immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Greater Zurich Area AG

  • GZA presents itself as part of Choose Europe in North America

    GZA presents itself as part of Choose Europe in North America

    The association of location organisations from 14 European cities and regions called Choose Europe is presenting itself for the first time at one of the most important technology conferences in the world, the Collision Conference. It will take place from 26 to 29 June in Toronto in the Canadian province of Ontario. As a location marketing agency representing nine cantons as well as the city of Zurich and the Winterthur region, the Greater Zurich Area is also a member of this new initiative. In addition, Amsterdam, Barcelona-Catalonia, Berlin, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Lyon, Oslo, Paris, Riga, Stockholm, Vienna and Warsaw are also members.

    According to a media release, the aim of “this unprecedented collaboration” is to “showcase the benefits of working, living and investing in Europe” to a global audience. This cooperation aims to facilitate access to the European market for potential investors and talent. It aims to expand Europe’s market potential and create an environment that promotes investment opportunities and facilitates growth.

    “Europe is the frontrunner in sustainability and green change,” Helsinki Partners Managing Director Clarisse Berggårdh is quoted as saying. “However, no one can solve the big global challenges alone. That’s why we, the European investment promotion agencies, are pooling our efforts.” Global competition for foreign direct investment is intense, says GZA Managing Director Sonja Wollkopf Walt “We are ready to tackle future challenges together with our Choose Europa partners. Our shared vision is to establish Europe as a hub for sustainable investment.”

  • GZA draws a positive conclusion for 2022

    GZA draws a positive conclusion for 2022

    The number of new companies from abroad settling in the Zurich economic region has stabilised at a high level in 2022, according to GZA. Together with its location promotion partners, the location marketing organisation supported 108 companies in establishing new branches in the nine associated cantons, the city of Zurich and the Winterthur region, according to the 2022 annual report presented on 30 March. In the previous year, there had been 129 companies, in 2020 only 89, and in 2019 a total of 109.

    The 108 companies newly established last year created 516 jobs, 19 per cent fewer than in the previous year. This downward trend reflects the use of new technologies, the increasing automation of production processes and the cross-border division of labour among international companies, according to the media release accompanying the annual report. However, the companies that have settled in the region are planning to create a further 1292 jobs in the next five years.

    The front-runner among the new settlements in 2022 was the life sciences with 22 companies, followed by 20 companies from fintech and blockchain, 16 from information technologies and 12 from artificial intelligence and computer vision.

    The majority of the newly established companies come from the USA (33), Germany (14) and Italy (9). According to GZA, their internationality increases the networking of the business location and contributes to its resilience. “We want to attract attractive companies to the Zurich economic region that can create something new for a sustainable future here and throughout Switzerland,” says Balz Hösly, Chairman of the Board of Directors, as quoted in the media release.

    The focus of the 2022 Annual Report is the circular economy. GZA AG is a founding member of the recently launched Workshop for the Circular Economy CE123, an initiative from the business community that aims to pave the way for circularity, especially for SMEs. “Alongside digitalisation, the circular economy is becoming a big business prospect,” says Managing Director Sonja Wollkopf. It will “lead to more innovation and prosperity”.

  • Settlements reach pre-corona level

    Settlements reach pre-corona level

    Company settlements are increasing again after the Corona dip. The Greater Zurich Area AG (GZA), as the location marketing organization for nine cantons, was able to settle a total of 125 companies in 2021, an increase of 36 companies compared to the first Corona year 2020. According to a statement by the GZA, 42 companies came from the USA (+20 ), 19 from Germany (+4), ten from Italy (+5) and five each from China (-6), Great Britain and Singapore.

    Overall, the companies created 582 jobs in the economic area, an increase of 11 percent compared to the previous year. In the next five years there should be a total of 1843 jobs.

    The ICT sectors are most strongly represented with 42 companies, followed by the life sciences with 25 companies and the machine industry with 18 and financial services with 13 companies. The life sciences companies created 235 jobs, followed by the ICT companies with 154 jobs.

    However, the importance of the companies for the location goes beyond the number of new jobs. “We specifically address those companies that achieve high added value and strengthen the existing ecosystem,” said GZA Managing Director Sonja Wollkopf Walt at a digital media conference.

    One of the newly settled companies is Benchling . The American provider of cloud solutions for life sciences wants to create up to 150 jobs in the Circle at Zurich Airport. The Chinese pharmaceutical company Hengrui already has its European headquarters in Basel and is now setting up a research and development site in Zurich.

    The German RegTech company targens will sell its software for compliance solutions to banks in Switzerland and Liechtenstein from Schwanden GL. Ruedi Becker, the Swiss head of the Landesbank Baden-Württemberg subsidiary, was able to convince his superiors of the advantages of Glarus together with the GZA.

    That pleases the Glarner location promoter Christian Zehnder. So far, Glarus has been strong in manufacturing and food production. “We want to get away from our traditional image,” he said. “When companies settle here, however, we depend on the strong partner GZA, who markets the location internationally.”

    Sonja Wollkopf Walt sees it similarly: the settlement of targens strengthens the ecosystem as a whole and sends the signal that the economic area extends beyond Zurich and Zug. “In the Greater Zurich Area there is the ideal location for every company.”

    The Greater Zurich Area includes the cantons of Glarus, Graubünden, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, Ticino, Uri, Zug and Zurich.

  • GZA receives strategy award from "Financial Times"

    GZA receives strategy award from "Financial Times"

    As part of the fDi Strategy Awards 2021 , Greater Zurich Area AG ( GZA ) receives the specialist award for advanced manufacturing. The strategy prizes are awarded to global location promotions that have particularly distinguished themselves in certain areas in the current year. fDi intelligence is the department for foreign direct investment (fdi) of the London business newspaper ” Financial Times” .

    For this year’s edition, four jurors from the fDi team reviewed 34 locations and agencies that stood out in various fDi Intelligence rankings in 2021. The main prizes were awarded in the four main categories Global Cities of the Future, African Tech Ecosystems, American Cities of the Future and Tech Cities of the Future.

    Best investment promotion agency (IPA) was the New York City Economic Development Corporation. It also received the award for the highest degree of sustainability. Berlin Partner for Business and Technology received the award for the best aftercare services.

    In addition, the jury awarded prizes for outstanding achievements in specific sectors. She noted that the greater Zurich area, as Switzerland’s financial metropolis, has a strong concentration of companies using the most modern manufacturing processes. As stated in the judgment in favor of the GZA, this “in combination with the clusters for robotics and intelligent systems in the city” indicates “that the location will be an attractive center for high-tech manufacturing”.