CURRENTA is the manager and operator of CHEMPARK, with sites in Leverkusen, Dormagen and Krefeld-Uerdingen. Nanjing Chemical Industry Park is one of the three largest chemical and industrial parks in China. In the agreement, the two parties undertake to share their experience and information on a regular basis. This is the world’s first partnership agreement between chemical parks.
“We look forward to this cooperation, which will enable in-depth sharing of experience for two major players on the market. As an up-and-coming industrial nation, China offers a variety of opportunities in this area, and we are looking to harness these,” explained Dr. Schäfer. “We are proud to be a pioneer for a cooperation agreement that unites the Nanjing industrial region and the CHEMPARK sites in a partnership.”
The two partners can benefit not only from an exchange of know-how but also from cooperating on activities and events. Collaboration on training and an exchange of employees for a limited period are also planned over the long term. “This international perspective enhances our local expertise, enabling us to reinforce our position as Europe’s leading chemical park manager and operator and strengthen and build on this in the long term,” said Dr. Schäfer. Dr. Ernst Grigat, head of the CHEMPARK Management Business Unit and Manager of CHEMPARK Leverkusen, added: “We see this cooperation as a gateway that also allows us to establish contacts with other Chinese and foreign production companies looking to invest in Europe in the future.”
Dr. Schäfer and Dr. Grigat are part of a delegation of high-ranking business representatives who have joined State Premier of North Rhine-Westphalia Dr. Jürgen Rüttgers on a trip to China from November 15 to 22, 2009.
“The Nanjing Chemical Industry Park (NCIP) is a nationally renowned petrochemical industrial park at the international cutting edge and is home to more than 100 prestigious global companies. CHEMPARK in North Rhine-Westphalia is one of Germany’s largest chemical parks and enjoys an excellent reputation in the industry throughout the world. Signing this partnership agreement between our chemical industrial park and CHEMPARK will enable collaboration at an international level. This will play a key role in management, exchanging technical expertise and pursuing business development and help develop both regions collectively,” explained Xie Chongxiu, Vice President of the NCIP Administrative Committee and Deputy Director of NCIP GmbH.
Initial contacts were made on a site marketing trip to China organized by business promotion organization NRW.INVEST, which also saw meetings take place with representatives of the Nanjing Chemical Industry Park. NRW.INVEST and its representative office in Nanjing provided support for the partners on both sides throughout the process and helped bring about the agreement. “North Rhine-Westphalia is Germany’s most important chemical location. It boasts top-class research and a special mix of SMEs and numerous large internationally successful corporations,” said Petra Wassner, Chief Executive Officer of NRW.INVEST GmbH.
Chemical and industrial parks are also becoming increasingly important in China. In the last few years, investment equivalent to billions of euros has been ploughed into China’s chemical parks, creating a high-performance chemical industry. As at European sites, sustainable development, recycling management and networked complexes also play a major role in China’s economy. Numerous new laws govern areas such as conservation of resources, environmental protection and safety at these locations. When granting approval, preference is given to new chemical companies located in chemical and industrial parks.
Chemical park managers and operators such as CURRENTA supply the infrastructure and are responsible for needs-oriented provision (including utilities in the form of electricity, steam and industrial gases) and safe waste management.
CURRENTA
CURRENTA, a joint venture between Bayer and LANXESS, operates and manages one of the largest chemical parks in Europe – CHEMPARK – with three sites in Leverkusen, Dormagen and Krefeld-Uerdingen. With approximately 3,500 employees, CURRENTA provides services in the chemical engineering sector. These include utilities, waste management, infrastructure, safety and security, analytics and vocational training. The company traded as Bayer Industry Services until the end of 2007. CURRENTA was the result of comprehensive restructuring in January 2008.
CHEMPARK
More than 70 companies specializing in production, research and services are located at CHEMPARK. The sites in Leverkusen, Dormagen and Krefeld-Uerdingen account for around one-third of the total chemical production in North Rhine-Westphalia, with more than 45,000 people working there.
From here, around 350 million consumers are reachable within one day’s journey by truck. CHEMPARK offers ideal access via waterways, railways and an extensive freeway network and is within easy reach of the international airports Cologne-Bonn and Dusseldorf. The CHEMPARK region is a driving force for research, development and a whole range of business sectors. Companies, research institutes and associations together form a strong network. Chemical companies have access to an extensive on-site infrastructure and needs-driven services.
NCIP
Nanjing is the capital of Jiangsu province, China’s most important industrial region and also one of the main financial centers in Eastern China. The Nanjing Chemical Industry Park (NCIP) has an 80-year history as a site for the Chinese petrochemical industry. The NCIP works closely with universities and research institutes. More than 100 companies are located at the approximately 45 km² site and have set up numerous world-scale facilities.
Companies at the NCIP benefit from power supplied in the form of electricity and steam and from water, industrial gases, safe disposal and site infrastructure. The park is located directly on the Yangtze River, immediately opposite the largest inland container terminal in China. International passenger and freight airports are located within the immediate vicinity.
NRW.INVEST
NRW.INVEST GmbH is a central contact point for investment in North Rhine-Westphalia. It offers potential investors from inside and outside Germany a one-stop service that ranges from information about sites in North Rhine-Westphalia and searches for plots to arranging and providing assistance for meetings and permit procedures. NRW.INVEST works in close collaboration with the state government and regional and municipal institutions for economic development in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is on hand to help investors who are already based in North Rhine-Westphalia, providing support in particular with expansion projects and setting up new companies and spinning off existing ones.
NRW.INVEST is also responsible for marketing North Rhine-Westphalia internationally as an industrial location, with the aim of attracting investment. The sole shareholder of NRW.INVEST GmbH is the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. As well as subsidiaries in Japan and the United States, the company has branches in China, India, South Korea and Turkey.