Manufacturing sector in Benelux

With around 287,000 employees in more than 60 countries, ArcelorMittal, based in Luxembourg, is the largest steel company in the world. But Luxembourg is also an all-round innovative engineering and technology base for the non-ferrous products sector, as well as for the glass and cement industries. Many companies specialising in materials have set up major production plants and highly sophisticated R&D centres in Luxembourg. International companies such as Avery Dennison, Euro-Composites, Guardian Glass, DuPont de Nemours and many more propose a range of innovative and custom-made products and services to customers all over the world.

Plastics, and in a broader sense the chemical industry, are thriving pillars of the Luxembourg industrial sector. Fierce global competition compels these industries to a constant process of innovation and productivity gains. Luxembourg’s business environment, the highly qualified workers and the financial incentive encourage companies to persevere in their quest for competitiveness. Companies like Goodyear, DuPont de Nemours, McBride, Husky, Dometic, Plastipak or Cosmolux are successfully operating from Luxembourg.

The manufacturing sector accounts for about one-sixth of the Begium’s GDP. Manufacturing is the major economic activity in the provinces of East Flanders, Limburg, and Hainaut. The corridor between Antwerp and Brussels also has emerged as a major manufacturing zone, eclipsing the older industrial concentration in the Sambre-Meuse valley.

Metallurgy, steel, textiles, chemicals, glass, paper, and food processing are the dominant industries. Belgium is one of the world’s leading processors of cobalt, radium, copper, zinc, and lead. Refineries, located principally in the Antwerp area, process crude petroleum. Antwerp is also known for diamond cutting and dealing.

The Netherlands enjoys a strong position as a European manufacturing location for North American companies. In fact, over 450 North American companies have found a home in the Netherlands for manufacturing or assembly operations.

These companies cover a wide range of product categories — from consumer goods producers such as Coca-Cola and Heinz; to heavy industrial concerns like Eastman Chemical, Allied Mineral and Lyondell; to technology-focused companies such as Abbott, Verizon and IBM.

Biggest Companies in the sector

Manufacturing Clusters

Manufacturing Fairs