Cleantech companies take the lead in investing in Denmark

During the past year, Invest in Denmark assisted 57 foreign companies in establishing a business in Denmark, mainly within the strong Danish sectors of cleantech, life science and ICT.

Minister for Trade and Investment, Mrs Pia Olsen Dyhr, says:

“I am glad to see so many foreign investors choosing to start or grow their business in Denmark and I hope that more will tap into the Danish clusters of competence.”

“Last year’s investors point to the highly-skilled Danish workforce, the flexibility of the Danish labour system, our country’s ideal geographic location, as well as great facilities for research and development as decisive factors for choosing to place their investments here in Denmark.”

The majority of investments in 2012 were within the leading Danish cleantech industry. The Chinese wind tower producer, Titan Wind Energy, opted to secure its presence in the European wind energy market by establishing new headquarters in Denmark. Titan Wind Energy thus acquired Danish company Vestas’ wind tower facilities in Southern Denmark to take advantage of existing facilities and the skilled workforce. The company is now also using the Danish location as European headquarters to reach new markets.

Within the ICT sector, India-based Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) established two large software delivery centres in Copenhagen and Aarhus. TCS has also sought to secure its competitive edge by teaming up with Danish start-ups through their Co-innovation initiative.

Finally, in the life science sector, the world’s largest pharmaceutical company, American-based Pfizer, opted to tab into one of Denmark’s many strong academic environments through a research and development collaboration with Aarhus University.

Background
As part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Invest in Denmark is a customized one-stop service for foreign companies looking to set up business or research activities in Denmark. Invest in Denmark’s specialized staff has the insight and well-connected networks required to advise foreign companies on every aspect of locating in Denmark. Solutions provided by Invest in Denmark often include connecting companies with key local contacts, arranging fact-finding tours and providing comprehensive benchmark analyses. All services are free of charge and conducted in full confidentiality.

The annual results are evaluated by renowned auditing company KPMG on the basis of interviews with all investors. Denmark’s highly skilled workforce; the country’s unique geographic location in close connection to Northern as well as Central Europe; the international mindset of the Danish workforce; and great facilities for research and development were mentioned as key factors for choosing to place investments in Denmark.