NRW.INVEST AWARD 2010

North Rhine-Westphalia honors foreign investors 

In the presence of around three hundred international guests from industry and politics, NRW.INVEST and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia presented the NRW.INVEST AWARD on July 12, 2010. With this award in the categories Innovation, Expansion Investment and New Investment, the state honors companies for their bold and innovative investments in North Rhine-Westphalia as a business location.

(From left): Erich Staake (CEO Duisburger Hafen AG), Jürgen Bohnen (Managing Director Reiner Bohnen Internationale Spedition), Tom Albold (Managing Director Danone Waters), Economics Minister Christa Thoben (Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia), Christopher Garbe (Managing Director Garbe Logistic), Peter Martin Tesch (Australian Ambassador), Dr. Karl Föger (Chief Technology Officer Ceramic Fuel Cells Ltd.), Nobuyuki Nakane (Managing Director Makita Werkzeug GmbH), Petra Wassner (CEO NRW.INVEST GmbH), Tokio Kawashima (President of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Düsseldorf).

The award in the category Innovation 2010 goes to Ceramic Fuel Cells. The Australian company invested 9.5 million euros in a production facility for fuel cell stacks in Heinsberg in the Lower Rhine region. Up to 10,000 fuel cell stacks will be manufactured here every year. The company has developed a new machine called BlueGen which is no larger than a dish-washer. Its purpose is to generate electricity and supply warm water. Well-known energy supply companies are on the list of customers for the BlueGen technology. 80 new jobs will be created in development and production. The location of Ceramic Fuel Cells closes a gap in North Rhine-Westphalia's fuel cell cluster.

In the Expansion Investment category NRW.INVEST is honoring a company which has already been based in North Rhine-Westphalia for 33 years. The Japanese machine tool manufacturer Makita is investing 30 million euros in its new German headquarters in Ratingen. The previous site had become too small. For the new building in Ratingen, Makita has focused strongly on renewable energies. An innovative geothermal plant provides warm water and thermal heat. In addition to warehouse and dispatch halls, an administration and a training center with demonstration and exhibition rooms are being built here, as well as a considerably extended workshop area for the service technicians. As from 2011, there will be around 180 people working for Makita in Ratingen.

In the New Investment category this year's NRW.INVEST AWARD goes to a trio of investors: Danone Waters, Garbe Logistic and Reiner Bohnen Internationale Spedition. The award is presented for an investment which is both economically and ecologically meaningful. Last year, Garbe Logistic built a logistics center in the port of Duisburg for 15 million euros. The medium-sized logistics specialist Reiner Bohnen invested a further 7 million euros in the outfitting of its logistics halls, thereby creating 60 new jobs. The location will become the logistics headquarters of Danone Waters for filling Evian and Volvic crates as well as for distribution in northern Germany. Thanks to this investment Danone Waters saves 30 percent of the emissions that were previously created during transportation from and to France and during storage.