FDI
Top Investments of the year 2024 in Thuringia
Thuringia is a byword for forward-looking investments as well as creative, marketable ideas and innovations, as success stories from the state in Germany’s heartland have impressively demonstrated over the past year.
Mar 27, 2025
Nissha successfully invests and branches out in western Thuringia
Investments at Japanese-owned companies loomed large this year. Nissha Advanced Technologies Europe GmbH, for example, pushed ahead with its 25-million-euro construction of a new manufacturing shop at its Waltershausen site. The company had already dedicated another new building in April 2023. Its investments underscore Thuringia’s role as a prime location for flexibly evolving and skillfully adapting to market conditions. Initially, the company specialized exclusively in automotive products. Recently, however, the company has successfully diversified its product line and is thriving as a manufacturer of thin plastic control switches for automobiles and a producer of paper packaging using a unique injection molding process. This innovative process enables extensive customization and mass production of high-quality materials. The switches are blockbusters thanks to their thin size, translucent appearance and elegant design. Customers have incorporated them into air conditioners, turn signals and car radios. Nissha is increasingly leveraging its superior plastics expertise to develop leading-edge automotive exterior solutions. For example, the company specializes in the development of films with functional properties for the grilles and front ends of the latest generation of vehicles. These innovative plastic applications can be heated in the winter so that the distance and speed sensors they contain – necessary for semi-automated driving – can function reliably in the cold.
NIdec GPM ushers in a new era of automation and digitalization in Merbelsrod
The second Japanese company to invest heavily in Thuringia in 2024 also has a successful track record in the automotive industry: Nidec GPM opened a new production line in Merbelsrod, southern Thuringia, Germany, in April – an innovative facility that, at 42 by 16 meters, has already caused a stir due to its size but, according to the company, is also ushering in a new era of automation and digitalization at the site. The company invested 14 million euros in the new line; the development project took just three years from start to production, which is a testament to the speed of project execution in Thuringia. The Merbelsrod plant now produces 1.5 million intelligently controlled electric oil pumps per year, adding to Nidec’s GPM portfolio. The products are used in applications such as vehicle transmissions. The addition of the production line created 18 jobs, bringing the total number of employees at the Merbelsrod site to approximately 830.
Hitachi comes to Arnstadt
At the beginning of June 2024, Hitachi Rail acquired the entire Ground Transportation Systems (GTS) business of the Thales Group, a French company that has been operating in Germany for more than 140 years and employs around 2,000 people. The GTS business includes a site in Arnstadt, Thuringia, with 600 employees. Now that the takeover is complete, the headcount is set to increase with further site investments to follow, as Hitachi is pursuing ambitious plans to accelerate its growth in signaling technology and rail vehicles in the German railway market. The price tag for the transaction was 1.66 billion euros. This expands Hitachi Rail’s global presence to 51 countries, with most sales now coming from higher-margin signaling equipment and systems.
Analytik Jena lays the foundation stone for further growth
Another clear commitment to Thuringia: Analytik Jena GmbH+Co. KG (part of the Swiss Endress + Hauser Group) is constructing a new building at its long-established production site in Ilmenau (southern Thuringia) to house the development and production of measuring instruments as well as sample handling for sum parameter and elemental analysis. The expansion represents an investment of more than 30 million euros and creates potential for up to 80 new jobs over the next few years. The company says it has benefited from the conditions at the fast-growing industrial area in Ilmenau. For example, the site utilizes local district heating powered by biogas, giving it an excellent carbon footprint. The new building also features a sustainable design with a photovoltaic system, a green roof and a green facade. Analytik Jena develops and produces analytical systems and analytical measurement technology in the field of chemical analysis and life science solutions. The company is based in Jena where it was established in 1990 and does business in more than 100 countries.
Amazon’s massive investment in Erfurt
Erfurt was also the site of a major investment: after two years of construction, online retailer Amazon opened its new logistics center in the Thuringian capital in 2024. Company sources say that a nine-figure sum was invested; the warehouse is currently the largest in Germany. At present, more than 2,000 employees work at the site, which is spread over three floors and contains over 60,000 storage racks. With more than 62,000 square feet of space, it can store over 26 million products – from hair ties to hair dryers to microwaves. Over 3,600 transport robots support the employees; the Erfurt logistics center is the most innovative facility in Europe in how it uses these mechanized helpers. Amazon chose to make this massive investment based in part on Thuringia’s central location in Germany and Europe. However, that is only one of many locational advantages that Thuringia offers to international businesses – which is why major investment projects are going up all over the state.
LEG’s Team Invest investor service team is available to answer any questions you may have about investing in Thuringia and will be happy to provide you with information about the advantages of locat-ing your business in the state: www.invest-in-thuringia.de/en
