Discussions on North Rhine-Westphalia as an Industrial Hub: Minister of Economic Affairs Mona Neubaur Visits VAHLE

Mona Neubaur Visits VAHLE: The North Rhine-Westphalian Minister of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection, and Energy visited Paul Vahle GmbH & Co. KG in Kamen on September 14 to get a firsthand look at the company and its future initiatives. The focus of her visit was a discussion with her host, Achim Dries, Managing Director of VAHLE, about the importance of small and medium-sized enterprises for industrial transformation, the labor market, and the competitiveness of North Rhine-Westphalia as a business location. Other highlights of the visit included a tour of the facility offering insights into VAHLE’s product portfolio, as well as a walkthrough of the construction site for the new VAHLE Campus, where the company is building a new headquarters featuring state-of-the-art production, logistics, and administrative facilities.

“For VAHLE, Minister Mona Neubaur’s visit is an important sign of appreciation for our commitment to making North Rhine-Westphalia a competitive industrial hub,” says Achim Dries, CEO and Managing Director of the VAHLE Group. As a long-established, family-run company with over 100 years of history in Kamen, VAHLE is firmly rooted in the region and ranks among the largest local employers. As a “hidden champion,” VAHLE develops technologies in North Rhine-Westphalia that are used worldwide in future-oriented industries such as intralogistics, electromobility, and smart factories. 

During her site visit, Minister of Economic Affairs Neubaur gained insights into the applications of VAHLE solutions during a factory tour, ranging from intralogistics to the automotive and semiconductor industries, port applications, and even amusement parks.

The program also included a tour of the VAHLE Campus, which is currently under construction. A state-of-the-art factory with approximately 15,300 square meters of usable space is being built there, where VAHLE will manufacture its broad portfolio of products and solutions in the future—ranging from power transmission systems to mobile control units. The new building is complemented by advanced storage areas such as an automated small-parts warehouse, an automated pallet warehouse, and a honeycomb warehouse. In this way, the company is creating modern jobs, driving innovation, and demonstrating how industrial performance can be shaped in a sustainable manner. 

Mona Neubaur, Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection, and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, says: “Innovative strength, courage, and adaptability—that’s what VAHLE has stood for for more than a century. The company has evolved from a manufacturer of copper busbars into a modern technology partner. With the new campus in Kamen, the company is sending a strong signal in support of North Rhine-Westphalia as an industrial hub. This investment impressively demonstrates that reliable framework conditions exist here to shape the future. This is how sustainable competitiveness is achieved through high-quality jobs and innovative industrial value creation.” 

A key part of the minister’s visit was a discussion with VAHLE’s management on industrial policy issues. Topics discussed included the framework conditions for regional development and industrial transformation in North Rhine-Westphalia, as well as the role of innovative family-owned and small-to-medium-sized enterprises in strengthening the region as an industrial hub.