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Sanofi builds EUR 2bn insulin plant in Frankfurt – summit so far without company pledges

Biggest new investment: Sanofi has started building an insulin plant in Frankfurt-Höchst for about EUR 2bn. The investment summit produced a letter of intent with Nvidia, but no company pledges with amounts yet.

Graphic: investment projects by region, 20.10.2026 (own graphic)
Graphic: TERRA WORLD NEWS (own graphic based on the sources listed)

Data as of: As of 20 October 2026, approx. 07:30

Total listed investments4.57EUR bn
Announced job cuts with number (table)5,929
New entries since 19 Oct morning (excl. late additions)4
Unemployment rate, Sep 20266.4%

On Monday, drugmaker Sanofi began building a new insulin factory at the Frankfurt-Höchst industrial park (Hesse). It costs about EUR 2bn, replaces an existing facility and is due to start operating in 2032. The federal government, the state of Hesse and the city of Frankfurt are providing EUR 400m in state aid. Sanofi gives no figure for new jobs; more than 4,000 of its 6,500 jobs in Höchst depend on insulin production. This lifts the investment total in the table from EUR 2.57bn to EUR 4.57bn.

In Duisburg, state premiers Hendrik Wüst (North Rhine-Westphalia) and Olaf Lies (Lower Saxony) visited the construction site of the new electric arc furnace at the HKM steelworks, owned by Salzgitter since July. The furnace costs about EUR 1bn, with EUR 200m from the federal and state governments; start-up is planned for 2029. The investment was decided in July and is therefore not added to the total again. The workforce is shrinking: about 450 employees left at the end of September, with more to follow. At insolvent department store chain Galeria, the search for investors is under way; all 83 stores with about 11,250 staff are under review, and it is unclear how many will close. Added: according to dpa-AFX, citing informed sources, engine maker Deutz plans to cut a further 130 to 200 jobs at its Cologne home plant by the end of 2028; the company declined to comment.

At the 'Invest in Germany' summit in Berlin, the federal government and chipmaker Nvidia signed a letter of intent on Monday on artificial intelligence (AI) models for industry – the government gave no amount. No firm company investment pledges with amounts and locations were known by early Tuesday. Roche's Germany head Daniel Steiners said the group is reviewing all its investments in Germany because of health-care savings plans. Economy minister Katherina Reiche plans up to EUR 8.7bn for 2027 for climate protection contracts (subsidies for cleaner industry).

New data: according to an Ifo study, industry had about 496,000 fewer jobs at the end of 2025 than at the start of 2019 (−7.1%), with −8.4% in the east. Industrial order backlogs rose 0.5% in August from July and were 10.7% above a year earlier (Federal Statistical Office). They would last 9 months. Today (20 Oct) brings the ZEW economic sentiment survey.

