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Whether the focus is on the inexorable increase in digitalisation or the need to promote climate protection, Osnabrück and the regional economy are facing major challenges that have to be dealt with on a local scale, today and also tomorrow. Wide-spread provision of broadband services is not the only thing to be of huge significance for the economic and social future of the region. Appropriate ecological and economic measures by the district also make a contribution to climate protection and relieve the burden on companies, where rising energy prices are an increasingly important economic factor.

When it comes to digitalisation, the district took early steps to set its course for the future: after all, a high-speed internet connection is crucial for the development of extensive areas such as the Osnabrück District, and an important factor in favour of the location. To safeguard the necessary bandwidth as quickly as possible, the district took the digitalisation of the region into its own hands, founding its own company TELKOS in 2010.

Since then, the district has been working together in close collaboration with the 21 towns, local au­thorities and municipalities to intensively pursue broadband expansion. Download speeds of up to 120 megabit per second have brought the new internet age to tens of thousands of homes and companies on the outskirts of the towns and villages. Step by step, the district’s own infrastructure company is working with partners to expand provision, installing hundreds of kilometres of ducting and fibreglass cables. The volume of the first two construction phases already exceeds 70 million Euro, boosted with support from federal and state funds. A further 120 million Euro will also be invested in the years ahead.

Spartherm in Melle stands for innovative firing technology, Picture: SPARTHERM Feuerungstechnik GmbH, Melle

Companies on the digital fast lane

But it is not only a fast data highway that puts companies on the fast lane. The use of new systems and technology, setting up an online shop or a digital presence on the internet presents companies with many new challenges and chances. To help firms in the region keep pace with developments, the district’s economic development agency (WIGOS) works with partners to offer corresponding advice and support. For example, companies can take up the free offer of “Digitalisation Incentive Consulting”. External experts come on site to analyse the current situation and to look at the possibilities for digital market development and process digitalisation. The companies then receive specific recommendations and information about possible funding.

Another service provided by WIGOS and the SME 4.0 Centre of Excellence Lingen to help customers get fit for the future is the “Business Model Check”. Experts take a look at the business model during an online video conference. Depending on the results, the companies can then attend workshops on customer analysis and on products and services.   

Trendsetting use of energy

Besides digitalisation, climate protection is another item right at the top of the district’s agenda. The aim is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 95 percent and final energy demand by 50 percent by the year 2050. To achieve this aim, the district is working with the business sector to address the challenge. After all, the companies in Osnabrück District are responsible for around 37 percent of regional energy consumption and thus incur annual costs amounting to 290 million Euro.

This significant economic factor, in conjunction with a growing awareness for climate protection issues, gave rise to a unique project. The Climate Initiative of the district and the economic development agency WIGOS have joined forces with the Centre of Excellence for Energy and Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences to launch the “Information and Planning Portal Industrial Waste Heat” project, a.k.a PInA, as a pioneering, practical approach to the use of energy. It entails the utilisation of industrial process energy.

Drying, melting, forging: industrial production processes such as these generate lots of heat that is often simply lost. When all is said and done, process heat accounts for around 57 percent of energy consumption in the commercial and industrial sector. For local authorities, “PInA” is a planning instrument for bringing together “heat givers” and “heat takers”. Companies can find out where heat is needed in the vicinity and where process heat can be fed into the system. The innovative climate protection project is already being put to successful use in industry: For example, the “District Heating Network Venne” has been implemented in Ostercappeln. The energy cooperative founded for this purpose obtains waste heat directly from Meyer wafer factory in Venne. Waste heat is an economic resource that provides heating for a nearby residential area.

Picture: Valentin Valkov/stock.adobe.com

Incentive consulting on energy efficiency and electromobility

Good advice in terms of energy efficiency, making use of solar energy and photovoltaic systems as well as natural landscaping of company premises is also made available to the region’s companies by the district’s economic development agency (WIGOS), working with partners to offer free incentive consulting sessions on these topics. The special services are well received: for example, corresponding energy efficiency consulting and subsequent modification of the firing process led to annual savings of 1,802,072 kilowatt hours of energy for roof tile factory KDW Natrup-Hagen. Furthermore, the factory’s CO₂ emissions have now also been cut by 462 tonnes each year. The company received 200,000 Euro in funds from the state of Lower Saxony for investing in resource efficiency.

