significant pro-portion of the region‘s 50 percent-plus export ratio – have based themselves here. The main industries in Mittlerer Niederrhein are chemicals, mechanical en-gineering, electrical engineering, steel, al-uminium, lignite mining, energy supply,textiles and (semi-luxury) foods.

WUPPERTAL-SOLINGEN-REMSCHEIDThe Bergisch tri-city district of Wuppertal, Solingen and Remscheid is traditionally known for manufacturing and accounts for a share of around 36 percent. Industries include the production of metal products, mechanical engineering, the electrical in-dustry, metal production and processing, the chemicals industry, automobile manu-facture, the food and animal fodder indus-try and the rubber and plastics sector. Over time numerous companies from abroad have settled in the area with a view to exploiting local know-how. With an export ratio approaching 50 percent, the business community of the Bergisches Land has excellent international links. An-other mainstay of the region is the ser-vices industry, which focuses on trade and business services.

CLOSE-UP: THE DISTRICTS COVERED BY THE SEVEN CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY IN THE RHINELAND

registered companies small companiescountry number country number

DUISBURG AND THE LOWER RHINE AREA1 Netherlands 904 Turkey 1,4892 Switzerland 103 Netherlands 5553 USA 91 Poland 2774 United Kingdom 86 Italy 2455 Turkey 48 Greece 1226 France 41 Romania 847 Greater China* 38 Bosnia Herzegovina 778 Luxembourg 38 Croatia 749 Belgium 26 Serbia 65

10 Austria 23 Bulgaria 59Other countries 227 Other countries 964Total 1,625 Total 4,011

MITTLERER NIEDERRHEIN1 Netherlands 485 Turkey 1,1632 Greater China* 151 Poland 1,1453 USA 125 Romania 5474 Switzerland 99 Greece 4355 United Kingdom 83 Italy 4226 Japan 73 Netherlands 2697 Italy 69 Serbia 1498 Belgium 57 Croatia 1239 Turkey 57 Bulgaria 116

10 France 56 United Kingdom 111Other countries 420 Other countries 1,730Total 1,675 Total 6,210

WUPPERTAL-SOLINGEN-REMSCHEID1 Greater China* 87 Turkey 1182 Netherlands 61 Italy 553 Switzerland 53 Greece 514 USA 48 Poland 465 Austria 29 Maroc 216 France 29 Ukraine 187 Turkey 26 Russian Federation 178 Italy 26 Serbia 179 United Kingdom 21 Croatia 10

10 Belgium 12 Vietnam 10Other countries 125 Other countries 154Total 517 Total 517

registered companies small companiescountry number country number

AACHEN1 Belgium 459 Turkey 8372 Netherlands 433 Poland 7953 USA 94 Netherlands 5574 United Kingdom 65 Romania 4045 Switzerland 65 Greece 2486 France 50 Italy 2457 Greater China* 45 Bulgaria 1708 Luxembourg 45 Belgium 1639 Austria 37 Serbia 109

10 Italy 33 Russian Federation 103Other countries 200 Other countries 1,585Total 1,526 Total 5,216

BONN/RHEIN-SIEG1 USA 86 Poland 6572 Switzerland 81 Turkey 5803 Netherlands 60 Italy 2804 United Kingdom 48 Romania 2535 Greater China* 46 Greece 2056 Luxembourg 38 Bulgaria 1497 Austria 35 Iran 1278 France 32 Russian Federation 999 Italy 27 Austria 84

10 Belgium 24 Netherlands 81Other countries 235 Other countries 1,657Total 712 Total 4,172

COLOGNE1 Netherlands 299 Poland 2,9832 USA 288 Turkey 2,6163 Switzerland 269 Italy 9864 France 218 Romania 7095 United Kingdom 215 Bulgaria 4826 Greater China* 137 Greece 4287 Austria 130 Iran 2788 Turkey 121 Croatia 2649 Belgium 109 Russian Federation 226

10 Luxembourg 96 Ukraine 194Other countries 809 Other countries 3,588Total 2,691 Total 12,754

DÜSSELDORF1 Netherlands 581 Poland 2,2572 USA 431 Turkey 1,2743 United Kingdom 405 Greece 6694 Greater China* 385 Italy 6395 Switzerland 268 Romania 4226 Japan 256 Croatia 2807 France 236 Bulgaria 2398 Austria 148 Russian Federation 2319 Sweden 129 Ukraine 193

10 Russian Federation 116 Netherlands 189Other countries 1,354 Other countries 3,147Total 4,309 Total 9,540

Tab. 3 Number of foreign companies in the Rhineland

* China, Hongkong, Macao, Taiwan

13Foreign companies in the Rhineland12 Foreign companies in the Rhineland

Bonn

AachenCologne

Duisburg

Neuss Wuppertal

CONTACTS AND ADRESSES

IHK AachenTheaterstr. 6–1052062 AachenGermanywww.aachen.ihk.de

Claudia Masbach phone: +49 (0)241 4460-296 fax: +49 (0)241 4460-149 email: claudia.masbach@aachen.ihk.de

IHK KölnUnter Sachsenhausen 10–2650667 KölnGermanywww.ihk-koeln.de

Christoph Hankephone: +49 (0)221 1640-552fax: +49 (0)221 1640-559email: christoph.hanke@koeln.ihk.de

IHK Bonn / Rhein-SiegBonner Talweg 1753113 BonnGermanywww.ihk-bonn.de

Armin Heiderphone: +49 (0)228 2284-144fax: +49 (0)228 2284-225 email: armin.heider@bonn.ihk.de

IHK Mittlerer NiederrheinFriedrichstr. 4041460 NeussGermanywww.mittlerer-niederrhein.ihk.de

Jörg Raspephone: +49 (0)2131 9268-561 fax: +49 (0)2151 635-44561 email: raspe@neuss.ihk.de

IHK DüsseldorfErnst-Schneider-Platz 140212 DüsseldorfGermanywww.duesseldorf.ihk.de

Robert Butschenphone: +49 (0)211 3557-217fax: +49 (0)211 3557-412email: butschen@duesseldorf.ihk.de

IHK Wuppertal-Solingen-RemscheidHeinrich-Kamp-Platz 242103 WuppertalGermanywww.wuppertal.ihk24.de

Beatrice Achimphone: +49 (0)202 2490-515 fax: +49 (0)202 2490-999 email: b.achim@wuppertal.ihk.de

Niederrheinische IHK zu Duisburg Mercatorstr. 22–2447051 DuisburgGermanywww.ihk-niederrhein.de

Dr. Thomas Hanicke phone: +49 (0)203 2821-284 fax: +49 (0)203 2821-356email: hanicke@niederrhein.ihk.de

Düsseldorf

15Foreign companies in the Rhineland14 Foreign companies in the Rhineland