Bridging Markets: New India Competence Centre Düsseldorf Established

Düsseldorf, April 2, 2025. Many economic and geopolitical decisions are currently being strategically readjusted. Companies are faced with the challenge of diversifying their sales and procurement markets. As Asia's third-largest economy, India is one of the markets of the future. The Düsseldorf Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the State Capital Düsseldorf and Messe Düsseldorf have now jointly founded the India Competence Centre Düsseldorf (German: “Indien-Kompetenzzentrum Düsseldorf”, or IKD for short). The IKD office is anchored in the Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

The newly established IKD supports companies from Düsseldorf and the surrounding region in developing or expanding their business activities in India. The newly created IKD will support companies from Düsseldorf and the region in developing or expanding their business activities in India. It also assists Indian companies interested in Düsseldorf in their business development. In doing so, the IKD concentrates on the following fields of action and offers its services in cooperation with other network partners, such as the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce or the Indian Consulate General in Frankfurt:

• Expanding the India business of companies from the region and NRW
• Attracting more Indian companies to Düsseldorf
• Attracting Indian skilled workers to Düsseldorf and the chamber district
• Strategic use of trade fairs in Düsseldorf and India as effective tools for business development in both markets

"There are already close bilateral economic ties between Düsseldorf and the subcontinent, as well as a strong presence of Indian companies, especially from the IT sector, in Düsseldorf," affirms Andreas Schmitz, President of the Düsseldorf Chamber of Industry and Commerce. "Through the IKD, we support our member companies in strategically expanding their business in India – and thus make an important contribution to strengthening the regional economy in geopolitically challenging times like these."

The city of Düsseldorf is also contributing its expertise to the new India Competence Centre. As part of the IKD, the India Desk of the Office of Economic Development assists Indian companies in setting up business in Düsseldorf and takes care of the needs of Indian companies already based in the state capital.

“India is a key economic partner for Düsseldorf and the region. We are delighted that so many Indian companies have chosen Düsseldorf as their business location in recent years. The steadily growing Indian community is a testament to our excellent infrastructure and the diverse opportunities available to Indian professionals in our city,“ says Düsseldorf's Mayor Dr Stephan Keller. “In 2023, we signed a cooperation agreement with the Indian state of Karnataka in the fields of technology and skilled labor. With the establishment of the India Competence Center Düsseldorf, we are consolidating our resources and create a central hub to further strengthen economic exchange with India.”

One key factor that makes Düsseldorf an ideal starting point for German-Indian business relations: 20 leading international trade fairs spanning a wide range of industries – from metallurgy to medical technology, from plastics and rubber to retail technology. “Trade fairs are door openers to new markets,” emphasizes Wolfram N. Diener, President & CEO of Messe Düsseldorf. “With the IKD, we aim to attract even more Indian exhibitors and visitors to our world-leading trade fairs in Düsseldorf, enabling them to connect with German and international companies. This benefits not only our customers but also strengthens Düsseldorf as a trade fair and business hub.” In addition, Messe Düsseldorf currently organizes 16 of its own trade fairs in India, serving as entry platforms into the local market. “Nowhere else abroad do we run so many events – they are important flagships representing Düsseldorf internationally.”

Ferdinand Schlechta will head the IKD, after having worked in India for the past three years at the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC) and the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). Bettina Löhr and Felix Fröhlich from the India Desk of the Office of Economic Development are the main contacts in the business attraction sector. The annual program as well as all information on the service portfolio can be found online at: www.ikd-dus.de

Background information on bilateral economic relations and the activities of the IKD sponsors:

Currently, India belongs to the industrialized and emerging countries with the highest GDP growth rates (7.8% in the financial year 2023/24). The IMF's forecast for the current fiscal year (24/25) is 6.8%. According to the IMF and World Bank, growth rates of just over 6% are forecast for the coming years. This makes the country currently the fastest growing major economy in the world and puts it ahead of other emerging and developing countries in Asia in terms of economic development. By the end of the decade, India will be the world's third-largest economy after the US and China, overtaking Germany and Japan. The country is investing more in its infrastructure such as airports, seaports, rail and road. India also has great potential in the field of energy and the country is a leading digital and innovation location. The country now earns more from the export of software and IT services than Saudi Arabia does from the sale of oil.

The Düsseldorf Chamber of Industry and Commerce has been part of the India Desk network of the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce for many years and offers a wide range of practical business information and events on the market. Many Düsseldorf-based companies are invested in India or are otherwise active in the market. These include companies such as Henkel, GEA, Gerresheimer, Kiepe Electric and Eller&Eller Architekten. The bilateral trade volume between NRW and India amounted to around 6 billion euros in 2024 (+ 0.7% compared to 2023). At least 200 NRW companies are invested in India, which have created over 100,000 jobs. Foreign direct investments from NRW in India amount to around 4 billion euros.

At the same time, the state capital Düsseldorf is an attractive location for Indian companies and skilled workers as a cosmopolitan city with a high standard of living. Around 40 Indian companies and 7,000 Indians now call Düsseldorf their home – and the trend is rising sharply. Among the Indian companies present in Düsseldorf are many global players, such as Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Wipro and Tech Mahindra. Since 2023, the state capital has consolidated its cooperation with the state of Karnataka in southern India as part of a cooperation agreement, with the aim of connecting startups from the fields of Industry 4.0, digital health and sustainability. The recruitment of talent is also an important component of the cooperation agreement.

Messe Düsseldorf is one of the most successful trade fair organizers in the world. Each year, around 40 trade fairs are held at its own venue in Düsseldorf – including 20 world-leading events – bringing together international market leaders and top decision-makers from various industries. In addition, the company organizes 82 trade fairs around the globe, serving as platforms for regional markets. Of these, 16 are held in India – more than in any other international market. Messe Düsseldorf also operates one of its seven international subsidiaries there, with offices in New Delhi and Mumbai. The trade fairs in this key market serve as strong flagships representing the global trade fair hub of Düsseldorf and North Rhine-Westphalia. From 2014 to 2024, a total of 3,688 Indian companies exhibited in Düsseldorf. During the same period, 129,380 visitors from India attended Düsseldorf’s leading international trade fairs. This makes India the third-largest non-European visitor nation (after the USA and China), and the fourth-largest in terms of exhibitors (after the USA, China, and South Korea). This represents an important economic factor for Düsseldorf.