Broadband availability is an important location factor

Electromobility is another factor in sustainable emission reduction. To help the region’s business sector make the necessary transformation, WIGOS offers free incentive consulting on sustainable company mobility. Besides (electric) fleet motorisation, the consulting sessions also focus on fleet management and route planning. Services like these and the measures for climate protection and digitalisation are making the district at the Heart of Germany’s North West ready for the challenges of today and tomorrow. 

Whether the focus is on the inexorable increase in digitalisation or the need to promote climate protection, Osnabrück and the regional economy are facing major challenges that have to be dealt with on a local scale, today and also tomorrow. Wide-spread provision of broadband services is not the only thing to be of huge significance for the economic and social future of the region. Appropriate ecological and economic measures by the district also make a contribution to climate protection and relieve the burden on companies, where rising energy prices are an increasingly important economic factor.

When it comes to digitalisation, the district took early steps to set its course for the future: after all, a high-speed internet connection is crucial for the development of extensive areas such as the Osnabrück District, and an important factor in favour of the location. To safeguard the necessary bandwidth as quickly as possible, the district took the digitalisation of the region into its own hands, founding its own company TELKOS in 2010.

Since then, the district has been working together in close collaboration with the 21 towns, local au­thorities and municipalities to intensively pursue broadband expansion. Download speeds of up to 120 megabit per second have brought the new internet age to tens of thousands of homes and companies on the outskirts of the towns and villages. Step by step, the district’s own infrastructure company is working with partners to expand provision, installing hundreds of kilometres of ducting and fibreglass cables. The volume of the first two construction phases already exceeds 70 million Euro, boosted with support from federal and state funds. A further 120 million Euro will also be invested in the years ahead.

Spartherm in Melle stands for innovative firing technology, Picture: SPARTHERM Feuerungstechnik GmbH, Melle

Companies on the digital fast lane

But it is not only a fast data highway that puts companies on the fast lane. The use of new systems and technology, setting up an online shop or a digital presence on the internet presents companies with many new challenges and chances. To help firms in the region keep pace with developments, the district’s economic development agency (WIGOS) works with partners to offer corresponding advice and support. For example, companies can take up the free offer of “Digitalisation Incentive Consulting”. External experts come on site to analyse the current situation and to look at the possibilities for digital market development and process digitalisation. The companies then receive specific recommendations and information about possible funding.

Another service provided by WIGOS and the SME 4.0 Centre of Excellence Lingen to help customers get fit for the future is the “Business Model Check”. Experts take a look at the business model during an online video conference. Depending on the results, the companies can then attend workshops on customer analysis and on products and services.   

Trendsetting use of energy

Besides digitalisation, climate protection is another item right at the top of the district’s agenda. The aim is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 95 percent and final energy demand by 50 percent by the year 2050. To achieve this aim, the district is working with the business sector to address the challenge. After all, the companies in Osnabrück District are responsible for around 37 percent of regional energy consumption and thus incur annual costs amounting to 290 million Euro.

This significant economic factor, in conjunction with a growing awareness for climate protection issues, gave rise to a unique project. The Climate Initiative of the district and the economic development agency WIGOS have joined forces with the Centre of Excellence for Energy and Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences to launch the “Information and Planning Portal Industrial Waste Heat” project, a.k.a PInA, as a pioneering, practical approach to the use of energy. It entails the utilisation of industrial process energy.

Drying, melting, forging: industrial production processes such as these generate lots of heat that is often simply lost. When all is said and done, process heat accounts for around 57 percent of energy consumption in the commercial and industrial sector. For local authorities, “PInA” is a planning instrument for bringing together “heat givers” and “heat takers”. Companies can find out where heat is needed in the vicinity and where process heat can be fed into the system. The innovative climate protection project is already being put to successful use in industry: For example, the “District Heating Network Venne” has been implemented in Ostercappeln. The energy cooperative founded for this purpose obtains waste heat directly from Meyer wafer factory in Venne. Waste heat is an economic resource that provides heating for a nearby residential area.

