DÜSSELDORF’S INDUSTRY IN TRANSITION

The manufacturing industry in the state capital is one of the economically strongest in all of North-Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). All the more so when the network of core industry, service providers and tech start-ups is taken into consideration. A master plan is supposed to lead this network into a future full of prospects.

Desk of the Ruhr Region- this is how Düsseldorf was and still is often called. The metaphor stems from a time when many manufacturing companies from the Ruhr region opened their administrative headquarters here. Today, as many as 86 percent of all employees work in the service sector, no other major city can boast such a rate. But not many people would necessarily suspect this: Düsseldorf is also one of the strongest industrial locations in NRW!

Numerous, mostly internationally operating companies ensure great productivity. Among the larger and well-known companies are Teekanne, Löwensenf, Komatsu Minig (see p. 22), Hakle, BASF, Vallourec and Daimler with its Sprinter plant (see p.60) – to name but a few. They and many other companies are what makes our daily life possible in the first place, because “industry is not everything, but without industry everything is nothing”. They are supported by a large number of industry-related providers that take over outsourced processes as well as start-ups that innovate production processes (see p.18). What they all really appreciate most about Düsseldorf is its central location and good infrastructure in the middle of Europe, well-qualified employees and a highly efficient business network.

At the same time, the city is growing steadily and the demand for living space is enormous. Since the available space is increasingly limited, demands for its use such as for work, living, leisure and transport purposes are in strong competition with each other. So how do you manage to plan and develop a city as liveable as Düsseldorf as well-balanced and sustainable as possible? And how do you manage to get the vitally important industry on board?

For example, with an industry master plan. In 2011, the city, IHK, industrial companies and associations already joined forces for this purpose. “The Industry Master Plan is an initiative with the aim of sustainably securing Düsseldorf as an important industrial location and making it fit for the future. This includes offering resident companies planning security and perspectives for the future. Our city planning is an important element in this process, without it we as business development department could not implement specific measures”, says Theresa Winkels, head of the Düsseldorf Business Development Department.

In working groups, the key players identified issues and developed basic principles. Awareness of the importance of industry was raised and politicians were involved. Together, they have thus initiated important infrastructure projects. One example is the railway underpass on Bamberger Strasse: the necessary transport route for the large crane parts from Konecranes or the machines from Komatsu to the Rhine has so far been along the railway tracks - as soon as the line is used for the Rhine-Ruhr Express (RRX), this is no longer possible. Therefore, a joint decision has been made to lower Bamberger Strasse, where construction is currently underway. This measure has secured the locations of several industrial companies in the south of Düsseldorf.

SECURING DÜSSELDORF AS AN IMPORTANT INDUSTRIAL LOCATION AND MAKING IT FIT FOR THE FUTURE

The participants in the Industry Master Plan are supporting concrete projects – with the emphasis on two main issues: area management and industrial acceptance. “In Düsseldorf, we have to be able to live well as well as work. To achieve this, we have to explain the importance of industrial production to politicians and the population and promote the necessary economic areas in urban centres,” says Theresa Winkels. 

Düsseldorf's industry received extra support in terms of planning security at the end of 2018: the city council decided on an “area strategy” to additionally strengthen the locations of industrial and craft businesses. Of course, legal framework conditions such as immission or planning laws must be taken into account and project plans must be brought into line with them. 

The focus of this strategy is the so-called core zone map with different categories for industrial and commercial areas. Each category contains a brief description as well as targets for the area development: “In the core zones, we basically do two things, depending on the initial situation: We protect these areas or we activate them,” explains Theresa Winkels. Activating can mean, in turn: Derelict land is used for new purposes or existing areas are made more efficient, for example by also building multi-storey facilities in the commercial sector, as is being considered for Theodorstraße. A public workshop was held here in September 2019 with the aim of defining guidelines for future development. “I hope that campus-like structures will one day exist at such locations, where production, trade and research work hand in hand and thus create higher added value. These are the individual building blocks of industry that we want to digitalize and innovate,” says Theresa Winkels

“HYBRID STRUCTURES COULD CONTRIBUTE TO A HIGHER ACCEPTANCE OF INDUSTRY”

Hybrid structures, in which office space, manufacturing industry and, for example, also gastronomy and local recreation are intelligently and creatively combined in one place, could also contribute to a higher acceptance of industry among Düsseldorf's citizens. Because this acceptance of industry still needs be increased further, says Marion Hörsken, Managing Director of the Düsseldorf Chamber of Commerce and Industry, based on her intensive analysis of the issue: “There is still a lot of work to be done. That is why we want to ensure even more transparency in the future and show that Düsseldorf's industrial companies make an important contribution to making Düsseldorf so prosperous. Especially in turbulent times like these, industry can be a motor for the upswing. Also against the background of the current issues surrounding climate protection, it is important to show that industrial companies take the issues of climate and resource protection very seriously.” The public can experience that industry is exciting, for example at the “Long Night of Industry”. Actually the event would have celebrated its 10th edition in Düsseldorf and the Rhine-Ruhr region this year, but due to the corona crisis, the event will be postponed to October 2021. The Düsseldorf Chamber of Industry and Commerce has been a partner of Germany’s largest Long Night of Industry from the very beginning. 

