NORDGATE – the gateway to the Hamburg metropolitan region

WTSH-Online editorial team: What makes NORDGATE so attractive as a business location?

Marc-Mario Bertermann: NORDGATE offers a unique combination of attractive commercial spaces, exceptional transport connections and a thriving business community. Our region is particularly attractive for companies that want the best of both worlds of being close to Hamburg while also enjoying the benefits of the countryside. With our outstanding location, we play a key role as a hub for global trade and for the transport of high-value goods. 

Iris Meyer: Our success has been based on first-class infrastructure and excellent connections to the Hamburg metropolitan region for almost 20 years. Our central location in Schleswig-Holstein is also becoming more important in a strategic sense. We can now count future-orientated parameters such as energy from renewable sources among the benefits of being based here. NORDGATE supports this with regional economic expertise, the provision of municipal commercial space and expert knowledge of the local property industry in order to meet the diverse needs of businesses.

WTSH-Online editorial team: NORDGATE is the second-strongest economic region in Schleswig-Holstein. How did this come about, and what industries and economic activities are represented in the region?

Iris Meyer: NORDGATE has a broad industry landscape. The region attracts companies that want to operate in the Hamburg metropolitan region. Along the A7 motorway, the six partner municipalities with more than 112,000 employees form one of the largest and most attractive employment locations in Schleswig-Holstein. Numerous hidden champions have set up home here, many in commercial and industrial areas such as Industriegebiet Süd in Neumünster. The region is known for vertical specialisation, where large corporations and small and medium-sized enterprises operate alongside one another. One example of this is the Danfoss Group with its Power Solutions division, which is integrated into the local technical and logistical service chains. Also, in the food industry, the KIN Food Institute has been operating in quality assurance, training and development for more than 50 years, and has regional and nationwide members.

Marc-Mario Bertermann: Yes, that’s right. There are a lot of companies from the trade and manufacturing industries here. These are the most important economic sectors. Trade, which accounts for 22.4 per cent of the employees here, and manufacturing, with 17.1 per cent, form the economic backbone of our region. Local knowledge transfer is the foundation of this. Almost one in every four jobs here is in a knowledge-intensive industry. This is underlined by global market leaders such as Tesa, which has a local research and development division, and the fintech company Serrala in Norderstedt. 

WTSH-Online editorial team: What will be the impact of the planned expansion of the A20?

Marc-Mario Bertermann: The expansion of the A20 motorway will make our region even more attractive. The improved connection between Hamburg and Denmark will provide even further benefits. The A20 brings everything closer in Schleswig-Holstein by enabling companies to transport their goods faster and more efficiently. This will be a huge locational benefit, especially for retail logistics, including large market players such as EDEKA in Neumünster and REWE in Henstedt-Ulzburg. As a gateway to Scandinavia and the Baltic countries – not only with the expansion of the A20, but also with the new Fehmarnbelt tunnel – NORDGATE will also be strengthened by the international competition between locations. We expect these two infrastructure projects to bring further investment to our region. 

WTSH-Online editorial team: How do you see NORDGATE developing in the future?

Iris Meyer:  We are very optimistic about the future. NORDGATE will continue to be successful. Schleswig-Holstein and NORDGATE in particular have everything in place to succeed. The expansion of renewable energies is increasingly turning the region into a hub for sustainable energy infrastructures. Transformer stations, which are considered ‘green power outlets’, are central to this. They adapt voltage to local networks and make it usable for the economy. We are therefore very excited about the developments in Henstedt-Ulzburg, where a central part of the planned 380 kV east coast line in Schleswig-Holstein is being constructed. This project will provide lasting impetus for the region, as hubs like this are of vital importance to investors. The situation could not really be better. There are over 250,000 people living in the NORDGATE municipalities – more than in Schleswig-Holstein’s largest cities, Kiel and Lübeck. NORDGATE has also seen the largest population growth in the region since 2019, with an increase of 2.7 per cent. And the proportion of skilled workers in NORDGATE is an impressive 59.5 per cent.