Hidden Champions in and around Hamburg

As a global market leader, the company develops innovative and energy-saving maneuvering and propulsion systems for international shipping. Becker Marine Systems‘ sustainable technologies  significantly improve the efficiency and environment-friendliness of the maritime industry.

The company is one of the world's leading providers in the field of mobile emergency and intensive care technology. Weinmann Emergency stands for high-quality and reliable equipment that enables life-saving medical assistance and thus helps emergency services worldwide with their tasks.

Reyher is an international specialist in fasteners and fixing technology with excellent logistics expertise. The company impresses with its extensive product range and offers its customers flexible solutions as well as fast and reliable delivery capability.

The edding No. 1 permanent marker is a global hit. The history of the Ahrensburg pen manufacturer began in 1960. The company was founded by two school friends with 500 Deutschmarks and a typewriter. Today, felt-tip pens, fine liners, foil pens and the like are sold worldwide. In addition to pens and markers, there are also products for industry, trade and medicine.

Innovation ‘Made in Lübeck’: Nikon SLM Solutions specializes in 3D metal printers. The devices can be used to produce complex components from various metals for aerospace, automotive and tool manufacturing. The 3D metal printers are sold worldwide, and Nikon SLM Solutions is the inventor of the selective laser melting process.

Tesafilm holds the world together. The transparent adhesive tape even has its own entry in the dictionary. However, the Norderstedt-based company generates the lion's share of its business with tailor-made solutions for industry. Special adhesive tapes are also used in electric cars, smartphones, televisions, freezers, photocopiers, furniture, windows among others worldwide.

Imagine your house is ablaze and the escape route is cut off. Axel Thoms in Bad Bramstedt offers rescue hoses. The hose is attached to the balcony or to a turntable ladder, e.g., and then slowly slides downwards in a controlled spiral movement. Axel Thoms sells its rescue hoses worldwide.

A wallpaper that heats? That’ the idea behind the product manufactured by mpo-tec in Ludwigslust. Paper webs are coated wafer-thin with graphite and stuck to the wall with conventional paste. The wallpaper is connected to the power supply hidden behind the baseboard. When the graphite heats up, the room becomes warm and cozy.

Most trainers are manufactured in Asia. But running and comfortable shoes are also made in Düssin, between Hamburg and Berlin. Two brothers, both of whom are enthusiastic marathon runners and owners of running shoe stores, have set up a factory in a former cowshed. They promise low-emission materials, high-tech processes and handcrafted production.

Many people prefer eggs from local farms. But packaging can also hail from the Hamburg Metropolitan Region. The eggbox company has produced egg cartons from corrugated cardboard In Wittenburg near Schwerin since 2010. Recycled materials are used, and the electricity comes from renewable sources.

Energy transition ‘Made in Cuxhaven’: Spanish company Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy manufactures nacelles for offshore wind turbines in Lower Saxony. The company is based on the waterfront so that the huge components can be shipped to wind turbines on the high seas. The company in Cuxhaven was inaugurated in 2018.

Some barely known companies export worldwide. These include the Schwerin-based company Airsense Analytics, which manufactures hazardous substance detectors. The devices can detect substances like industrial toxins or explosives in the air in a matter of seconds. Areas of application include civil protection, the military and protecting major events.

Bohlsener Mühle produces sustainable food from spelt, wheat, rye and other grains. The heart of the company is the old watermill, which was first mentioned in documents in 1265. The grain for bread, muesli, cookies stem from local organic farmers. Bohlsener Mühle has won the German Sustainability Award twice.

Hatecke is one of the world's leading lifeboat manufacturers. Founded in 1903, the family business is now in its fifth generation. The shipyard initially built and repaired wooden boats but now focuses on lifeboats for cruise liners and container ships. The company is based in Drochtersen-Krautsand on the River Elbe.

Few people know Mapa. However, the industrial company's products can be found in households across the globe. A selection of Mapa's brands: Nuk soothers, Billy Boy condoms and Spontex cleaning sponges. Based in Zeven, the history of the rubber and plastic manufacturer dates to 1947.

Countless love letters and numerous contracts that changed the course of history have been signed with a Montblanc fountain pen. Since 1906, the name Montblanc has stood for the finest craftsmanship. And although greetings today usually arrive via smartphone or in an email inbox, the art of beautiful handwriting with a fountain pen is at home in Hamburg and has devoted fans around the world.

The grand pianos of Steinway & Sons grace concert halls around the world. They are manufactured in New York and Hamburg. Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg, an emigrant from the Harz Mountains, founded the company in New York in 1853. When looking for a location in Europe, Hamburg was the city of choice. And, of course, Steinway grand pianos can also be heard at the Elbphilharmonie.

1Komma5° is committed to protecting the climate. The idea is to use energy primarily when it can be generated from wind and solar power. To make this possible, buildings are equipped with solar panels, heat pumps, energy storage systems and EV charging stations, all connected to one another and to the power grid. 1Komma5° was founded in Hamburg and now has locations across Europe and in Australia.

A fries fork made from plants? That’s what bioeconomy start-up Traceless is working on. Two female founders are using their technology to create new materials from agricultural residues—bio-based and fully recyclable. Their goal is to create an alternative to plastic and, for example, revolutionize the packaging industry. The patent has been filed, investors are on board, and the story is far from over.