“It is great to see how enthusiastic people are about industry once they experience it and gain insights into production. They see where the products are manufactured that they use in their everyday lives. And this ‘understanding’ contributes greatly to the acceptance of industry,” says Hörsken.

Marion Hörsken
Managing Director Industry Support IHK Düsseldorf

Theresa Winkels
Director of the Office for Economic Development Düsseldorf

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Words: Tom Corrinth
Pictures: PR

INDUSTRY AROUND THE CLOCK

Industry isn‘t everything – yet they say without industry everything is nothing. How vital is manufacture really for our lives? VIVID’s reporter Maria Leipold spent a day on the lookout for ‘Products Made in Düsseldorf’ and their place in our day-to-day life.

The use of the word ‘industry’ in our daily lives has a negative connotation. Most people associate it with faceless mass production – noisy, heavy and dirty. But is that really true? Is it not possible for there to be regionally manufactured and cleanly produced goods that accompany our daily lives? I wanted to find out and aimed to see where they would pop up going through my normal, daily routine.

MORNING

Still sleepy and rubbing my eyes, I’m shuffling to the bathroom and turn the tap on. As I glance at the faucet I notice: Grohe. So there it is, the first item ‘manufactured in Düsseldorf’ of the day. And I have only been awake for about a minute. I brush my teeth and step into the shower. The shampoo is by L’Oreal, the shower gel by Henkel – both well-known names in our city.As I get dressed I reach unerringly for my tights, made by Calzedonia. Their headquarters are also situated in Düsseldorf. I am quickly making a cup of tea before I head to work. My current favourite is ‘Spanish Orange’ by Teekanne, who have been based in Düsseldorf for 66 years. Before I leave the house, I disinfect my hands and carefully put my facemask in my handbag. In the process, I reflect on how some industrial companies in my hometown have shown real commitment in the first months of the Corona pandemic: 

For example, by producing and supplying disinfectants outside of the normal schedule - BASF and Henkel, for example.On my way to work a Mercedes Sprinter van pulls in before me. A quintessential Düsseldorf classic. Since the model was introduced in 1995, the Sprinter has been manufactured in the Mercedes-Benz plant in Düsseldorf. And by the way, it will shortly be available in an electric version. Up to 700 Sprinters are finished at the plant on a daily basis. Of course I do not see that many on my way to work, but I spot at least five. I also notice one of the huge construction cranes, Demag is its make. A name known to us in Düsseldorf for over 100 years. I arrive at work and take the elegant glass lift to the 7th floor. The lift was made by Windscheid & Wendel, Germany’s oldest lift manufacturer. For more than 150 years this business based in Düsseldorf has been specialising in bespoke, custom-built lifts ‘Made in Germany’.

LUNCHTIME

I am making a sandwich with Buko cream cheese, followed by Skyr yoghurt with fresh fruit. Both Buko and Skyr are produced by Arla, a Scandinavian company, and their German headquarters are located just here, by the river Rhine. Afterwards I wipe the table clean with a kitchen towel that also originates in our region. For over 130 years the paper plant Julius Schulte has been making kitchen towel cardboard tubes in Bilk. And they are 100 per cent recycled.

AFTERNOON

Coffee break! I use this to check my social media. My mobile is made by HUAWEI, a Chinese company. But even HUAWEI orchestrate German-wide activities from Düsseldorf. And also my coffee has a connection to our city; every third coffee processing machine has come from GEA, the machinery and plant manufacturer, based in Düsseldorf.

EVENING

I’m back home and quickly put the washing machine on. The detergent is by Persil, again, a Henkel product. I also have to use the loo and swiftly come across the next product made in Düsseldorf - in 1928 Hans Klenk, the name giver of the famous, long-established brand Hakle, produced the first Hakle toilet roll here. Then it is time to get changed and put some make up on, as I am meeting with friends at the Rhine embankment. My cosmetics again are made by L’Oreal, but then I notice something else - even my perfume bottle might have come from Düsseldorf. Gerresheimer, a long-established company, has been producing packaging for the cosmetics industry, among other things, for almost 150 years. I take the tram to the city, thanks to the electric equipment supplied by the company Kiepe Electric, also based in Düsseldorf. On my way to the river bank, I treat myself to meatball roll to go, of course with a dollop of Löwensenf, our own locally produced mustard. That goes perfectly with a delicious Alt beer. A life without industrially manufactured products? Without wrapped groceries, cosmetics, transport, washing machines, electric machines and meatball rolls? Unimaginable! On reflection, I am surprised how many of the products I use daily have a real local connection. Here’s a shot of Killepitsch. Cheers. •

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Words: Tom Corrinth
Pictures: PR

DIGITAL HELPERS FOR THE INDUSTRY

The industry can benefit from the possibilities of digitalisation in many ways - but often still does not. Some start-ups from Düsseldorf are addressing the situation. For example FoxBase and Fero Labs.

