Trade mission during Dutch royal visit to Sweden showed a strong Brainport Eindhoven accent
The business highlight of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima’s visit to Sweden in recent days had a strong Brainport Eindhoven accent. Representatives from Mean, VDL, NXPand Philipsparticipated, among other things, in discussions with CEOs of Dutch and Swedish companies about common challenges and opportunities to broaden cooperation.
The royal couple’s visit was at the invitation of King Carl XVI Gustaf. In addition to the king and queen, the ministers Hoekstra from foreign affairs, Ollongren from defense and Dijkgraaf from education, culture and science were also present. State Secretary Heijnen for Infrastructure and Water Management was also there. Apart from much ceremonial display, there was plenty of time during the state visit, as usual, to promote trade relations. These talks took place partly in the presence of the king.
For Dutch companies, the visit was a golden opportunity; At the same time, the emphasis on activities originating in Brainport Eindhoven is seen as further proof of this region’s international importance. The discussions focused on themes such as energy transition, sustainability, life sciences and smart mobility. “There is also recognition of shared values and cooperation on innovative solutions to today’s and future challenges,” the Dutch government’s information service said in a statement.
Technology Day
On behalf of VDL Groep, Jennifer van der Leegte and Pieter van der Leegte were part of the trade delegation of Dutch companies to Sweden. “Sweden is an important trading partner for VDL Groep,” noted Jennifer van der Leegte. “During the state visit to Stockholm, we explored in a constructive dialogue how we can further shape and expand our cooperation. In this way, together with Swedish companies, we can further anchor the high-quality manufacturing industry in northwestern Europe and the employment opportunities that come with it. I have proposed holding a Tech Day with the Swedish and Dutch companies present to experience what we can do for each other to find solutions to today’s and tomorrow’s challenges. I am convinced that with our joint innovations we can make the world a better, smarter and more sustainable place.”
2.9 million tons of CO2
CEO Benelux Hellen van der Plas at Signify looks back on a “very constructive” visit. “For us, the focus was on the potential savings when we replaced traditional lighting with connected LED. The ministers in both countries showed great interest, which is not at all surprising when you look at the data. Sweden could save over 1.2 billion euros annually in energy costs if LED lighting were installed everywhere. For the Netherlands, it is even close to two billion. It would save 2.9 million tons of CO2 per year. In current times of energy poverty, this is a very significant amount that we should be saving immediately.”
NXP led the conversation on European opportunities in chips. Maurice Geraets: “NXP Semiconductors wants to explore how we as industry and governments can work together even better to address European technological sovereignty and improve the resilience of European ecosystems, which will benefit all member states.”
Reliable value chains
Mikko Vasama, CEO of Philips Nordics, also drew attention to European value chains. “For technically complex medical devices, it may not be realistic to expect Europe to rely solely on EU supply chains for all components and raw materials. Building resilience and robustness in strategic supply chains is critical.” Diversification and flexibility lead the way, Vasama said. “Ultimately, companies can best manage their own supply chains. Targeted efforts to support supply chain resilience for critical commodities like semiconductors should be the exception, not the rule.” In this regard, Philips attaches great importance to business collaborations, such as the partnership with Karolinska University Hospital, “to jointly innovate in healthcare.”
Sustainability was also a topic of discussion for Philips at the CEO table in Stockholm. Vasama: “Healthcare accounts for more than four percent of global CO2 emissions, more than the aviation and shipping sectors! As a sector, we have a responsibility to act. For example, by introducing innovative new business models, working in a carbon neutral way, implementing circular practices and applying our EcoDesign principles to our products.”
These projects put Sweden on the path to a circular economy