Do what you want to do. We’ll take care of the rest. The slogan is a pretty good description of what young entrepreneurs can expect from Schwerin/Wismar Technology and Commercial Centre (TGZ). Innovative start-ups in particular will find it offers ideal conditions for starting and growing their businesses.
Thomas Möller has just returned from the construction site next door. Right from the start he’s been supervising the construction of House 7, a massive building at the TGZ site on Hagenower Straße in Schwerin. The TGZ should be opening its doors in summer 2024 after a two-year construction period. Thomas Möller’s enthusiasm for the project shines through when he talks about it. He has accompanied every building phase, mastered every challenge, celebrated every successful achievement. Now he proudly reports from the bright office units flooded with light on a total of 1,800 square metres, production areas covering 1,500 square metres on the two lower floors and the large conference room on the top floor, including a rooftop terrace. The lower-level production areas were already fully let back in May, well before the actual opening. The demand is great. The existing TGZ site in Schwerin has reached its current capacity limits. The new building aims to offer more space for young entrepreneurs and for the growth of existing companies.
Technology-oriented companies in particular use the TGZ sites in Schwerin and Wismar as a starting point. “Our task is to create ideal general conditions where new companies can settle”, says Thomas Möller. Since 2023, he has been CEO of the TGZ which was founded as an association in 1990. In addition to the state capital Schwerin, the Hanseatic port Wismar and Wismar University, the members today also include companies that have settled in the TGZ region. These include Planet IC GmbH, a company that began its own journey in the TGZ nearly 30 years ago. Founder Andreas Scher had actually intended to get his PhD. Working with fellow students, he had produced a thesis paper to do a doctorate about image recognition with neural networks, which eventually landed in the Ministry for Economic Affairs in Schwerin. After being persuaded to turn his idea into business, the company’s development was then closely linked with the Technology and Commercial Centre. “Planet IC is actually one of our very first companies here in the TGZ”, says Thomas Möller. The initial business idea turned into one of North Germany’s largest digital agencies and an IT service provider with their own certified data centre in Schwerin. They even made a direct contribution to the development of Schwerin Technology Centre, because it was thanks to them that high-speed internet became available at the site in Schwerin, which was based on the premises of former army barracks. This was possible because in those days, the company was one of the few firms in Western Mecklenburg to receive funding for cutting-edge technology from the German government.
Meanwhile the site has really grown. The original single building has now been joined by others. The premises went through gradual further development, with new buildings being constructed and new areas made available.
Some companies that started in the TGZ have settled here permanently in their own buildings. Schwerin Technology Park covers 16 hectares. The corresponding site in Wismar has gone through similar development. The office building is located directly on Alter Holzhafen with nearly 13,000 square metres of space available to let. Visitors will enjoy the fresh Baltic breeze with seagulls hovering in the air and the water within reach. Goertz Möbelmanufaktur also began here before purchasing land in the immediate vicinity to build their own premises that would allow them to grow. Over the last three decades, nearly 500 companies have used the TGZ’s infrastructure in Schwerin and Wismar. “Only 31 of them went bankrupt in 34 years”, emphasises TGZ CEO Thomas Möller. “That’s a very good ratio.”
The companies based here name the flexible rental structures as one of the main advantages. Primarily small and innovative companies receive particularly favourable rental conditions for a period of at least four years. If the prerequisites are met, this financial advantage can be extended to up to eight years. The TGZ Board decides which companies are chosen. Rental agreements for rooms can be terminated flexibly when the need arises, or new rooms added if more space is required. Conference and consulting rooms are available on a temporary basis, equipped with state-of-the-art technical infrastructure. “We’ve had a fibre-optic network for years now”, says Thomas Möller. “Furthermore, data transfer with IPv6 is possible on the entire premises: up to now, that has been one of our unique selling points here in the region.” High-speed internet is a key site prerequisite particularly for technology companies. Worker-friendly surroundings are another point the TGZ always keeps in mind. Besides an in-house canteen, bicycle stands and a bus stop right outside the door, the Schwerin site meanwhile also offers a nursery, with two child minders looking after several children in a building in the middle of the premises. Plenty of grassy areas and trees offer opportunities to go for walks without actually having to leave the peaceful grounds.
On the other hand, the TGZ also provides a wide range of in-house business services, such as reception, a switchboard, postal service and print shop. “We deliberately try to establish corresponding possibilities here on site”, says Thomas Möller. Car-sharing is also possible. Free start-up advice is an important aspect, available from TGZ’s wholly owned subsidiary ATI Westmecklenburg right here on the premises. Young entrepreneurs are also given assistance in drawing up feasibility studies or funding requests. Free pre-start-up offices are available before a business is founded, while only half the rent including telephone and internet is charged for six months after the start-up has taken place. An experienced TGZ team takes good care of the companies on site. Some team members have been doing this for decades and know exactly how the procedures work. They are the constant, expert go-to people for the companies with all their concerns and challenges, the friendly faces who man the reception desk and the magic hands behind the scenes that keep the buildings fit for purpose.
Apart from encouraging businesses to settle here, another important objective for the TGZ is for these companies to grow. Many businesses founded here are now successful on the national and international stage. More than just a few have remained loyal to their location. These include for example the IT provider Trebing+Himstedt. Developments created by the experts for digitalisation and process automation are in use all over the world, particularly with large-scale plant operators and automotive suppliers.
Right next door are the headquarters of medical technology manufacturer Hoffrichter, together with Heyer Medical and Human Med AG. Alongside the medical technology and computer science sectors, companies settling here also include several firms from the sensors and mechanical engineering industry. Most of them started on a very small scale and have worked bit by bit to establish a successful standing. One of them is Felix Lange, founder of Langefreunde Design Studio, which recently moved into its own building in the Technology Park. “His example shows that anyone can make it here”, emphasises Thomas Möller, visibly impressed by the endurance and persistence with which graduate designer Felix Lange drove his company forward over a period of more than ten years.
The Wismar site can also tell similar success stories. Elomatic Maritime Technologies is a company that was launched here two years ago. Today the engineering and consulting firm for ship development has 22 employees and rents two storeys of offices.
The new House 7 in Schwerin should now facilitate more company developments along similar lines. “It is definitely our best property”, says CEO Möller. “After all, it embodies 30 years of TGZ experience.”
Technologie- und Gewerbezentrum Schwerin/ Wismar (TGZ)
Sie sehen gerade einen Platzhalterinhalt von Standard. Um auf den eigentlichen Inhalt zuzugreifen, klicken Sie auf den Button unten. Bitte beachten Sie, dass dabei Daten an Drittanbieter weitergegeben werden.
Mehr Informationen