Fero Labs, for example, helps industrial production companies to better understand their manufacturing processes. With the help of special Machine Learning (ML) software, they can reduce their raw material consumption, minimize their emissions and continuously improve the efficiency and quality of their processes. Transparency is a major concern of the start-up company: all analysis steps and results can be precisely tracked for the user. Fero Labs’ customers come from various industries: from chemical production and steel companies to automobile manufacturers. The start-up has its headquarters in New York. The European headquarters at the Düsseldorf site are headed by Tim Eschert, who has also conducted research at the Department of Computer Science at Columbia University (New York) and in the robotics laboratory at Rio de Janeiro University. From his base in Düsseldorf, the mechanical engineer has already advised Henkel, among others: The group's engineers now use Fero Labs software to better understand processes in the manufacture of dishwasher tabs and to optimize their planning accordingly. Gerdau, Volvo Trucks and Covestro are also among the five-year-old start-up's customer base. “Nowhere else is the density of potential customers, corporate headquarters and relevant talent for us higher than in and around Düsseldorf. And if we don't find what we're looking for here, the infrastructure takes us to all parts of Germany, Europe, and the rest of the world as conveniently as nowhere else,” says Eschert.

His company offers software for digital product consulting: Benjamin Dammertz of FoxBase

Manages the European headquarters of Fero Labs in Düsseldorf: Mechanical engineer Tim Eschert.

With regard to changes brought about by the Corona pandemic, the site manager explains: “The volatility of the markets in Corona times also means that the 

pressure on companies to understand their processes in detail has increased. This means a further acceleration of automation and digitalisation. For our own business, this time means above all to create innovations literally on the sofa, because there is no need to travel for us anymore”.

FoxBase also offers established companies support with digitalisation. The start-up company focuses on distribution. Many B2B providers are having a hard time in this area today: with the abundance of product offers available online, the desire of customers for fast, competent answers is growing. Companies are faced with the challenge of marketing their products online as simply, comprehensibly and efficiently as possible. The solution that FoxBase founders Benjamin Dammertz and Carsten Dolch have developed together with their customers is a software that enables users to receive digital product advice. With the help of an interactive questionnaire, the “Digital Product Selector” transfers the analogue sales talk into digital. The recommendation logic that is used here is based on possible questions that a good salesperson would normally ask in a customer conversation and determines the products that fit the customer’s needs. The software is integrated into the customer's existing websites and is suitable for different industries and company sizes. Henkel is also a major customer for FoxBase: In the group’s Industrial Adhesives business, the “Digital Product Selector” helps customers and sales staff to find the right product. Various “Henkel Adhesive Selectors” are now in use worldwide in several languages. Deutsche Telekom also uses the software to advise business customers on their fixed-network and Internet rates. Medium-sized companies from various industries are also already using the solution. Since it was founded four years ago, the start-up company has been able to build up a large network in this way. The founders particularly appreciate the location Düsseldorf: “Many established companies from a wide range of industries are located here, from ‘hidden champions’ to large corporations,” says Benjamin Dammertz. “Many are open to working with start-ups like us and have digitalization as one of their top priorities on the agenda.”

“MANY ARE OPEN TO WORKING WITH START-UPS LIKE US AND HAVE DIGITALIZATION AS ONE OF THEIR TOP PRIORITIES ON THE AGENDA.”

In the current crisis, it has once again become clear how German companies are approaching digitalisation. “We are currently experiencing two different scenarios. One is that companies put everything on hold and react by stopping investments while observing the market. What we are seeing mostly though are those companies which are even more interested in the digitalisation of their distribution and say: Yes, let's start quickly. The relevance of digitalisation has become clearer to many in recent months”. •

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FURTHER EXAMPLES

Numerous other Düsseldorf start-ups are showing the industry how it can take advantage of the opportunities offered by digitalisation. A few examples:

fastersolutions.de
Faster Solutions supports companies in the planning and implementation of robotics projects.
www.roambee.com
Roambee makes it easier for customers to control their goods and assets. 
www.vathos-robotics.com
Vathos Robotics is a specialist for machine vision and learning with applications in robotics and industrial automation. 
 www.acoono.de
Aconno develops networked sensors and hardware solutions. 

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Words: Elena Winter
Pictures: PR