NRW.Global Business Boosts Trade Between India And Germany’s North Rhine-Westphalia

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In a bid to further expand the strong business ties between India and the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), a delegation of experts from NRW recently visited Bengaluru where NRW.Global Business has recently opened a branch office. NRW.Global Business is the foreign trade and investment agency of the NRW state. The organisation provides a range of services in assisting companies when it comes to projects that leverage the tremendous infrastructural, locational, cultural, societal and business advantages offered by NRW, besides its affluent markets.

Bengaluru was chosen as the launch pad for NRW.Global Business to manage its India operations as it is one of the world’s fastest growing technology hubs and the innovation capital of India.

NRW—Europe’s Heartbeat

NRW is the leading German state in the areas of investments and trade. The geographic as well as the economic centre of Western Europe, NRW provides an ideal location to start or expand a business. It further offers easy and wide access to almost one-third of the European consumer market with a population of around 160 million. Major Indian companies, such as Infosys, TCS, Wipro, Ashok Leyland, Bharat Forge, Kalyani Group, Arcelor Mittal, and Essar Steel already have business operations in NRW.

Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen, and Rhine-Ruhr (the second largest metropolitan area in Europe) are the most sought-after locations for Indian businesses. 20,000 international companies already operate in NRW.

NRW also boasts sizable economic muscle. The GDP of the NRW state is 20.5 percent of German GDP, amounting to 697 billion Euros, which is higher than the GDP of many countries in Europe. NRW is home to many of the top 50 companies in Germany and serves as a base for around 29 percent of Germany’s strong mid-sized business base.

An Indo-German decade

India and Germany have shared an excellent bilateral trade relationship and the future is even brighter. Dr Tobias Traupel, director general, European, Legal and Foreign Trade Department, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy of NRW, said that as part of the new Indo-Pacific guidelines, India holds a prominent space for Germany in building strategic alliances and is a valued partner.

Achim Burkart, the consul general of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bengaluru, discussed the future prospects of the Indo-German economic relationship and said that both countries look forward to an Indo-German decade, if not decades. He added that India is at the centre of German attention and both countries have much to contribute to each other in every sphere. He suggested that as part of this relationship, the NRW region could serve as a hub for developing products and services for the wider European scenario.

Bengaluru office to enhance support and exchange of expertise

The opening of the Bengaluru office of NRW.Global Business adds tremendous value to this expanding economic cooperation. It will assist Indian companies in exploring new business opportunities in the lucrative NRW region, and also help German businesses to expand their footprint in India and tap into India’s technology and digital prowess.

Felix Neugart, CEO of NRW.Global Business, announcing the official inauguration of the office in Bengaluru, said, “Several Indian tech giants have already opted for North Rhine-Westphalia—especially because of the excellent market prospects, the research and university landscape and the highly qualified specialists they find here. At the same time, the Indian market also offers excellent export prospects for our domestic NRW economy, for example in the field of renewable energies. Here we will build a bridge with our office and establish direct contacts with companies, associations, institutions, chambers and politics.”

The office in Bengaluru is the 15th in the network and will be led by Ambika Banotra as chief representative, NRW.Global Business India.

Ambika Banotra mentioned about the insightful assistance from NRW.Global Business office for Indian companies in all aspects of business in NRW. They analyse investment plans, identify suitable locations, and see an investment project from the first step to successful settlement and beyond.

Immense scope for collaboration

NRW.Global Business is not just about supporting corporate giants, but also welcomes and supports SMEs and start-ups by offering them a soft landing in the region and a hassle-free start. The region offers an opportunity for Indian SMEs in the B2B space to flourish as NRW serves as a springboard to Europe and its wider market.

NRW.Global Business also helps in the management of clusters in the NRW region for various sectors ranging from energy and climate change to bio-clusters for life sciences to technology. These clusters can function as matchmakers and accelerators of cooperation between Indian companies and prospective partners in the NRW region.

India and Germany have the potential to partner in the areas of information technology and deep tech, sustainable energy (hydrogen power, wind power, green energy, and energy transformation), life sciences and biotechnology, digital health and med-tech, as well as smart industry and the digitalisation of manufacturing.

Dr Traupel added that the NRW region was seeking partnerships from Indian organisations in the field of deep tech, sustainability, innovation, and start-ups as the state was looking to transform its economy. He added that he was impressed by the innovative capabilities of India and Karnataka, especially when it came to IT services. He felt that NRW’s traditional industry and start-ups could profit from collaboration with Indian companies and start-ups, and such partnerships would benefit both economies.

Sustainability at the heart of collaboration

Sustainability targets and energy transformation will be key areas where India and Germany have much to collaborate on. North Rhine-Westphalia aims to become the first climate-neutral business location in the world, is the first German state to adopt the federal government’s ambitious climate targets, and is looking forward to being climate-neutral by 2045. Dr Traupel added that sustainability also involved social sustainability, especially concerning supply chains. India will play a big role in enabling NRW to establish reliable and sustainable trade relations and connections.

NRW was also a part of the 25th edition of the Bengaluru Tech Summit and presented a session on NextGen—Tech for Sustainability. The session focused on sustainable ways forward in various sectors and highlighted the cooperation between research institutions, academia, government, industry, and industry bodies in Germany and India.

To reach NRW.Global Business in Bengaluru, please contact: 

Ambika Banotra Chief Representative – NRW Global Business- India

Tel: +91-9110215076 

Email: ambika.banotra@nrwglobalbusiness.co.in

www.nrwglobalbusiness.com