Overview

As member of the Oshkosh Corporation family, the Geesink Norba Group is part of the world’s leading manufacturer of equipment for the refuse industries. The European head office and international board and management are located in Emmeloord, employing [number] people in that facility.

“The local population and government are proud to have an international company like Geesink within their borders. Holland is an easy place to live, and people are friendly. As soon as people hear you’re from abroad, they immediately switch to English. And life is healthy here. Emmeloord is only one hour from the international airport of Schiphol Amsterdam and Rotterdam Harbour is easy to reach, much easier than from Sweden. From Emmeloord we’ll expand hybrid technology over all our products. Holland has engineering schools that specialise in power electronics, LED and battery technology. We’ll develop our quality and innovation in cooperation with them.”

“The Netherlands is an ideal country for distribution. You find the Dutch all over the world; we are pioneers, we go after something and see whether there are opportunities for trade. We are open to other cultures and we network well. It’s safe here, too. Visitors from Asia and the United States find it very laid-back and agreeable here.

With its large trawling fleet and the biggest fish market in Western Europe, Urk is central to the Dutch fishing industry. To ensure it stays that way, local government, the Dutch Chamber of Commerce and the Flevoland Development Agency are jointly supporting the North Sea Fish Centre (NSFC), a new centre of expertise. In that sense, the climate for enterprise is excellent here.

It is also excellent in other respects: Flevoland offers plenty of space in which to fulfil your aspirations. The price of real estate is more attractive here. We experience far less traffic congestion and other delays than in other parts of the Netherlands; that saves time and money. Highly qualified staff with a practical outlook are to be found here in abundance.”

“McCain Foods Holland B.V. has three sites in the Netherlands; factories in Lelystad and Lewedorp and an office in Hoofddorp. Our Lelystad (Flevoland) factory is located close to the potatoes; they are grown in our back garden so to speak, and come here ‘straight’ from the field. Our end products reach clients all over the world. Distribution from Lelystad and the Netherlands is efficient: within Europe, we use road transport; non-European destinations are easily accessible via the Port of Rotterdam.

Flevoland offers space and room to move, something that cannot always be taken for granted in other parts of the Netherlands. Crime rates are low: we’ve only had one burglary in sixteen years. So it’s certainly safe here. You can move about freely day or night without having to look over your shoulder. Our people are our greatest asset. With a bit of creativity, that asset is to be found locally and regionally. Production occurs in four shifts and employees are able to get to work quickly and safely, without traffic congestion.”

“Giant Europe has had its head office in Lelystad since 1986, and at a highly visible location along the A6 motorway since 1996. Some aspects of bicycle production were also moved here. The Netherlands was selected as a location after Giant commissioned an independent agency to assess eight European countries against thirty criteria such as tax conditions, infrastructure, and the availability of staff. European subsidies were available for establishment of industry in ‘the new land’ of Flevoland. The Dutch government introduced exceptionally favourable incentives. Besides, the ‘made in Holland’ tag gives Giant added value: the Dutch are a nation of cyclists and out of the 400,000 bicycles we sell annually in Europe, twenty percent is destined for the Dutch ‘home market’. The Netherlands also scores highly in work ethics and efficiency.

The great advantages of having a site in Flevoland in particular, are the room for establishment and expansion, short lines of communication with local government, and the central location in terms of transport and logistics.”

“Flevoland is new land. That gives it an edge. Almere and Lelystad lead in the field of IT. The industrial estate on which we are located is fully equipped with fibre optic data communication; the medium of the future.

The physical infrastructure is good, too. Virtually our entire production is earmarked for export. We travel widely and often host overseas visitors. Schiphol is three quarters of an hour away from Lelystad by car or train. Within the foreseeable future, we will even be able to fly to all kinds of European destinations from Lelystad Airport. Fantastic!

Lelystad is also well located for the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp, as well as for freight to and from Scandinavia and Southern and Eastern Europe. In addition, the Hanzelijn railway line between Lelystad and Zwolle is currently under construction.

That superb infrastructure provides a wide reach in terms of recruitment; we have people working here from just about all parts of the Netherlands.”

“The Netherlands is an attractive, multi-cultural country with a high degree of tolerance. That enables outsiders to integrate quickly, and most Dutch people speak English. We have over forty nationalities working here: Dutch natives and expats. Residence and work permits are generally obtained within six months. Besides, employers receive a thirty percent tax rebate on the income tax of highly skilled migrants.

The strength of Flevoland and Almere lies in the fact that it is a new area with many young businesses; that generates dynamism. The lack of history presents opportunities. There is enough physical space to grow and that within half an hour of Amsterdam and Amstelveen with its Japanese community, shops and schools. That makes Almere an attractive location for development, strongly supported by the authorities and trade organisations. For example, MCFE is sponsoring a local business community project aimed at strengthening links between the labour market and the education system in Flevoland.”

“The Netherlands is the gateway to the rest of Europe. People are well qualified and they speak English. It is an open country with superior dairy technology and a nation receptive to innovative dairy products.

Almere/Flevoland is unique within the Netherlands because of its space and attractive, spaciously constructed modern living environment that offers value for money. Amsterdam, Schiphol Airport and the Japanese community of Amstelveen are half an hour away. Its central location and easy accessibility offer favourable conditions for setting up distribution operations.

The good water quality found in this region of the Netherlands is also very important to Yakult. Besides, local government’s attractive incentives for the establishment of industry here and the presence of the Flevoland Development Agency and the World Trade Centre represent added value to overseas and export businesses.”