THE PLACE TO INVEST
Düsseldorf is proving to be an increasingly attractive investment location for foreign companies. Here, we present three such companies from different industries, ranging from green energy to real estate to modular construction.
Transformation project with high sustainability standards: In the new commercial and logistics park 'The Tube', 14,600 Sunrock solar modules provide green energy.
Georg Brenninkmeijer, Managing Director, Sunrock Germany
In Düsseldorf-Reisholz, 'The Tube' demonstrates how a traditional production site has been transformed into a sustainable area. In just 18 months, a modern industrial and commercial park spanning 77,000 square metres has been created on the 14-hectare former site of the Vallourec tube factory, providing a home for numerous companies. This project was the first of its kind to receive DGNB Gold certification from the German Sustainable Building Council thanks to its particularly resource-efficient demolition process.
The Tube also sets sustainability standards in its use. Sunrock plays a major role in this. The Dutch company rents the roof space to operate photovoltaic systems. This saves almost 2,700 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually and supplies the tenants with green energy. Sunrock has established itself as a major player in large-scale rooftop solar installations in Germany, with around a hundred projects. The company is increasingly focusing on diversification. 'The Tube is a great example of our revenue model. We sell the electricity generated either to the grid or locally to the building tenants,’ explains Georg Brenninkmeijer, Sunrock Germany's Managing Director. Sunrock also offers battery solutions for energy storage. ‘We are expanding into other fields, all of which are related to energy in the commercial, logistics, and industrial sectors,’ adds Brenninkmeijer.
Sunrock has had a presence in Düsseldorf since 2021, and two years ago, its 15-strong team moved into the company's German headquarters in the Wilhelm-Marx-Haus. Nearly 35 additional employees work throughout the country. There are several reasons for choosing this location. 'We appreciate the proximity to business partners such as customers, service providers, banks, consulting firms, real estate developers and managers. The connections within the state and to neighbouring countries are very good. What is particularly important is that we have great projects in the immediate vicinity,’ says the managing director. There are 15 projects in North Rhine-Westphalia, one of the highlights being the Levi Strauss & Co. European Distribution Centre in Dorsten. Sunrock equipped the Logix award-winning logistics property with a large-scale PV system and battery storage solutions. Brenninkmeijer mentions another location advantage: ‘Düsseldorf is a very attractive place for our employees. The city is very international, has so much to offer, and is highly innovative.’
Timo Hielscher, Managing Director M&A, CTP Deutschland
A few kilometres away from ‘The Tube’ is another former Vallourec site. CTP Germany, an independent subsidiary of the Czech CTP Group, has purchased the 83-hectare site in the Rath district and is developing a business park there. The multifunctional 'CTPark Düsseldorf' will be used for production, research and development. ‘We want to create something that is more than just a few production halls. A lot of creative and innovative things can happen here. This requires expertise from a variety of disciplines. We are convinced that Düsseldorf, with its high quality of life, is exactly the place where innovative companies want to settle and well-trained specialists want to work,' explains Timo Hielscher, CTP Germany's Managing Director of M&A.
CTP was founded 25 years ago by Dutchman Remon Vos. With over 200 locations in ten countries, the company has become one of the most important developers and managers of logistics and industrial real estate in Europe. CTP has been active in Germany since 2021, with a portfolio of 105 projects spread across the country. The company operates in three business areas: the management of existing properties; the acquisition of former industrial sites and their transformation into modern commercial spaces; and the energy business, a relatively new venture for the company. CTP installs PV modules on its properties and sells the electricity to tenants.
'We develop our sites with a long-term perspective and attach great importance to collaborating with cities to determine what is best for the location, making old industrial sites accessible as open commercial areas. We don't think in terms of monocultures, but rather different usage classes. After all, our locations should still be functioning in 30 years' time,’ emphasises Hielscher. With further projects in Aachen, Wuppertal, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Jülich and Krefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia has become a key area for CTP. Düsseldorf is the most important location in the region. Hielscher cites the city's high attractiveness, its healthy economic structure, and its catchment area of millions of consumers in the midst of North Rhine-Westphalia's changing industrial landscape as reasons for this. He also emphasises the importance of Düsseldorf's economic development agency: 'With its centres of excellence, it is very well positioned, particularly in relation to India, Japan and China. This is valuable for us, as we are in contact with a wide variety of global companies. This includes Asian industrial and technology companies, for whom we are building a new production facility in Jülich, for example.' MOD21 has implemented numerous projects in Düsseldorf, leaving a visible mark on the city. Founded in 1993 in the Rhineland as GWI Bauunternehmung GmbH, the company is part of the German- Polish construction group ERBUD.
Łukasz Świątkowski, Managing Director, MOD21
MOD21 is headquartered on the Böhler site in Düsseldorf and employs around 35 people. The production plant is located in Ostaszewo, Poland. There, MOD21 manufactures wooden modules for buildings in the education, housing, accommodation, and health sectors. ‘The modules are delivered prefabricated and assembled into finished buildings on site. Adjustments to existing buildings are also possible. Our solutions can be implemented quickly and are cost-efficient and sustainable. Once they have reached the end of their usefulness, the certified wood can be returned to the recycling cycle, or the building can be moved to another location,’ explains Managing Director Łukasz Świątkowski. MOD21 has been recognised for its pioneering role in sustainable construction, including at the German Brand Award 2025. The innovative concept is currently being implemented in various buildings in Düsseldorf, including 160 residential units with underground parking, office buildings, and a daycare centre on Witzelstraße in Düsseldorf-Bilk, as well as the Kö-Quartier. Sunrock, CTP and MOD21 – three companies with three investments and one goal: to continue growing in and together with one of Germany's most attractive business locations.•
Words: Dominik Deden
Pictures: Frasers Property Industrial, Sunrock, Frasers Property Industrial, Andreas Endermann