Picture: Valentin Valkov/stock.adobe.com

Incentive consulting on energy efficiency and electromobility

Good advice in terms of energy efficiency, making use of solar energy and photovoltaic systems as well as natural landscaping of company premises is also made available to the region’s companies by the district’s economic development agency (WIGOS), working with partners to offer free incentive consulting sessions on these topics. The special services are well received: for example, corresponding energy efficiency consulting and subsequent modification of the firing process led to annual savings of 1,802,072 kilowatt hours of energy for roof tile factory KDW Natrup-Hagen. Furthermore, the factory’s CO₂ emissions have now also been cut by 462 tonnes each year. The company received 200,000 Euro in funds from the state of Lower Saxony for investing in resource efficiency.

Broadband availability is an important location factor

Electromobility is another factor in sustainable emission reduction. To help the region’s business sector make the necessary transformation, WIGOS offers free incentive consulting on sustainable company mobility. Besides (electric) fleet motorisation, the consulting sessions also focus on fleet management and route planning. Services like these and the measures for climate protection and digitalisation are making the district at the Heart of Germany’s North West ready for the challenges of today and tomorrow. 

Business location

Tailwind for a sustainable enonomy

The Heart of the Future – Tackling the Challenges

  • 4 min read

Whether the focus is on the inexorable increase in digitalisation or the need to promote climate protection, Osnabrück and the regional economy are facing major challenges that have to be dealt with on a local scale, today and also tomorrow. Wide-spread provision of broadband services is not the only thing to be of huge significance for the economic and social… WeiterlesenThe Heart of the Future – Tackling the Challenges

Osnabrück University and University of Applied Siences have an excellent reputation

The Heart of Research – University, University of Applied Sciences and Centres of Excellence

  • 4 min read

Clever minds live and work in the Osnabrücker Land: companies here at the Heart of Germany’s North West benefit from the academic work and research that goes on at Osnabrück University, the University of Applied Sciences, the College of Cooperative Education and the local centres of excellence. The Osnabrücker Land also offers extraordinary know-how in pioneering sectors. This also attracts… WeiterlesenThe Heart of Research – University, University of Applied Sciences and Centres of Excellence

Rural district with plenty of space for development

The Heart of Growth

  • 4 min read

Plenty of space for development and economic growth in a convenient central location, and all at a good price: Osnabrück District scores with attractive commercial and industrial premises to suit a wide range of different needs. Whether industrial firms in Niedersachsenpark right next to the motorway or skilled crafts and services companies in close proximity to the customers, there’s lots… WeiterlesenThe Heart of Growth

Support for university-related start-ups

The Heart of the Start-up Scene – Ideal Prerequisites for Business Start-ups

  • 4 min read

Innovative business ideas and motivated company founders are truly welcome in Osnabrück District. Their importance for the location is illustrated not only by the intensive unbureaucratic support that start-ups receive in the Start-up House Osnabrücker Land. They also find open doors in the Innovation Centre Osnabrück (ICO) and in the Business and Innovation Park Quakenbrück (BIQ) in the north of… WeiterlesenThe Heart of the Start-up Scene – Ideal Prerequisites for Business Start-ups

Specific qualifications are important

The Heart of Tomorrow’s Skilled Workers – Helping to Find Skilled Workers

  • 4 min read

Qualified staff make a major contribution to the success of a company and thus also to the economic strength of the region. Firms depend on being able to recruit and retain suitably qualified skilled workers today and in future. Many industries are facing major challenges in this respect as a result of the skills shortage, due among others also to… WeiterlesenThe Heart of Tomorrow’s Skilled Workers – Helping to Find Skilled Workers

GLA-WEL GmbH is a specialist for stainless steel and aluminium Photo: GLA-WEL GmbH, Melle

