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Logistics

There must be some good reasons why a study by the Fraunhofer Institute puts the Niederrhein region among the three “champion” logistics locations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

There must also be some good reasons why more than half of the top 20 logistics companies in Germany are present in the Niederrhein region, why a good eleven percent of all jobs in the logistics departments of trade and industry and in specialist logistics service providers are here, and why the logistics companies settling here have been among the top 5 in Germany in terms of size for years.

These reasons do indeed exist: the unbeatably good location of the Niederrhein region between the Benelux countries and the metropolitan regions Cologne, Düsseldorf and the Ruhr region, complemented by excellent infrastructure to land, waterways and air. And not least the fact that there is an attractive range of spaces on offer for companies either settling here for the first time or moving within the region.

The cities and districts in the Niederrhein region prepared themselves for globalization and the increasing importance of logistics early and in a goal-oriented manner. This head start and the vital competence networks make sure that logistics can continue to grow dynamically here.

Leading logistics companies such as Deutsche Post DHL, DB Mobility Logistics, Dachser, Rhenus, Arvato, Fiege, General Logistics, BLG, Wincanton, TNT Express and the German headquarters of UPS have profited from this, but they are not the only ones: Other top 100 logistics companies have their main base in the Niederrhein region: Rinnen, NEUFRA, Raben and DSV Road. They are joined by many international companies that run their German and European logistics centers here.

About half of the logistics space in the Niederrhein region is occupied by logistics service providers, another 19% by retail. The remaining space is used by the foods, automobile and chemicals industries. And regarding retail, a relatively young segment on the logistics market is Internet-based retail. Large online retailers with strong growth such as Amazon and Zalando have already chosen the Niederrhein region as the base for their logistics centers.

Niederrhein industries such as textiles and clothing as well as the chemicals and foods industries drove forward the creation of specialist logistics companies, which connected their services to the value creation chains of their clients seamlessly.

Take agribusiness, for example: a range of specialist logistics companies here makes sure that the agricultural products from local producers and processors reach their destination fresh and at the right temperature. The sales center Kempen, for example, supplies first and foremost the retail chain Lidl with fruit and vegetables from the Niederrhein. Wilms Tiefkühl-Service stores and transports groceries that have to be kept at a temperature of between minus 25 and plus 18 degrees; the recipients are system caterers, wholesale and retail as well as food producers. Finally, shippers Jakob Raeth concentrates on transporting potted and cut flowers for retail.