Why Bavarian regions beyond the big cities are the hot new innovation hotspots

Herzogenaurach has about 25,000 inhabitants. At Adidas, every fourth employee working at this site comes from abroad. More than 70 nations are represented, making the town more and more international, despite its small size.

Adidas works hard to make foreign employees feel at home. It even has a website encouraging job applicants to take the leap to Franconia. "It was clear that we could only recruit international talent if we could ensure that their families felt welcome and that their children received the best possible education - close to where they work and live," says HR manager Matthias Malessa. That led Adidas to set up an international school. Puma and the automotive supplier Schaeffler are also based there.

Brose is the fourth-largest family-owned automotive supplier worldwide. Its core competence lies in the combination of mechanics, electrics, electronics, and sensor technology. Every second new car worldwide is equipped with at least one of BROSE's products.

The Brose locations in Coburg and Bamberg are situated in the heart of the Franconian region, with natural landscapes that are well worth seeing and experiencing: they exude a special charm and offer a high quality of life. “Working where others go on vacation” is a motto of the Brose locations. They are not strictly located in the countryside, but they are clearly not in metropolises, either.

Thanks to excellent public transportation, metropolises such as Nuremberg and Munich are easily reached.

Franconia’s universities attract thousands of students from outside the region who feel welcome and at home here and appreciate job opportunities that allows them to stay. 

At Brose, around two-thirds of all employees work outside Germany. Every working day is international due to cross-border and multilingual communication between locations and project teams.

Vilsbiburg is a small town of about 11,000 inhabitants in Lower Bavaria. DRÄXLMAIER is an automotive OEM and world market leader for innovative wiring systems, battery systems, modern electrical and electronic components, and exclusive interiors.

Modern, central, and family-friendly – this is how you could describe DRÄXLMAIER’s location.
The company is headquartered in the Landshut district, known for its strong economy. The area also can count on "Silicon Vilstal", a local non-profit initiative that fosters open social innovation and digitization and actively promotes cooperation between regions, experts, and start-ups. The region also offers further opportunities due to its proximity to the metropolis of Munich.

Not only cheese spaetzle, a kind of regional pasta, and Kneipp baths come from the Allgaeu region, but also Fendt, a world market leader in the production of high-tech agricultural machinery.

Just a stone’s throw from the famous Neuschwanstein castle, the 18,000-person community of Marktoberdorf has been the company’s headquarters from the very beginning. Today, the brand forms part of the American AGCO corporation and the innovative spearhead of the brand family.

All company divisions, comprising 3,000 employees, work together in Marktoberdorf in the areas of Development, Production, and Sales. The rural location is especially important for the development of future trends and corresponding production in the agricultural industry.

Knauf went from being a family business to creating a corporate family. Founded in 1932, Knauf is based in the Franconian town of Iphofen and is one of the world's leading manufacturers of building materials for interior finishing, building insulation, and for fitting out ceilings.

Knauf is one of the three largest family-owned companies in Bavaria and operates around 220 plants and 75 raw stone operations in over 86 countries worldwide.

Centrally situated in Europe between the European Metropolitan Region of Nuremberg and the technology, university and technical college locations of Würzburg and Schweinfurt, its location in the Kitzinger Land region offers scope for significant logistical, specialist, and innovative growth rates.

Neutraubling is home to Krones, which supplies the beverage industry and food producers with process technology, filling technology, and packaging machines, all the way through to IT solutions. With more than 100 sites all over the world, Krones has already established a global network in the area of lifecycle services. It is a classic “hidden champion” and market leader in its field. Neutraubling is located close to the famous university town of Regensburg, which makes it easy to attract new talents. Many other successful companies can be found in the vicinity of Regensburg. BMW runs one of its most advanced factories here.

The parent company and headquarters of Rosenberger are located in Fridolfing in the southeast of Germany, nestled in the middle of the Upper Bavarian foothills. Fridolfing has around 4,500 inhabitants.
Together with its partner companies, Rosenberger is one of the world's leading providers of high frequency, high voltage, and fiber optic technologies.

Fridolfing is situated in the scenic Alpine region of “Rupertiwinkel”, close to the historic cities of Burghausen, Laufen, and Salzburg. Surrounded by the Chiemgau Alpine foothills, Berchtesgaden, and the Salzburg Alps, its location between the Salzach River and the Waginger Lake offers a wide variety of leisure activities. The strong regional economy also ensures an excellent quality of life.

Rosenberger has always been deeply rooted in the Bavarian landscape and culture and, despite increasing internationalisation, is fully committed to the Fridolfing location - based on the successful “laptop and lederhosen” model.