The Heart of Economic Development – Department of Economic Affairs & Labour

  • 4 min read

Whether providing support for companies seeking to settle and expand, advice on funding possibilities and suitable premises or specific assistance in finding the right staff, Osnabrück District is the strong advocate for the regional economy. The Department for Economic Affairs & Labour pools the comprehensive range of services with a swift, unbureaucratic approach to giving companies competent assistance with economic… WeiterlesenThe Heart of Economic Development – Department of Economic Affairs & Labour

CLAAS E-Systems operates on a global scale. Photo: CLAAS E-Systems KGaA mbH & Co KG, Dissen a.T.W.

Osnabrücker Land – The Heart of Germany’s North West

  • 6 min read

Whether steel construction for a research station in the Antarctic, aquaristics for the global market, wafers for gourmets throughout Europe, VIP boxes for football stadiums in the USA: no matter how different the products are, they all have one thing in common. They have all originated in the geographical Heart of Germany’s North West, in the Osnabrücker Land. Companies here… WeiterlesenOsnabrücker Land – The Heart of Germany’s North West

Whether steel construction for a research station in the Antarctic, aquaristics for the global market, wafers for gourmets throughout Europe, VIP boxes for football stadiums in the USA: no matter how different the products are, they all have one thing in common. They have all originated in the geographical Heart of Germany’s North West, in the Osnabrücker Land.

Companies here really are in the middle of things: in the centre of North West Germany and in the midst of a strong economic region full of diversity, inventiveness and an entrepreneurial spirit. A broad mix of industries, and above all a strong SME sector and healthy job market at the Heart of Germany’s North West offer companies ideal conditions to continue their own development and to be successful market players. There are plenty of reasons why Osnabrück District is located in Germany’s fourth strongest SME region and featured in the “Atlas of German Business Centres” ranking issued by the Wirtschaftswoche and Deutsche Bank.

Well-known furniture manufacturers have production facilities in the Osnabrücker Land. Photo: Oeseder Möbel-Industrie Mathias Wiemann GmbH & Co. KG, Georgsmarienhütte

Wiemann Möbel Georgsmarienhütte. Photo: Oeseder Möbel-Industrie Mathias Wiemann GmbH & Co. KG, Georgsmarienhütte

Showroom of Melos GmbH. Photo: Melos GmbH, Melle

Outstanding traffic infrastructure

The district scores above all with its outstanding traffic infrastructure. Located at the Heart of Germany’s North West, excellent motorways connections with the A 1, A 30 and A 33, the international airport Münster/Osnabrück and the Midland Canal ensure easy access in less than two hours to Germany’s overseas ports, the Ruhr conurbation, the Hannover-Braunschweig-Göttingen-Wolfsburg Metropolitan Region as well as the Netherlands. This is highly beneficial not just for the many logistics companies but also for the other major industries at home in Osnabrücker Land. These include agricultural engineering, the food industry and machine construction as well as the furniture industry and the healthcare sector. The central location at the Heart of Germny’s North West has led to the formation of significant industry clusters.

Also optically a real eye-catcher: the Solarlux headquarters. Photo: Solarlux GmbH, Melle

“Made in the Osnabrücker Land”

Well-known food brands such as Homann, Rau and Fuchs Gewürze have manufacturing facilities here in the region. Another lesser known market
leader in Europe is Meyer wafer factory in Venne. GelatoClassico from Hilter not only supplies icecream parlours with delicious ice-cream creations but also provides culinary delights for the Lufthansa fleet of airplanes. Tetra from Melle is the world leader of the aquaristic market, producing fish food and much more besides for ponds and aquatic life forms.

