Lithuania has been an important partner of Germany for decades. The Baltic country has a lot of experience with German companies such as Hella, Continental, Schmitz Cargobull and others. One of the most important cases of cooperation between the countries is REHAU’s factory in Lithuania. The German plastic giant is building a new factory together with YIT, a Finnish real estate developer with a strong presence in Lithuania, and local government in the Klaipėda Free Economic Zone (FEZ).
So far, REHAU is planning to employ around 200 people. Indeed, the factory itself will measure over 20,000 square meters. According to REHAU’s, it will be able to produce 9,000 tons of underfloor heating pipes and 20,000 tons of cable ducts. These products were previously manufactured in Austria, however REHAU decided to relocate to Lithuania. The company is also planning to leave some free space for future development. The plant should be operational in 2022.
Dr. Roger Schönborn, Head of Division Building Solutions at REHAU, said that the company had considered a number of locations for its new facility across the Central and Eastern European region before finally settling on Klaipėda in Lithuania. It was chosen due to its talented specialists who have a professional attitude and great work ethic. REHAU’s management was also attracted by Lithuania’s streamlined and business-friendly economic environment.
The above arguments are repeated by international manufacturers time and time again. Lithuania has EU-leading higher education numbers, and the country has a very diverse talent pool. It includes 41,500 engineers, over 31,500 IT specialists, and more than 40 000 students in both these fields combined. Lithuania is also ranked 2nd globally by Bloomberg for ‘tertiary efficiency’. And although companies often choose other Lithuanian cities, the port town of Klaipėda FEZ is becoming a major manufacturer hub in Europe.
Cases such as REHAU’s demonstrate that Lithuania is a reliable partner inside the EU and an premium business and investment location. Set against the steady intensification of German-Lithuanian economic relations, the new industrial revolution offers promising opportunities for the European countries to maintain and increase their market share.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the renewed diplomatic relations between Germany and Lithuania. Both countries have achieved much during this period. Today, there are more than 90 German companies operating in Lithuania, employing around 70 thousand staff. These success stories prove that close cooperation between Germany and Lithuania, both in the public and private sector, can create magnificent results – ones that would be unreachable alone.
