Flanders

Flanders covers 44.8% of Belgium's 30,528 km2 (about the size of Maryland) and accounts for some 60% of the total population. Home to the majority of the country's industry and workforce, the region also generates the major part of national trade: the Flemish GRP (Gross Regional Product) provides 60% of the national GDP.

Situated at the very point where the Anglo-Saxon, Latin and Germanic cultures meet, Flanders has long been a crossroads of European trade and culture. This means businesses can benefit from the flexibility, language skills, business know-how and enterprise environment built up over centuries.

Europe's leading production & logistics center

Flanders offers chemical companies looking to expand into Europe or expand European operations one of the most highly developed chemical clusters in the world.

In sector terms, the industry is a major national player, generating more than 20% of total Belgian exports. And while Belgium represents just 2.7% of the European Union's population and 3.2% of the EU's GDP, the country's chemicals industry provides more than 8% of European turnover in the sector and accounts for 17% of European exports of chemical products.

The region of Flanders is home to the lion's share of the industry, with some 1,500 companies, including around 1,100 small and medium sized businesses. The industry accounts for 160,000 direct and indirect jobs and an annual turnover amounting to around 33 billion euro. The sector's annual investment figure reaches about one billion euro.

Feedstocks by pipeline

The sector extends along a ribbon from West Flanders and Ostend down through Ghent to Antwerp and from there along the Albert Canal to Tessenderlo. The Port of Antwerp hosts the largest cluster in Europe.

With five refineries and four crackers, it is a major producer of the six main petrochemical commodities - ethylene, propylene, butadiene, benzene, toluene and xylene. It is also the main hub of the Western Europe pipeline network. Within the Antwerp area there are more than 100 pipelines with a total length of more than 350 km and carrying a total of 15 different products. A network of pipelines links plants on either side of the River Schelde providing commodities and feedstocks.

Major companies in Flanders include BASF, Bayer, Borealis, BP, Chevron, DuPont, Eval (Kuraray), Ineos, Kaneka, McBride, Monsanto, Nippon Shokubai, Proviron, SolVin, Tessenderlo and Total.

Specialized logistics providers

In logistics, Flanders offers the pipelines, the road, rail, sea and inland waterway connections the chemical sector requires. And, with several clusters in addition to Antwerp, there are specialist tank storage and service providers close to hand. A group of companies under the umbrella of the Belgian Association of Tank Storage Operators (BATO) provides expert service and facilities and offer a total tank storage capacity of some 3.6 million m3, including the world's largest stainless steel capacity.

The location of Flanders at the heart of the core European economy combined with its logistics and transport benefits provides rapid and efficient supply and distribution links with other markets.

Co-siting options

New sites are available, and site-sharing or co-siting is offered by four companies - Proviron in Ostend, and Bayer-LANXESS, Ineos and Monsanto at the Port of Antwerp.

Flanders offers the diversity and integration, the location and logistics, the workforce and the expertise for chemical companies looking for a new home in Europe.