Agricultural engineering companies find excellent conditions here in the district, as illustrated by the impressive list of companies based here. Grimme Landmaschinenfabrik and Kotte Landtechnik in Rieste, Amazonen-Werke H. Dreyer in Hasbergen and Bramsche and last but not least Claas, international manufacturers of agricultural engineering equipment with a development centre in Dissen, supply ideas and products from the Heart of Germany’s North West. And products from the
Osnabrücker Land are also often found in the comfort of private homes: the bedroom may come from Oeseder furniture manufacturer Matthias Wiemann; nearly every kitchen and every bathroom will have products by Kesseböhmer from Bad Essen. Häcker Küchen GmbH & Co. KG has a major production site in the Osnabrücker Land. And last but not least, the region is also home to the largest distribution centre in the world for Adidas.

The services sector also has a good standing in the Osnabrücker Land. Many companies are known to experts way beyond the district borders. Produkt +
Markt in Wallenhorst for example stands for inspiring, innovative market research on a national and worldwide scale. The e-commerce agency Wiethe Group in Georgsmarienhütte leads the market in the fashion sector and has the largest e-commerce photo studio in Europe. On the other hand, FM LeasingPartner in Bissendorf offers the very best in financial expertise, developing financing
solu tions for investment projects for more than 30 years.

High-tech from the AMAZONE factories. Location with prospects.
Photo: Amazonen-Werke H. Dreyer GmbH & Co. KG, Hasbergen

Innovations for the whole world

Although many of the companies based in the region operate on a global scale, few of them are so well known. Some examples of their innovative capabilities can be found in the Antarctic. Here Wurst Stahlbau from Bersenbrück made the steel structure of the building envelope for the research station Neumayer III, while the complete outer envelope for the same project came from Teledoor in Melle. Melos, another company from Melle, demonstrated its sportsmanship in supplying the granulate for the blue racing track in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, literally providing the framework
for Germany’s football cup final. Feldhaus Klinker from Bad Laer leads the market for manufacturing brick slips and facing bricks, while culimeta in Bersenbrück is market leader for textile glassfibres.

By the way glass: Solarlux from Melle enjoys global success with conservatories, glass partitions, terrace roofs and facade design. The company built VIP boxes for numerous sports stadiums in the USA, such as Seattle, New York and Philadelphia,
together with the Olympic Stadium in Vancouver, Canada. And a company from Osnabrücker Land, tde – trans data elektronik in Bippen – even supplied
the technology for one of the world’s largest experiments: the particle accelerator at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, where they conduct experiments with black holes. One of the leading companies in the field of dental
brackets is Top-Service für Lingualtechnik . With all these globally acknowledged achievements, the Osnabrücker Land truly lives up to its name as a well-known innovation region in the Heart of Germany’s North West.

With all these globally acknow ledged achievements, the Osna brücker Land truly lives up to its name as a well-known inno vation region in the Heart of Germany’s North West.

Whether the focus is on the inexorable increase in digitalisation or the need to promote climate protection, Osnabrück and the regional economy are facing major challenges that have to be dealt with on a local scale, today and also tomorrow. Wide-spread provision of broadband services is not the only thing to be of huge significance for the economic and social future of the region. Appropriate ecological and economic measures by the district also make a contribution to climate protection and relieve the burden on companies, where rising energy prices are an increasingly important economic factor.

When it comes to digitalisation, the district took early steps to set its course for the future: after all, a high-speed internet connection is crucial for the development of extensive areas such as the Osnabrück District, and an important factor in favour of the location. To safeguard the necessary bandwidth as quickly as possible, the district took the digitalisation of the region into its own hands, founding its own company TELKOS in 2010.

Since then, the district has been working together in close collaboration with the 21 towns, local au­thorities and municipalities to intensively pursue broadband expansion. Download speeds of up to 120 megabit per second have brought the new internet age to tens of thousands of homes and companies on the outskirts of the towns and villages. Step by step, the district’s own infrastructure company is working with partners to expand provision, installing hundreds of kilometres of ducting and fibreglass cables. The volume of the first two construction phases already exceeds 70 million Euro, boosted with support from federal and state funds. A further 120 million Euro will also be invested in the years ahead.

