A business location with a future
The West Palatinate offers much more than beautiful landscapes and a high quality of life. After decades of extensive changes in the economic structure, the West Palatinate has once again developed itself into an extremely competitive location.
The economic structure of the West Palatinate is internationally connected, predominantly shaped by medium-sized companies and is extremely diversified. Its special strengths lie in mechanical engineering and equipment manufacturing for the automotive industry, chemicals and plastics, shoes and leather goods and increasingly, in the area of information and communication technology. In particular, the business centre of Kaiserslautern has developed into a high-tech location with a pioneering role, especially in the area of software development and industry 4.0. Numerous start-ups have sprung up around institutes of higher education and research institutes, but international corporations like John Deere also use the location's technological competence in its development centres.
Central location
Located between the Rhine-Main and Rhine-Neckar metropolitan regions, Saarland and France. More than 10 million people live within an hour and a half radius.
International competency
Around 50,000 Americans live in the West Palatinate – as well as people from about 140 other countries.
Excellent transportation connection
At the Frankfurt airport or in Mannheim, Karlsruhe or Saarbrücken within an hour. In Paris in just two and a half hours by train.
Strong businesses
Numerous innovative and internationally competitive businesses, especially in the areas of mechanical engineering, the automotive industry and IT.
Top research
Numerous internationally-renowned research institutions (including Fraunhofer, Max Planck, Deutsche Forschungszentrum für Künstliche Intelligence GmbH [German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence]. Key competencies: mathematics, software development, industry 4.0.
Qualified skilled workers
Two institutes of higher education with a technical focus educate excellent young talents. One of the largest distance university centres in Germany enables training and further education.
