North Rhine-Westphalia is a globally sought-after investment location for foreign companies and at the same time home to numerous companies with global growth potential. Mona Neubaur, Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Action and Felix Neugart, CEO of the state-owned trade and investment agency NRW.Global Business, today presented the NRW.Global Business AWARD to the Japanese high-tech company Fujifilm, the Polish EdTech startup Coding Giants, the US electric car manufacturer Rivian and the gearbox manufacturer Flender from Münsterland, Germany. With this award, the state recognizes significant investments by foreign companies in North Rhine-Westphalia as well as particularly successful international expansion activities by North Rhine-Westphalian companies.
Mona Neubaur, Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy: "The innovative and industrial heart of Europe beats in North Rhine-Westphalia. There is no other metropolitan region like it, and this is what makes us stand out in the international competition for the best conditions for companies. But these conditions are also changing. Creative ideas for climate-friendly, energy-efficient and digital business models, products and production processes are therefore more in demand than ever before. We have many forward-looking companies in North Rhine-Westphalia that see long-term potential in transformation and are contributing their expertise to the process. We recognize this commitment of national and international companies in North Rhine-Westphalia with the NRW.Global Business AWARD."
This year, the NRW.Global Business AWARD is being presented for the 20th time. Felix Neugart, CEO of NRW.Global Business: "Since 2003, we have honored 63 companies from 21 countries – including big names such as 3M, Mitsubishi Electric and Infosys, with whom we will also be talking tonight about their development at the location since then. A glance at the list of award-winning companies shows how much innovative strength NRW has developed over the years as a business location in a wide variety of sectors. The strong corporate landscape is constantly creating new perspectives for digital and sustainable technologies to make the state fit for the future."
The award-winning companies in 2024 at a glance:
Fujifilm: Having started out as a pioneer of analog photography, the Japanese Fujifilm Group has reinvented itself as a high-tech company in many areas following a successful turnaround: from medical imaging and medical IT to highly developed printing systems and materials for the electronics industry. Based in North Rhine-Westphalia since 1966, the Group moved into its new European headquarters in Ratingen in 2022, thereby declaring a clear commitment to the location. With around 300 employees, Fujifilm Europe also provides important stimuli for the company's five other locations in North Rhine-Westphalia. And for climate protection: Fujifilm plans to achieve complete decarbonization by 2040.
Coding Giants: Founded in 2015, the Polish startup Coding Giants has quickly developed into a leading provider in the EdTech sector. With an innovative e-learning platform and programming school, the company offers young people between the ages of 7 and 19 the opportunity to learn how to program computer games, mobile applications, websites and 3D graphics in a fun way. The aim is to get talented young people interested in new technologies at an early age and secure skilled workers in the long term. Coding Giants has also been on a strong expansion course in North Rhine-Westphalia since 2023: The company coordinates strategic alignment in Germany and Western Europe from its Düsseldorf base with up to 40 employees. Coding Giants is already working with a school in Mönchengladbach on a pilot project for the planned training network.
Rivian: The US company Rivian develops, produces and sells electric delivery vans and SUVs and is considered one of the most promising startups in the industry in the USA. With its Electric Delivery Van (EDV) specially developed for Amazon, Rivian intends to electrify the Amazon fleet with 100,000 vehicles by 2030 and make a significant contribution to the mobility revolution in the transportation sector. Around 400 of the futuristic-looking vehicles are already driving on roads across Germany in Düsseldorf, Berlin and Munich. Due to the numerous Amazon locations in North Rhine-Westphalia, Rivian has opened its first permanent service center in Germany for vehicle maintenance in Neuss.
Flender: The Flender company from Bocholt is considered the market leader for industrial drive technology and wind power gear units. The specialist has been supplying quality products from North Rhine-Westphalia all over the world for 125 years. They are used in numerous key industries such as cement production, raw materials processing, the oil and gas industry, power generation, water and wastewater management and conveyor technology. Flender has been developing high-performance gear units, generators and couplings for wind turbines under the Winergy brand since 1981. With over 350 gigawatts of products supplied, one wind turbine out of three all over the world contains a piece of Flender and therefore a piece of North Rhine-Westphalia. The company is active at 33 locations worldwide with around 9,000 employees and is regarded as a driver of the energy transition.
Images of the winners and the award ceremony will be available here from 25, 2024, 10:00 a.m.