Guests from 15 nations met companies and visited palace

photograph by Andreas Woitschützke

A range of companies and tourist sites in and around Neuss on the Rhine were at the focus of this year's Autumn Tour, arranged for representatives of the Consular Corps in North-Rhine Westphalia by the local branch (Mittlere Niederrhein, Middle Lower Rhine) of the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce together with the District Council. In all, 22 representatives from 15 nations followed the invitation. The first leg of the tour was Hydro Aluminium GmbH in Grevenbroich whose plant manager Dr. Stefan Kästner gave some insights into aluminium production and the manufacturing of aluminium foil. The visit finished with a guided tour of the production halls of this rolling mill which makes foil for the pharmaceutical industry and also for private households.

In Neuss the consular representatives and international business developers were invited by Selex Systems Integration GmbH. The company, which belongs to the Italian engineering group Finmeccanica, makes meteorological radar units for airport operators and weather services throughout the world. Managing Director Ulrich Nellen initiated the guests into the basics of meteorological radar equipment and took the delegates to the roof of the building where he gave a live demonstration of a multi-ton parabolic weather aerial.

The afternoon programme finished with a tour of an art exhibition at Schloss Dyck. This was followed by dinner when Dr. Dieter Porschen, Managing Director of the Chamber, and Hans-Jürgen Petrauschke, member of the District Council, gave an overview of the current economic situation and of the prospects of the Neuss district. Next, Schloss Dyck featured as a cultural highlight of the region again: Jens Spanjer, chairman of the foundation, invited the international guests to a preview of the illuminations installed in the grounds. The combination of landscape architecture, art installations and lighting effects clearly proved to the delegates of the Autumn Tour of the Chamber that Managing Director Dr. Dieter Porschen had been right when he described the benefits of the region with the following words: "The Lower Rhine is a region where it's pleasant to work and live."