The WFBB Annual Press Conference: Brandenburg is developing into a center of modern industry

For the first time in its existence, the Brandenburg Economic Development Agency (WFBB) exceeded the 5,000 job mark in the 2021 financial year. Behind the record result of 5,047 new and stabilized jobs are 448 investment and innovation projects and an investment volume of 721 million Euro. This also includes the first 1,900 jobs that will be created at Tesla by the end of 2021. In addition, there were 1,386 consultations for companies on the subject of work, 972 services regarding foreign trade and 471 consultations on the subject of energy.

Brandenburg’s Minister for Economics, Labor and Energy, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jörg Steinbach, congratulates WFBB: “A record result of more than 5,000 jobs is an outstanding achievement in the conditions of a pandemic year. In 2021, the WFBB achieved an excellent result in all business areas. The annual result also includes the first results of Brandenburg’s greatest settlement success since German reunification, the settlement of Tesla. The results emphasize: Brandenburg is developing into a new center of modern industry in Germany, especially in the area of mobility. I would like to thank the employees of the WFBB for their successful work and wish them every success for the future!”

WFBB Managing Director Dr. Steffen Kammradt emphasized: “Modern mobility is a common thread running through the annual results of the WFBB. At the forefront is the settlement of Tesla. Modern mobility includes settlements from the entire value chain, such as Rock Tech Lithium in Guben, SAS Autosystemtechnik in Fredersdorf-Vogelsdorf, Excelaser in Ludwigsfelde or Diehl Advanced Mobility in Zehdenick. We received more settlement inquiries in 2021 than in the previous record year of 2019. In order to implement these successfully, we are also working with our partners to make sure we have the “gold dust” for Brandenburg in the competition between locations: sufficient industrial and commercial space as well as skilled workers.”

Among the other key investments in 2021, Dr. Kammradt counts a major project from the food industry: The Norwegian food retailer ODA is starting its German market entrance in Mittenwalde and has created 350 new jobs. The WFBB sees wooden modular construction as a new trend in the circular economy. The Swiss company Renggli has settled in Eberswalde. Important expansion investments come from the medical technology company Christoph Miethke and the media company VoluCap, both in Potsdam.

WFBB Managing Director Sebastian Saule emphasizes: “Despite Corona, Brandenburg’s medium-sized companies have continued to work intensively on innovations and international markets. We had a really good run in 2021 with 340 innovation and digitization projects and 39 technology-oriented start-ups. Regarding foreign trade and European service, we were even able to provide 972 services for Brandenburg companies – almost exclusively in digital form, from the individual placement of cooperation partners in Europe to complete company trips to India.”

Saule also points out that sustainability plays a central role in many projects. In this context, he includes the forecasting tool of the Potsdam company 4Cast as one of the special innovation projects. The goal of this joint venture of wind power pioneers and AI experts is to predict the production of wind and solar energy better in order to optimize energy feed-in and meet regulatory requirements in the best possible way. The Strausberg-based company Allresist GmbH, together with the Fraunhofer IAP, the Technical University of Lodz in Poland and the Polish company Qwerty, is developing “New methods for structuring printable QD-LEDs for display applications”. QD-LEDs are electro-optic semiconductor devices that use quantum dots to convert and emit electrical energy into light with unique optical properties in a highly efficient process.

Among the start-ups, WFBB Managing Director Saule highlights the following projects: Dryad Networks GmbH from Eberswalde is developing a sensor-based system for early forest fire detection. With the large-scale IOT network, wildfires can be detected in less than 60 minutes using gas sensors in even the most remote areas. Resility GmbH, based in Potsdam, Germany, is developing software for the early detection of cyberattacks on cloud solutions, such as Amazon Web Services. The spin-off from the Hasso Plattner Institute is therefore making a significant contribution to IT security – highly relevant in view of the increasing number of cyber attacks against German companies and institutions.

On the subject of sustainability, Saule also points to a special consulting service offered by the Brandenburg Energy Agency, which is part of the WFBB - the Kom.EMS online consulting tool, which can be used to set up an energy management system for municipal properties. “Experience has shown that municipalities with consistent energy monitoring save an average of 20% in heating energy and electricity. This is good for the climate and for the municipal budget,” emphasizes Saule. “Last year, 21 municipalities and districts used this coaching. In view of the rise in energy costs and the discussion about dependence on fossil fuels, we expect demand from companies and municipalities for advice on energy efficiency and the use of renewable energies to grow. The Brandenburg Energy Agency is prepared for this.”

Presentation for the WFBB annual press conference (German)

Your Press Contact:
Alexander Gallrein | Marketing and Communications | WFBB
Phone: +49 331 – 730 61-111
Email: alexander.gallrein(at)wfbb.de
Internet: www.wfbb.de