Spartherm in Melle stands for innovative firing technology, Picture: SPARTHERM Feuerungstechnik GmbH, Melle

Companies on the digital fast lane

But it is not only a fast data highway that puts companies on the fast lane. The use of new systems and technology, setting up an online shop or a digital presence on the internet presents companies with many new challenges and chances. To help firms in the region keep pace with developments, the district’s economic development agency (WIGOS) works with partners to offer corresponding advice and support. For example, companies can take up the free offer of “Digitalisation Incentive Consulting”. External experts come on site to analyse the current situation and to look at the possibilities for digital market development and process digitalisation. The companies then receive specific recommendations and information about possible funding.

Another service provided by WIGOS and the SME 4.0 Centre of Excellence Lingen to help customers get fit for the future is the “Business Model Check”. Experts take a look at the business model during an online video conference. Depending on the results, the companies can then attend workshops on customer analysis and on products and services.   

Trendsetting use of energy

Besides digitalisation, climate protection is another item right at the top of the district’s agenda. The aim is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 95 percent and final energy demand by 50 percent by the year 2050. To achieve this aim, the district is working with the business sector to address the challenge. After all, the companies in Osnabrück District are responsible for around 37 percent of regional energy consumption and thus incur annual costs amounting to 290 million Euro.

This significant economic factor, in conjunction with a growing awareness for climate protection issues, gave rise to a unique project. The Climate Initiative of the district and the economic development agency WIGOS have joined forces with the Centre of Excellence for Energy and Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences to launch the “Information and Planning Portal Industrial Waste Heat” project, a.k.a PInA, as a pioneering, practical approach to the use of energy. It entails the utilisation of industrial process energy.

Drying, melting, forging: industrial production processes such as these generate lots of heat that is often simply lost. When all is said and done, process heat accounts for around 57 percent of energy consumption in the commercial and industrial sector. For local authorities, “PInA” is a planning instrument for bringing together “heat givers” and “heat takers”. Companies can find out where heat is needed in the vicinity and where process heat can be fed into the system. The innovative climate protection project is already being put to successful use in industry: For example, the “District Heating Network Venne” has been implemented in Ostercappeln. The energy cooperative founded for this purpose obtains waste heat directly from Meyer wafer factory in Venne. Waste heat is an economic resource that provides heating for a nearby residential area.

Picture: Valentin Valkov/stock.adobe.com

Incentive consulting on energy efficiency and electromobility

Good advice in terms of energy efficiency, making use of solar energy and photovoltaic systems as well as natural landscaping of company premises is also made available to the region’s companies by the district’s economic development agency (WIGOS), working with partners to offer free incentive consulting sessions on these topics. The special services are well received: for example, corresponding energy efficiency consulting and subsequent modification of the firing process led to annual savings of 1,802,072 kilowatt hours of energy for roof tile factory KDW Natrup-Hagen. Furthermore, the factory’s CO₂ emissions have now also been cut by 462 tonnes each year. The company received 200,000 Euro in funds from the state of Lower Saxony for investing in resource efficiency.

Broadband availability is an important location factor

Electromobility is another factor in sustainable emission reduction. To help the region’s business sector make the necessary transformation, WIGOS offers free incentive consulting on sustainable company mobility. Besides (electric) fleet motorisation, the consulting sessions also focus on fleet management and route planning. Services like these and the measures for climate protection and digitalisation are making the district at the Heart of Germany’s North West ready for the challenges of today and tomorrow. 

Whether the focus is on the inexorable increase in digitalisation or the need to promote climate protection, Osnabrück and the regional economy are facing major challenges that have to be dealt with on a local scale, today and also tomorrow. Wide-spread provision of broadband services is not the only thing to be of huge significance for the economic and social future of the region. Appropriate ecological and economic measures by the district also make a contribution to climate protection and relieve the burden on companies, where rising energy prices are an increasingly important economic factor.

When it comes to digitalisation, the district took early steps to set its course for the future: after all, a high-speed internet connection is crucial for the development of extensive areas such as the Osnabrück District, and an important factor in favour of the location. To safeguard the necessary bandwidth as quickly as possible, the district took the digitalisation of the region into its own hands, founding its own company TELKOS in 2010.

