Rhineland Palatinate

Rheinland-Pfalz, part of dynamic southwest Germany, is a region with high employment and an attractive investment climate. Next-door to France, Belgium and Luxembourg and part of the Rhein-Main and Rhein-Neckar business hubs, Rheinland-Pfalz is outstandingly located for those poised to conquer markets.

Air, rail, road and waterways serve world markets. Thanks to an excellent highway system, fast access to five airports (Frankfurt, Frankfurt-Hahn, Koeln/Bonn, Zweibruecken and Saarbruecken) as well as ultra-fast trains destined for German and European metropolitan areas and business hubs, Rheinland-Pfalz is truly well-connected. And then the Rhein, of course - Europe’s most important waterway.

Rheinland-Pfalz is a flourishing corporate neighborhood. Companies are either components of a strong industrial business and science environment as is the case for the commercial vehicles industry, the metal and ceramic sector as well as chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Or they work side by side with internationally successful, mostly mid-sized enterprises, in particular those in specialized environmental technologies. Companies are always embedded in the right environs.

A successful mix of large and mid-sized companies throughout the business spectrum make Rheinland-Pfalz an above-average performer among European regions. Rheinland-Pfalz ships more than 50 percent of its output abroad, a volume that traditionally ranks Rheinland-Pfalz among Germany’s top exporters.

Research institutions and universities spark innovations. Technology centers provide an ideal platform for launching new companies. To consolidate the innovative resources in the state, business and science work closely together and outdo each other to achieve top performance.

Rheinland-Pfalz has the right chemistry! Compared to the German chemical industry as a whole, its counterpart in Rheinland-Pfalz employs on average more people per plant, achieves some ten percent more in sales per employee, significantly more sales per plant and maintains a similar wage and salary ratio. BASF’s complex in Ludwigshafen is the largest contiguous chemical production site in the world. Pharmaceutical manufacturers also succeed in Rheinland-Pfalz. Boehringer Ingelheim is Germany’s largest research-driven pharmaceutical enterprise. Abbott in Ludwigshafen is a foremost representative of the industry’s quality in business-oriented Rheinland-Pfalz. However, the state’s big showcase chemical and pharmaceutical companies are not alone in pushing research and innovation. Many small and midsized firms contribute to the effort; the industry as a whole employs 55,000 people and achieves an export rate in excess of 63 percent. The futuristic biotechnology industry, closely related to chemicals and pharmaceuticals, is growing by leaps and bounds. Particularly around Mainz young innovative biotech companies and spin-offs from the capital city’s university are capitalizing on the technology center infrastructure and the depth of the scientific environment as sources for ideas and catalysts.

Rheinland-Pfalz accents the joys of life – in every respect. Wines from Germany’s No. 1 wineproducing state are internationally critically acclaimed by juries and, above all, by consumers. Culture is ingrained in the scenery. Just to experience any of the state’s four UNESCO World Heritage Sites (e. g. the Cathedral in Speyer, the largest surviving Romanic church in the world; Roman monuments in the city of Trier, the cultural landscape in the Upper Middle Rhein valley between the cities of Bingen and Koblenz), makes for unforgettable impressions. No wonder that Rheinland-Pfalz ranks among the most popular vacation destinations in Germany. Nice for all who live and work here.