Industry

The importance of the industrial sector is often under-appreciated in current public perception. The prevalent image, in which industry is superseded by the service economy, is incorrect. Industry remains the foundation for the expansion of the services sector. On average, the OECD even observes an increase in industrial employment. With regard to the aviation industry, this also applies to Hamburg. Despite the fact that only one out of six employees in Hamburg works for an industrial firm, Hamburg, along with Berlin and Munich, is one of the leading industry centres in Germany.

The strategic importance of the industrial sector for Hamburg’s economic development is evident in the order volume it generates for other industries, and in its role as a motivating force for technological research. According to a study conducted by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), approximately one-fifth of company-related services rendered in Hamburg are purchased by industrial companies. Add to this business relations with the retail sector, financial service providers, and media companies. As a driving force behind innovation and progress, Hamburg’s industrial sector provides the technological skills it will need to assert itself against competition from other states and regions.

Historically, Hamburg’s industrial and maritime sectors have been closely interwoven. Raw materials import and processing for domestic sale or export spawned the first manufacturing enterprises. The processing of such materials as natural rubber, copper ore, petroleum, cocoa, coffee, oilseeds, tobacco and tea became one of three pillars of the regional economy. The maritime industries constituted the second pillar and included shipbuilding, engine construction, mechanical and electrical engineering, as well as the building sector. The third pillar comprised the industries that were not seaport-dependent. Rapid population growth in the Hamburg metropolitan region, along with increasing domestic demand, provided a solid basis for the emergence of a strong consumer goods industry. To this day, Hamburg’s industrial structure is characterized by these three pillars. The new and growing environmental industry is dominated by small and medium-sized businesses.

Many of Hamburg’s industrial enterprises set global standards. Aurubis is one of the world’s major copper mills and one of the reasons why Hamburg’s industry has earned a reputation of implementing high standards of environmental and social responsibility. Montblanc has gained international renown for the quality and refinement of its writing instruments. Companies such as Beiersdorf AG – maker of Nivea and Tesa brand products –, Bode Chemie, Eppendorf, Philips Medizin Systeme, Olympus Surgical Technologies Europe are pioneers in the field of life sciences. Blohm & Voss, Airbus and Lufthansa Technik are among those enterprises that make Hamburg a leader in ship and aircraft construction and repair. Some of the world’s most efficient oil and water separators are manufactured by Norddeutsche Filter-Vertriebsgesellschaft. Hamburg is also home to one of the semiconductor industry’s blue chip companies, NXP Semiconductors.