The investment location of Saxony-Anhalt in April 2013

Results and Outlook for the Promotion of the Economy in Saxony-Anhalt. “One of the most significant results of investment promotion in the past year is the pronounced increase of expansion investments especially in view of a parallel decline of allowances. Our regional economy is, thus, well on the way to growing more strongly from within which is one of the primary objectives of the state government’s economic politics. It is particularly pleasing that these expansion investments, as well as the start-up investments, created significantly more new permanent jobs than in the previous years. And the amendments of the state’s regulations for the State-Region Joint Agreement “Improvement of Regional Economic Structure“ (GRW) that took effect about one year ago, contributed to that trend.“ Read more.Development of economy better than expected / Industry has highest growth across Germany. The economy developed better in Saxony-Anhalt in 2012 than was expected according to some negative reports over the course of the year. With a plus in gross domestic product of 0.5 per cent, adjusted for price, compared to the previous year, we are slightly above the average for East Germany. We can be happy about the development of the manufacturing industry – in this, the state achieved the highest growth rate out of all the federal states with a price-adjusted increase of 1.0 per cent. This is a good signal of the stability of the economy in Saxony-Anhalt. Read more.Dow announces commissioning of new production plants for photovoltaic film in Schkopau. Following the completion of the new production plant for ENLIGHT™ polyolefin film in Schkopau, the first delivery was dispatched to customers. With the commissioning of the Schkopau plant, Dow is vastly increasing its global capacity. This also enables the company to deliver to customers in the photovoltaic industry in Europe, Asia and America directly from within the respective region. This helps customers reduce system costs and strengthen their global competitiveness in the different regions. Since 2010, Dow has tripled its production capacity for photovoltaic film. Shortly after the production plant in Map Ta Phut, Thailand, was commissioned at the beginning of 2012, work began for the production site in Schkopau. The plant was completed with no recorded injuries just 10 months later in February 2013. “We continue to be committed to helping our customers reduce costs and address the global demand for solar energy. The adoption of polyolefin technology is gathering pace due to its technical and economic performance benefits. A significant European customer base has requested our local production presence”, noted Mark Saurin, Director of Photovoltaic Platform Development at Dow. Read more.Solar module manufacturer Innotech Solar ramps up production. While numerous companies like Bosch or Siemens are backing out of the solar industry, the competitive environment of Scandinavian-German solar module manufacturer, Innotech Solar (ITS), has improved. The company is increasing its production in Halle/Saale in Germany and Glava in Sweden, allowing Innotech Solar to take the next step in achieving its full production capacity of 100 megawatts (MW). In the medium term, this capacity could be increased to 170 MW. Read more.Economic conference by Sandersdorf-Brehna for a support strategy. Prof. Dr Birgitta Wolff, Minister of Science and Economic Affairs, promoted the state’s support strategy today at the 12th economic conference of Sandersdorf-Brehna (district Anhalt-Bitterfeld). Due to changed conditions and declining transfer payments, in future funds will have to be used in an even more targeted manner. Read more. KSB increases non-European business. With sales revenue of € 2,268.2 million, the KSB Group achieved a new record in 2012. The pumps and valves manufacturer increased earnings before taxes (EBT) to € 132.8 million.  In recent years, KSB has significantly strengthened its presence in the growth markets of Asia and South America as well as in the Middle East and Africa. This involvement paid off in 2012 as well. Despite the difficult economic situation in the European home market, the Group improved its order intake by 5.9 %. Read more.