ZUID-HOLLAND - Economy
A strong and versatile economy
With its 120 000 businesses and disproportionate number of very large companies, South Holland takes a major share of the Dutch economy (23% of GNP, a quarter of gross investment in the Netherlands and 30% of the country's gross exports). Important sectors include the gas and chemical industries (Shell, Unilever, DSM, ), the transport equipment and metal industries ( IHC Holland, Stork, Fokker), the manufacture of instrumentation, the food, drink and tobacco industry (Heineken and Unilever) and building. Most industrial activities are concentrated in the southern part of the province. On the Maasvlakte, near Rotterdam, a number of oil companies operate giant storage tanks. This area plays a crucial role in western Europe in the landing, storage and refining of oil products.
As would be expected in a region which includes the world's largest seaport, the transport and distribution sector is prominent. Enterprises in other sectors associated with international transport, such as banking, insurance and commerce, have also become established in Rotterdam.
Agriculture and horticulture (cultivation under glass and bulb growing) are highly advanced and export-oriented.
Many foreign companies have established a presence in South Holland, including Siemens Nederland NV, Asean Brown Boveri, Alcatel, Du Pont de Nemours, Koni BV, Kemira Pernis BV and, very recently, Compaq, Syntegra and CMGLogica. The region also boasts a number of leading R&D institutes, including Europe's biggest aerospace complex (Estec) in Noordwijk, TNO (Central Organisation for Applied Scientific Research) in Delft and the bioscience park in Leiden.
Favourable business climate for the establishment of business
The region's economy is very wide-ranging and can draw on an excellent R&D infrastructure.
A number of major international concerns have their headquarters and/or other establishments in South Holland. Horticulture, the associated distribution sector and wholesale trade are also prominent. The food industry, which originally had close ties with the agricultural sector and in some cases still does, is also of considerable importance: flour products (Meneba), sugar-refining (Suikerunie), milk and margarine production (Unilever), Nuticia babyfood, brewing (Heineken) and fish processing (Ouwehand).
The position of the Rijnmond area has been consolidated following major investments by Shell and Esso in the important petrochemical complex. The transport and distribution sector is of major importance for the provincial economy with companies such as P&O Nedlloyd, Vopak, ECT, and Maersk. Although banking, insurance and business services are to a certain extent dependent on the province's importance as a transport and distribution centre, they have also acquired a momentum of their own, e.g. insurance companies such as Nationale Nederlanden and Aegon.
The region benefits of an excellent communication network. The port of Rotterdam occupies an extremely important logistical position in international transport and distribution. The proximity of Amsterdam's Schiphol airport is a further point in the province's favour. There is a dense network of roads, canals and railways, all of which provide access to and from places far into the European hinterland. South Holland is preparing to join the TGV high-speed rail network.
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