NRW.Global Business AWARD 2025: International winners for Witten and Co.

NRW.Global Business AWARD 2025: International winners for Witten and Co.

Today, North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) presents itself as an outstanding investment location for international companies. On June 23, 2025, four companies will be honored for their significant investments and successful internationalization projects as part of the NRW.Global Business AWARD 2025. This celebratory honor underlines the dynamic economic power of the region and the attractiveness of its location.

This year the award will go to:

• LyondellBasell (Niederlande)
• Tactical Solutions (Estland)
• Laser ISSE (Türkei)
• Herbeder Holzwarenkontor Jörn Brenscheidt (Witten, NRW)

Awards for innovative projects

LyondellBasell, a renowned chemical company, is being honored for an important recycling project in Wesseling. The company plans to build a chemical recycling plant that will be operated using the innovative MoReTec technology. With a total investment of over 300 million euros, projects are being realized that achieve at least 80% recycling rates and are powered by renewable energy.

Since its founding in Hilden, Tactical Solutions has made a name for itself by producing freeze-dried specialty food. These products have been on the market since 2024 and have an impressive shelf life of eight years without preservatives. The company serves 24 countries, including militaries and aid organizations, and has already provided over 100,000 meals to Ukraine. The Hilden location also creates more than 30 jobs.

Laser ISSE, a company founded in Duisburg and specializing in industrial laser applications, is also receiving an award. In 2023, it set up a sales, development and service structure in Europe that is intended to strengthen both industrial transformation and research on site.

Herbeder Holzwarenkontor Jörn Brenscheidt was the first craft company to receive the NRW.Global Business AWARD. The company produces high-quality wooden stairs and is internationally known for the largest free-floating wooden staircase in Norway. It generates an impressive 80% of its sales abroad and is continually building an international network with new branches.

Growing investment proposals in NRW

The awards reflect North Rhine-Westphalia's excellent reputation as an investment location, which will be increasingly recognized by international companies in 2023. 283 foreign companies have established themselves or expanded their branches in the region, bringing with them a forecast of around 4,600 new jobs. These companies come from a total of 29 countries of origin, with European countries playing a significant role. Other important countries of origin include Greater China, Türkiye, the USA and Japan.

In recent years, NRW has increasingly implemented investment projects in the field of renewable energies, which could also be observed in 2022. The number of jobs in research and development has increased compared to the previous year, while the mobility, hydrogen and medical technology sectors demonstrate NRW's innovation potential.

Although Europe and Germany are confronted with a tense investment mood and the decline in FDI projects and potential jobs is being felt, NRW continues to offer attractive location advantages. This is proven by current studies by KPMG and fDi Intelligence, which highlight the region as a stable and future-oriented location.

For more information about North Rhine-Westphalia as a top investment location, visit State of North Rhine-Westphalia and NRW Global Business.