Since then, the district has been working together in close collaboration with the 21 towns, local au­thorities and municipalities to intensively pursue broadband expansion. Download speeds of up to 120 megabit per second have brought the new internet age to tens of thousands of homes and companies on the outskirts of the towns and villages. Step by step, the district’s own infrastructure company is working with partners to expand provision, installing hundreds of kilometres of ducting and fibreglass cables. The volume of the first two construction phases already exceeds 70 million Euro, boosted with support from federal and state funds. A further 120 million Euro will also be invested in the years ahead.

Spartherm in Melle stands for innovative firing technology, Picture: SPARTHERM Feuerungstechnik GmbH, Melle

Companies on the digital fast lane

But it is not only a fast data highway that puts companies on the fast lane. The use of new systems and technology, setting up an online shop or a digital presence on the internet presents companies with many new challenges and chances. To help firms in the region keep pace with developments, the district’s economic development agency (WIGOS) works with partners to offer corresponding advice and support. For example, companies can take up the free offer of “Digitalisation Incentive Consulting”. External experts come on site to analyse the current situation and to look at the possibilities for digital market development and process digitalisation. The companies then receive specific recommendations and information about possible funding.

Another service provided by WIGOS and the SME 4.0 Centre of Excellence Lingen to help customers get fit for the future is the “Business Model Check”. Experts take a look at the business model during an online video conference. Depending on the results, the companies can then attend workshops on customer analysis and on products and services.   

Trendsetting use of energy

Besides digitalisation, climate protection is another item right at the top of the district’s agenda. The aim is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 95 percent and final energy demand by 50 percent by the year 2050. To achieve this aim, the district is working with the business sector to address the challenge. After all, the companies in Osnabrück District are responsible for around 37 percent of regional energy consumption and thus incur annual costs amounting to 290 million Euro.

This significant economic factor, in conjunction with a growing awareness for climate protection issues, gave rise to a unique project. The Climate Initiative of the district and the economic development agency WIGOS have joined forces with the Centre of Excellence for Energy and Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences to launch the “Information and Planning Portal Industrial Waste Heat” project, a.k.a PInA, as a pioneering, practical approach to the use of energy. It entails the utilisation of industrial process energy.

Drying, melting, forging: industrial production processes such as these generate lots of heat that is often simply lost. When all is said and done, process heat accounts for around 57 percent of energy consumption in the commercial and industrial sector. For local authorities, “PInA” is a planning instrument for bringing together “heat givers” and “heat takers”. Companies can find out where heat is needed in the vicinity and where process heat can be fed into the system. The innovative climate protection project is already being put to successful use in industry: For example, the “District Heating Network Venne” has been implemented in Ostercappeln. The energy cooperative founded for this purpose obtains waste heat directly from Meyer wafer factory in Venne. Waste heat is an economic resource that provides heating for a nearby residential area.

Picture: Valentin Valkov/stock.adobe.com

Incentive consulting on energy efficiency and electromobility

Good advice in terms of energy efficiency, making use of solar energy and photovoltaic systems as well as natural landscaping of company premises is also made available to the region’s companies by the district’s economic development agency (WIGOS), working with partners to offer free incentive consulting sessions on these topics. The special services are well received: for example, corresponding energy efficiency consulting and subsequent modification of the firing process led to annual savings of 1,802,072 kilowatt hours of energy for roof tile factory KDW Natrup-Hagen. Furthermore, the factory’s CO₂ emissions have now also been cut by 462 tonnes each year. The company received 200,000 Euro in funds from the state of Lower Saxony for investing in resource efficiency.

Broadband availability is an important location factor

Electromobility is another factor in sustainable emission reduction. To help the region’s business sector make the necessary transformation, WIGOS offers free incentive consulting on sustainable company mobility. Besides (electric) fleet motorisation, the consulting sessions also focus on fleet management and route planning. Services like these and the measures for climate protection and digitalisation are making the district at the Heart of Germany’s North West ready for the challenges of today and tomorrow.