Top Investments of the Year - Bremen continues to inspire foreign investors

The direct investments, also known as Foreign Direct Investments (FDI), show that the state of Bremen enjoys a good international reputation. Companies are attracted by the mix of excellent logistics infrastructure, fast transport connections and industrial and technological expertise.

In 2023, 49 companies settled in the federal state and invested around 8 million euros (at the previous year's level). They mainly come from the logistics, renewable energy, food, business-related services and mechanical engineering sectors.

Around a third of the new companies came from Turkey and China - but other EU countries and the USA were also represented as countries of origin for FDI. With its own foreign offices in China, Turkey, Vietnam, England and the Northern Germany Innovation Office in the USA, Bremen is internationally active on the ground - and thus enables direct advice for interested companies. 

Battery cell recycling from Redwood Materials

An outstanding example of the international interest in Bremen as a business location is the establishment of Redwood Materials from the US state of Nevada in September 2023.

The company, founded by former Tesla technology boss JB Straubel, specializes in the recycling of batteries, particularly from laptops, smartphones and electric vehicles. This is a rapidly growing market, especially in the EV segment, where more and more vehicle batteries will reach the end of their service life in the coming years. Redwood Materials is set to become a key player in this burgeoning market.

As part of its expansion into Europe, Redwood Materials acquired the Bremerhaven-based recycling company Redux Recycling with its 70 employees in 2023, thereby establishing a new location. Redux is a specialist in the processing of used batteries. The company can currently dismantle up to 10,000 tons of lithium-ion batteries per year, and the capacity is to be further expanded in the coming years.

Founder Straubel cited several reasons for his decision to come to Bremerhaven: On the one hand, Redux Recycling's extensive expertise, which fits perfectly into the company's own technology profile, but also the good transport connections in the federal state, which on the one hand enable the delivery of materials by ship, but on the other hand also benefit from the proximity to large locations in the northern German automotive industry, which serve as suppliers for used batteries. With the expansion of capacities, there are also plans to increase personnel in the coming years.

The exact purchase price has not been disclosed and is therefore not included in the total amount of FDI.

New offer for Asia fans: Orient Master

Another example of FDI in Bremen comes from a completely different sector: the opening of the "Go Asia" supermarket in Bremen city center in spring 2023 has expanded the culinary offer for Bremen residents. The supermarket chain from China (Orient Master GmbH has its German headquarters in Berlin) now operates 46 branches across Germany. In Bremen, around two dozen employees ensure that the shelves are always full. Up to 25 jobs are to be created.

The food industry and the transportation sector are among Bremen's most important industrial sectors - the international food trade with destination or origin Asia is therefore ideally located in Bremen. 

About Bremen

Bremen is one of the largest industrial locations in Germany with a focus on the logistics, automotive, aerospace, food and beverage, maritime and IT industries. The northern German state with its 670,000 inhabitants is a magnet for investors from abroad - centrally located in Europe, with good connections by water, land and air, modern infrastructure and a renowned research landscape.

Bremeninvest - Bremen's regional business development agency