These companies provide the BV Netherlands with a profit in the future
Shell is leaving the Netherlands. Although only with the statute, the petrochemical industry, where Shell occupied an important place in the Netherlands, is not a growth sector. That is why we as BV Netherlands have to earn in other ways. And luckily we have some sectors and companies that offer good opportunities for this.
Energy transition and sustainability, further digitization and growth of the platform economy (such as at Adyen and Booking.com) are driving the growth of certain sectors, experts say.
Manufacturing industry
The manufacturing industry in particular offers opportunities, says Albert Jan Swart, sector economist Industry & Transport and Logistics at ABN Amro. That includes getting more people to work there.
Furthermore, labor productivity is high there, due to machines and automation, he says. “That is basically there for wage growth and that is good for the economy. In the service sector it is much more difficult to increase profits.”
Mechanical engineering
Machine construction in particular is growing fast, says Swart. In September, the production of all industry in the Netherlands rose by 11 percent, but machine construction stopped there with an increase of 61 percent head and shoulders above the rest.
This includes ASML, which builds machines with which major chip manufacturers such as Intel and the Taiwanese TSMC make chips. This company is kind of a monopoly in the world and it’s growing up against the rocks. In the third quarter, turnover increased got 30 percent.
But there are also many companies in the electrical engineering and metal sectors that are suppliers to ASML, says Swart. Many of them are in North Brabant, but you also have VDL ETG, part of VDL Groep, which is located in, among other places, Almelo.
Electrically charged
There are also companies in the Netherlands that are strong in the field of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, says Swart. A well-known company is charging station manufacturer Alfen, which is also listed on the Amsterdam stock exchange.
But you also have EV Box, among other things. Earlier this year, that partnered with Mercedes-Benz Trucks and with the major Japanese tire producer Bridgestone to number the charging points in Europe.
Sustainability
Black overview further Eco tap, which supplies charging stations, also for electric buses and trucks. There are also many companies in the Netherlands that make components for charging stations, such as cables, plugs and electronic components, explains Swart.
We also got acquainted with VDL and Ebusco, two in-house producers of electric buses.
Sustainability in general is a growth sector, says Maurice van Santen, senior economist at ING Bank. “Think of insulating houses, installing solar panels, removing houses from gas. That creates a lot of work for installation companies.”
IT
He also has good expectations of the ICT sector. “In the past 20 years, it grew much faster than the Dutch economy and it is expected that this high growth will continue for a while. This is partly due to a lot of outsourcing and storing data in the cloud,” says Van Santen.
Automation in Agriculture
Don’t forget about mechanization and automation in agriculture, says Swart. The Netherlands has traditionally been strong in agriculture and there are also many companies that help to improve production.
This is how Lely from Maassluis milking robots and it claims to be the world market leader. Lely also makes crops in an optimal way and helps to store it to set up optimally. “In many countries they are still a long way from us with mechanization and automation in agriculture”, says Swart, who therefore expects growth for these types of companies.
AI, quantum technology
Other Dutch interests also have good opportunities, according to a report drawn up by KPMG together with TNO on behalf of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate.
These include companies in the field of artificial intelligence, quantum technology, the defense and aerospace industries.
Rapid growth platform economy
Let’s not forget that we also have fast growers in the service sector, says Swart. Some of them are already well-known names, such as payment services Adyen and Mollie, Booking.com and Just Eat Takeaway.
These are already huge undertakings. Adyen is worth approximately 78 billion euros on the stock exchange, which is more than Heineken. Only the stock market value of ASML, Shell, Unilever and Prosus is higher.
Booking.com is a simple force for hotel reservations Just Eat Takeaway is growing fast: it expects to process 45 percent more this year than last year. That’s without Grubhub. With that acquisition, Just Eat Takeaway also became a major player in the US.