A boost for international business
There is no other investment location that is as international as Düsseldorf. In order for foreign companies to achieve economic success here and to ensure their employees can feel at home, many of the city’s professionals are working hand in hand.
In 2019 a staggering 41 per cent of all foreign direct investments in NRW were registered in the Düsseldorf region, i.e. the regional capital and the district of Mettmann. The strong orientation towards international business has not been a recent development. “As early as the 1950s, foreign companies used the location Düsseldorf, known as the ‘office desk’ of the Rhine Valley region, for their business to business transactions. The infrastructure consisting of an international airport, exhibition centre and the International School – a unique selling point in NRW – was rated highly,” explains Annette Klerks, Head of Department of the International Business Service (IBS), which is part of the city’s Office for Economic Development.
The nine people making up the team of the IBS are the central point of contact for international companies aiming to settle in the city (see info box). It would be impossible to make their work even more international – Düsseldorf is not only one of the most important investment locations in Europe for companies from Japan, China and India, but it is also home to many companies from Germany’s European neighbours, the States or Eastern Europe. Obviously the world feels at home in Düsseldorf – a number of local professionals make sure of this through working closely together and in trusting cooperation: next to the Office for Economic Development for example there are also professional associations, the Office for International Economic Development NRW, the commercial departments of the consulates, Germany Trade & Invest and industry representatives.
“We always establish our
activities between the
poles of innovation and
internationality.”
“We act as translators and facilitators in two ways: on the one hand we know exactly how German public administration works and furnish companies with an understanding of this. On the other hand, due to our excellent inter-cultural knowledge, we know exactly what a Chinese company refers to, when it talks about the municipal government,” illustrates Annette Klerks. The comprehensive help offered by the IBS spans services from searching for a suitable property to putting people in touch with local services such as solicitors or accountants – all the way to coordinating and working together with the authorities with regards to residence permits and visas. Even during the COVID19 pandemic with its many entry restrictions, the mobility vital to a site launch continued to be ensured. This is illustrated by the Indian corporation Wipro, one of the leading global players in the world of IT and system integration. Since February 2020 the corporation has been guided by the Office for Economic Development and decided in September 2020 to launch its innovation hub in Düsseldorf. Globally placed companies like Wipro also value the proximity to skilled professionals or research associations due to the high concentration of graduates in the region in and around of Düsseldorf. “We always establish our activities between the poles of innovation and internationality. Düsseldorf as a location for innovation therefore grows and as a consequence the importance of the context of innovation increases for international business, too,” explains Theresa Winkels, Head of Office for Economic Development.
In turn, the IHK Düsseldorf predominantly tends to those companies, which wish to export or expand abroad. In a couple of cases the respective competencies are being brought together. One example is the ‘China Centre of Excellence’, a joint venture established in 2004 by the city administration, the IHK and Exhibition Centre Düsseldorf, which is part of the Office for Economic Development. Another is the Expat Service Desk, supported by the Düsseldorf city administration, the district of Mettmann and IHK Düsseldorf, which offers advice to international workers in all matters of living in Düsseldorf. And there is also the ‘Russia Centre of Excellence’ controlled by the IHK, as in this case the emphasis is on export. The Coronavirus pandemic has, of course, had consequences for the export business of companies based in Düsseldorf: “Our export economy has been affected in similar ways as the economy as a whole – a major decrease in the spring, then recovery and now we are at the same level as in the year before. We have no verified data as yet, however, we assume that in 2020 we will reach around 90 per cent of the export business we conducted the previous year,” explains Robert Butschen, of the International Department of the IHK. This is the integral pillar of Düsseldorf’s economy – with internationally exporting companies such as Henkel or Mercedes-Benz, the city reaches an export ratio in excess of 50 per cent – the ratio of the rest of NRW is just short of 45 per cent.
And talking of NRW – since November 2020 foreign trade of the German state has been looked after by the newly founded body NRW.Global Business – and in this way brings together the two working areas of the previously independent associations of NRW.Invest and NRW.International, “This way we can, for example, bring synergies together successfully when we do location marketing abroad: on one hand we can promote investment locations in NRW and on the other hand we can support innovative companies with exciting products and services during the development of their foreign business,” explains Felix Neugart, Head of NRW.Global Business. The new company maintains 16 offices worldwide – a precious network, which other German states do not have at this level. “We support all municipalities in NRW. In order to find a suitable location for an investor from abroad, we initially analyse the individual requirements. Based on this we suggest suitable locations, visit them together and are available to give advice, until the investors make a decision.” The cooperation with institutions in Düsseldorf, he says, works very well during this process. In a large number of event formats the locations NRW and Düsseldorf are being promoted together, as illustrated by for example the Business & Investors Forum China, the dedicated business day Japan or the Start-up-Germany-Tour. “In comparison to others in NRW, Düsseldorf scores points through its excellent location, just as its infrastructure and high quality service. We do not think in a vertical manner – we are active in many types of business and networks. We have access to talent and have an efficient way with authorities and so on. This way quick integration and speedy productivity can be ensured,” Theresa Winkels sums up.
”We do not think in a
vertical manner - we are
active in many types of
business and networks.”
The support for international start-ups has also been increased. On Digital Demo Day, the flagship event of Digihub Düsseldorf/Rheinland, the Office for Economic Development created a new format just for this: the ‘International Start-up Booster’. It had been promoted at a large number of start-up events abroad, and that paid off: in February 2020 a total of 20 chosen start-ups from seven countries – China, India, Israel, Japan, Latvia, Russia and Hungary – had the great opportunity to present and exchange ideas. The increasing interest of young entrepreneurs with regards to locations was just as obvious at the fifth ‘Start-up-Week’ in September 2020. Keeping to the COVID-19 restrictions and terms of Coronavirus, a mixture of analogue, digital and hybrid formats – frequently in a number of languages – were created to cater to the interest of around 5,500 people. Düsseldorf’s start-up portal was recently expanded by the digital ‘Start-up Journey’, in order to enable start-ups from all over the world to find the right partners in Düsseldorf to grow with. “It doesn’t matter whether it is a start-up or an established business – international companies find an ideal eco-system of nourishing growth and collaboration in Düsseldorf – and this in a city with a very high quality of life and work,” Theresa Winkels says. •
The whole world displayed in a team
The International Business Service (IBS), part of the Office for Economic Development, offers companies interested in settling in Düsseldorf or already resident businesses individual support and coordination of all requests through a contact person. This service is offered in German, Japanese, Chinese, French and Russian. A highly professional and experienced team thus portrays the entire world.
Japan Desk:
+49 211 - 8995870 or 8992294
China:
+49 211 - 8993640 or 8993382
USA, Korea:
+49 211 - 8993860
India:
+49 211 – 8995511
Europe, Middle East:
+49 211 – 8995892 or 8995721
Worldwide strong for NRW
Since November 2020 NRW.Global Business is the new Office for International Economic Development of North Rhine-Westphalia, which pools the expertise of NRW.Invest and NRW.International. The association is partner for all companies which are considering investing into projects or settling in NRW, it helps with the development of growth markets just as well as the professional networking with international business partners. It works will all municipalities based in NRW, and of course closely with Düsseldorf. NRW.Global Business employs around 40 staff worldwide in 16 international offices.
China: Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai,
Guangzhou and Chengdu (5)
USA: Chicago and Silicon Valley (2)
Russia: St Petersburg and Moscow (2)
Great Britain: London
India: Pune
Israel: Tel Aviv
Japan: Tokyo
Korea: Seoul
Poland: Warsaw
Turkey: Istanbul
Words: Tom Corrinth
Pictures: PR