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Krefeld
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A strong business location on the Rhine
The growth of Krefeld into a large city with approx. 235,000 inhabitants as well as a high-performing business and industrial location is inseparably linked to the textile industry. The relocation of textile production, especially to the Far East, triggered a massive structural change as early as the seventies of the last century.
Although the proportion of jobs in the services sector has since increased significantly, Krefeld is still a strong production centre today. Large and well-known companies in the chemical, stainless steel production, metal processing and mechanical engineering sectors still generate more than 40% of its gross added value.
An equally strong service sector, and innovative and broadly based skilled labour, as well as creative industries, logistics and many other areas, make up a strong mix of industries in Krefeld.
Chemical industrie – always innovative
Velvet and silk made Krefeld large and prosperous during the industrialization. The textile industry mainly needed lyes, soaps and dyes to manufacture textile material. This formed the basis of the chemical industry.
As a result, Krefeld has developed into a strong industrial landscape, with major global players such as Covestro, Lanxess, Henkel and Evonik, all producing chemical products. The focus is mainly on research-intensive and high-quality specialized chemicals and plastics.
Healthcare
Healthcare in Krefeld is a thriving economic sector and its spectrum is very broad. In particular, the hospitals, such as the HELIOS clinic, the Malteser St. Josefs hospital Uerdingen and the Alexianer hospital, are among the largest employers in the city.
Due to demographic shifts, care facilities such as the municipal retirement homes, the Caritas and Diaconia-houses and the many mobile care services are also becoming increasingly important. In addition, an international medical technology company – Beckman Coulter – is located in Europark Fichtenhain.
The health care faculty of Hochschule Niederrhein, which is located in Krefeld, is a well-known scientific institution that focuses, among other things, on the main areas of medical informatics, eHealth and medical management. In short; health care in Krefeld is extremely diverse.
Manufacturing industry
Parallel to the textile industry, machine building also developed into a strong economic pillar in Krefeld. This was followed by the production of metal, (stainless) steel, rail vehicles and car parts, and the processing of metal materials in every conceivable form.
Today, the economic region of Krefeld is made up of world-famous ‘hidden champions’ of the manufacturing industry in the fields of mechanical engineering, metal production and -processing, mechanical and installation technology, electronics and electrical engineering. Beside the technical offer, company sizes also range from large multinationals to small specialist companies that build technically advanced machines with only a few employees.
The manufacturing industry in Krefeld is an above-average employer and an important technology carrier. With their motto “future through industry”, the manufacturing industry interest group focuses on the economic development of Krefeld as an industrial location.
Textile industry
Due to the relocation of the textile industry in the past 50 years (especially to East Asia), this industry almost disappeared. What has remained is the tradition, some specialized niche suppliers and the expertise of textile materials. The focus is on function-oriented textile applications and innovative material replacement. The range of products and services varies from technical applications for architecture and construction (such as stadium roofs) to functional textiles for safety and protective clothing and industry-specific IT solutions.
The entire textile chain – from raw material to the finished garment or textile product – is still represented in the region; local textile machine manufacturers are world market leaders in their niches. Well-known brands and labels are known for their design and fashion expertise, Hochschule Niederrhein has the largest department for textile and clothing technology in Europe and the Lower Rhine textile industry is leading in patent applications.
Creative industry
As the city of velvet and silk, Krefeld has a long creative tradition. In addition to design, advertising, printing and architecture are now also part of the creative industry.
The image of creative entrepreneurs in Krefeld is determined by international agencies, small entrepreneurs and freelancers, who are jointly responsible for a huge innovation impulse and cultural diversity in Krefeld.
The online portal KreativKrefeld gives a good overview of all players in the creative industry in Krefeld, for those who are looking for creative services or potential employees.
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