The Chemical Industry in the State of Hesse

The Association of Chemical and Related Industry Employers in the State of Hesse represents the sector with the highest turnover in the state. In 2016 Hesse's chemical industry generated a total turnover of 26.0 billion Euros.

The sector’s share of the total Hessian processing industry amounted to 23.7 percent. With a 14.1 percent turnover share in the whole German chemical industry, the State of Hesse is the third largest chemical industry location among the German states, topped only by North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland- Palatinate.

Employment
Official 2016 employee statistics for the State of Hesse show the Hessian chemical industry to be the second largest industrial sector, employing 58,984 people (outranked only by the metal and electronics industry with 234,983 employees).

Companies
In 2016 a branch classification in official statistics showed 180 companies operating in Hesse's chemical industry. However, HessenChemie's range of representation is much larger than this.

By year-end 2016, 226 companies with a total of 99,000 employees had joined HessenChemie. The discrepancy between these figures and official statistics stems from varying definitions regarding the areas of main activity. Several member companies have been officially classified as belonging to other industrial sectors. A number of service sectors were strictly excluded in the past. Nowadays, they can largely be considered service companies working independently, yet fail to appear in the industry's statistics.

In 2016 HessenChemie’s plastics processing specialist department advised 40 member companies with a total of 5,500 employees.

Sectoral Structure
Pharmaceuticals are the most significant product group in the Hessian chemical industry: in 2016, 45.0 percent of the industry’s total turnover were generated by products of this sector.

The high percentage share of pharmaceutical production in Hesse greatly distinguishes the production structure in the state's chemical industry from its federal counterpart. In overall Germany, only 26.1 percent or roughly half the a.m. percentage is accounted for by the pharmaceutical sector.

Vocational Training/Further Education
The Hessian chemical industry has always considered specialist training a great investment into the future.

In 2016 Hessian chemical companies offering vocational training raised the number of training posts to a total of 1,432. An additional 106 apprentice positions were contributed by companies of the plastics processing industry.

With our labor contract "Zukunft durch Ausbildung“ (Success through Vocational Training), concluded for both the chemical and plastics processing industry in the State of Hesse, the companies have commited themselves to offer training posts to all young and capable people seeking vocational training.

The Plastics Processing Industry in the State of Hesse

As per 2016, official statistics listed 191 companies, employing approximately 21,190 workers in Hesse's plastics processing industry. 37 of these, totalling a workforce of 5,500 employees, have been represented by HessenChemie's plastics processing department.

The plastics processing industry produces packaging material, construction supplies, semi- finished products (such as plates, foils, tubes, etc.) technical components (e.g. for vehicle and engine construction) and articles of daily use.

The Plastics Processing Specialist Department represents the trade- specific interests of the plastics processing industry in the State of Hesse. It also concludes its own labor contracts.