The investment location of Saxony-Anhalt in the month of December 2011
Saxony-Anhalt's industry is growing in its domestic and international business: Saxony-Anhalt's industry benefited from an upturn in 2011. As told by a spokesperson from the Federal Statistical Office, the around 670 larger companies in the state generated a total turnover of just under 189 million euros in the first half of the year. The majority of this turnover was generated domestically with 13.5 billion euros, while 5.5 billion euros were generated by selling products abroad.Find out more about the figures concerning the state's economic situation here.The rail vehicle manufacturer VIS Halberstadt has received a multi-million order from Finland. VIS Halberstadt will modernise and equip ten trams for the city of Helsinki. The order will be worth 4.5 million euros, according to Managing Director Dirk Ballerstein. Together with other orders, around 100 jobs are thus assured until 2013.The automotive supplier ElringKlinger AG has bought metal casing supplier Thawa GmbH, headquartered in Thale, Saxony-Anhalt, for 3.0 billion euros. The company was sold to ElringKlinger AG on 3rd January 2012. With the acquisition, ElringKlinger consolidates its activities in the waste gas purification technology sector. Thawa is principally a sub-contractor and manufacturing partner for Swiss waste gas specialist Hug Engineering AG, also bought by ElringKlinger in May 2011.Read more.Contego Packaging Group in Saxony-Anhalt is expanding: after a construction phase lasting several months, the British Contego Packaging Group, one of the leading European manufacturers of pharmaceutical packaging leaflets, celebrated the roofing ceremony of its new production hall in Bitterfeld-Wolfen on 20th December 2011. Contego plans to finish off the construction measures for the approx. 6500m² factory by mid-2012 and to also carry out production in the new factory halls in 2012.Read more.GISA GmbH from Halle (Saale) is taking over the office IT landscape of the largest East German gas provider, Verbundnetz Gas AG. With a volume of over 40 million euros, the order will extend over several years. For GISA, this is the largest order in the company's history, making 2011 the most successful year ever for the IT company from Halle.More and more passengers are choosing to set off for their holidays from Leipzig Halle Airport. Since the last quarter, there has been an improvement in performance compared to the same period of the previous year, according to airport Managing Director Dierk Näther. He spoke about "positive effects" including those created by the routes offered by Ryanair. After downturns in previous years, the number of passengers in November alone was said to have increased by more than seven per cent compared to the same month of the previous year to 170,720 passengers.Read more.Saxony-Anhalt in pole position for social media: the consulting company Faktenkontor carried out the "Social Media-Atlas 2011" study with market research company Toluna in cooperation with the IMWF [Institut für Management- und Wirtschaftsforschung]. Overall, 4,230 German internet users were questioned for this study. The study showed that Saxony-Anhalt is anything but a state of social media phobes. According to the study, the percentage of social media users in Saxony-Anhalt was 66%. Compared to other federal states, this puts Saxony-Anhalt in 6th place. In direct comparison with the other new federal states, the result is even better: the early birds in Saxony-Anhalt are in pole position!
The business location of Saxony-Anhalt in January 2012
Wirtschaftsstandort Sachsen-Anhalt im Januar 2012
“Wheat farmers need to improve their yields to remain competitive and meet growing demand. Our team at the European wheat breeding centre will develop first-class varieties adapted to European growing conditions. These new varieties together with our leading portfolio of crop protection products will in future enable us to provide solutions for sustainable grain production - from sowing to harvest”, said Dr Mathias Kremer, Head of BioScience at Bayer CropScience. “Biotechpark Gatersleben offers us the ideal environment and infrastructure for our breeding centre.” Gatersleben is one of the most important crop research centres in the world.
As well as developing new wheat varieties with higher yields and improved properties for the central European market, the new centre is also to coordinate all of Bayer CropScience’s wheat-breeding activities in Europe. Laboratory and greenhouse facilities have been leased from Biotechpark Gatersleben Infrastruktur GmbH. According to Bayer, up to 40 full-time permanent employees are to work at the centre in the future. The facility will be part of Bayer CropScience’s global network of wheat-breeding stations. A network of partnerships with leading international research institutions is also currently being developed to apply the latest advances in biotechnology processes in practice and thus to drive forward development in breeding.
The Halloren Schokoladenfabrik buys Dutch firm 'Steenland'
Shortly before Christmas, chocolate company Halloren Schokoladenfabrik, based in Halle, went on a big shopping trip. The company bought the firm 'Steenland', based in the Dutch town of Gouda. The firm has approximately 80 employees and manufactures chocolate coins, medals, bars and figures with the latest technological equipment. Its product range also includes Disney characters and the Smurfs. Steenland was founded 100 years ago and like Halloren it is a company with a long tradition. The final purchase price is confidential.
Read more. (Link to be added)
Start of the construction of the northern extension of the A 14
On 30.11.2011, together with the Prime Minister of the Federal State of Saxony-Anhalt, Reiner Haseloff, and the State Transport Minister, Thomas Webel, Federal Transport Minister Peter Ramsauer turned the first celebratory spade of earth for the new section of the A 14 that is being built between the junctions of Wolmirstedt and Colbitz.
Ramsauer: "The beginning of the construction work today is very important for eastern Germany. A new lifeline is being created for the economic development of the new part of Germany previously under communist rule. An efficient transport infrastructure is an important location factor in the key task of bringing more businesses to eastern Germany.”
With the northern extension of the A 14 from Magdeburg to Schwerin via Wittenberge, the connection of the region to the German motorway network will be complete. At the same time a superior connection to the ports of northern and eastern Germany and the trans-European transport network will also be created. To the south of Magdeburg, the A 14 continues through Saxony and on to the Czech Republic via the A 4 / A 17. The section from Wolmirstedt to Colbitz is being subsidised with 20 million Euros from the European Fund for Regional Development (EFRD 2007 - 2013). The cost of the new link, running to just under six kilometres, is set to total in the region of 49 million Euros.
The investment location of Saxony-Anhalt in the month of December 2011