Investment projects and cutbacks (new at top)
State / regionCompany / projectSectorAmount (EUR m)Jobs (− = cuts)Status / date
Hesse (Frankfurt am Main, Höchst industrial park)Sanofi – new insulin plant (36,000 m²; replaces existing facility; at least 1.1 t of insulin a year)Pharma2,000–Groundbreaking 19 Oct 2026 (onvista/dpa 10:26; Handelsblatt 12:18; hessenschau 16:01); about EUR 2bn – counted; start-up 2032; state aid EUR 400m (federal, Hesse, Frankfurt; EU-approved in Sep); no new jobs stated – over 4,000 of 6,500 Höchst jobs depend on insulin
North Rhine-Westphalia (Duisburg-Hüttenheim)HKM (Salzgitter) – electric arc furnace (up to 2.5m t of steel/year) replacing blast furnace routeSteel––Site visit by Wüst, Lies and IG Metall chief Benner on 19 Oct 2026 (Nordbote; Antenne NRW); about EUR 1bn, EUR 200m federal + NRW funding; construction since Aug 2026, operation from 2029; decided in July 2026 – not in total; staff: about 450 left end-Sep, more to follow (per ms-aktuell about 1,700 jobs in total by 2029) – not in total
Nationwide (83 stores; proceedings at Düsseldorf local court)Galeria – investor search in fourth insolvency; all 83 stores (about 11,250 staff) under reviewRetail / department stores––ms-aktuell 19 Oct 2026 (citing dpa and ZDF); insolvency filing 2 Oct 2026; provisional administrator Frank Kebekus sees closures as likely, number open – not in total
NationwideFederal economy ministry – new round of climate protection contracts: up to EUR 8.7bn in draft 2027 budget (at least EUR 1.5bn for hydrogen)Subsidies / industrial transition––t-online 19 Oct 2026 (12:30, updated 15:39); bidding from May 2027; needs Bundestag and EU state-aid approval; programme – not in total
North Rhine-Westphalia (Cologne-Porz)Deutz – further job cuts at home plant (small engines)Engines / engineering––LATE ADDITION: dpa-AFX 7 Oct 2026 (06:35), citing informed sources: 130–200 jobs by end-2028, up to 300 at most; about 100 already cut; about 2,600 jobs in Cologne; company gives no figure – not in total
Saxony-Anhalt (Harzgerode, Harz district)Bohai Automotive (aluminium castings, mainly for VW) – plant closure in insolvencyCar-parts supplier / aluminium casting–−550LATE ADDITION: staff told on 28 Sep 2026 by insolvency administrator Olaf Spiekermann (MDR; Dr. Web 29 Sep; DWN 1 Oct); closure on 31 Jan 2027; about 550 jobs (IG Metall: about 600) – 550 counted
Saxony-Anhalt (Harzgerode, Wernigerode)Schlote (two companies) – production to end in insolvencyCar-parts supplier / metal machining–−180LATE ADDITION: announced on 28 Sep 2026, production ends on 31 Jan 2027 (insolvency administrator Manuel Sack; Dr. Web 29 Sep 2026); about 180 jobs – 180 counted
Lower Saxony (Mehrum, Peine district)McCain – planned fries factory halted for now (up to 650 new jobs had been planned)Food––LATE ADDITION: halt known since 29 Sep 2026 (dpa/NDR via t-online; topagrar 16 Oct); 'up to one billion euros' had been planned – halted, not in the total; reasons: higher costs, overcapacity, weaker demand
Thuringia (Jena, Ilmenau)Analytik Jena (Endress+Hauser) – new production, lab and office buildings in Jena (c. EUR 64m) and Ilmenau (c. EUR 32m)Analytical / lab instruments96–opened 15 Oct (Jena) and 16 Oct 2026 (Ilmenau), dpa/Dr. Web; c. EUR 96m in total – in sum; 420 staff in Jena, over 80 in Ilmenau; no pledge of new jobs
Saxony (Dresden)Globalfoundries – possible next phase from 2028 (EUR 1.5bn per Handelsblatt); current 'Sprint' expansion EUR 1.1bnSemiconductors––Handelsblatt 16 Oct 2026, 08:21; spokesperson: no concrete plans – not in sum; 'Sprint': topping-out 9 Oct, series production 2027, EUR 495m aid; c. 3,000 staff
Saxony-Anhalt (Magdeburg)Weber Magdeburg (Albert Weber Group) – insolvency filing; cylinder headsCar parts supplier––dpa 16 Oct 2026; c. 120 staff affected; provisional administrator since 14 Oct; Porsche withdrew orders; no cut figure – not in total
Brandenburg (Grünheide, Oder-Spree district)Tesla – new production hall, target up to 1m cars a year (500,000 planned so far)Cars / EVs––dpa 15 Oct 2026; application for 2nd partial permit by end-2026; amount and hall size open; 12,600 staff today, 2,000 + over 1,500 hires planned (no amount, not in total); construction start 2027 targeted (per Entwicklungsstadt, unconfirmed)
North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Berlin (Düsseldorf, Mainz, Berlin)Ubisoft Blue Byte – voluntary leave programme at three studios (about 580 staff)Video games––talks with works councils confirmed 15 Oct 2026; per Game File about 100 jobs (unconfirmed; company gives no number, so not in total); timing open
Bavaria (Freilassing, Upper Bavaria)Kiefel (Brückner Group) – about one third of jobs at headquarters to go; production moving closer to customers in AsiaMachinery (thermoforming)––staff informed 13 Oct 2026; per Passauer Neue Presse about 130 affected (company gives no figure, so not in total); talks with works council, concrete steps by end-Oct 2026; about 100 jobs already cut in 2024; 16 Oct: IG Metall Rosenheim criticises scale, details end-Oct
Baden-Württemberg (Konstanz)Körber Supply Chain Logistics – considering closing sorting-machine production and moving it abroad (about 450 staff at the site)Machinery / logistics equipment––per Südkurier (evening of 12 Oct 2026); no decision, no job figure or timetable from the company; similar plans already in 2024
Hesse (Heppenheim)InfectoPharm – logistics centre expanded by 40% (about 3,000 sq m, over 11,000 sq m in total)Pharma / logistics––press release 14 Oct 2026; 'investment in the millions' without exact amount (not in total); completion by March 2027; no figures on new jobs
North Rhine-Westphalia (Hagen, Krefeld, Siegen, Witten)Deutsche Edelstahlwerke (Swiss Steel) – sale of Hagen (about 300 staff) and Krefeld (about 450) plants; Siegen-Geisweid steelworks paused from mid-2028 (about 400 affected, per IG Metall)Steel / specialty steel––13 Oct 2026 (dpa); correction: IG Metall cites about 400 affected in Siegen (Siegener Zeitung 14 Oct, Rhein-Zeitung 16 Oct 2026), DEW gives no figure; closure of Hagen/Krefeld if no buyer; Witten to become central site; not in total
North Rhine-Westphalia (Paderborn)Claas Industrietechnik – plant expansion (gearboxes, crawler undercarriages)Farm machinery70100Announced 10 Oct 2026; confirmed in press release (EQS) 12 Oct 2026: 'more than EUR 70m', 'more than 100 additional' jobs in coming years
Saxony (Coswig, Meissen district)Walzengießerei Coswig – closure in insolvency, all 170 staff given noticeFoundry / metals–−170Reported 11 Oct 2026 (Berliner Kurier citing Sächsische Zeitung and Bild); production ends late Nov 2026; insolvent since Nov 2025 (then about 220 staff), no buyer
Baden-Württemberg (Bietigheim-Bissingen)Nidec Motors & Actuators – planned closure of productionAuto supplier / electric motors–−116per IG Metall union (6 Oct 2026); by end-2027; sales office to move to Stuttgart area; company gave no reasons
Thuringia (Kahla)Porzellanmanufaktur Kahla – end of porcelain production in insolvencyPorcelain / ceramics–−98announced 7 Oct 2026 (administrator Rolf Rombach); 98 staff lose their jobs (t-online); production until end-Oct 2026, decoration until year-end
Thuringia (Woffleben) and Brandenburg (Brandenburg an der Havel)INVEHO – closure of two freight-wagon workshops (220 + about 80 jobs)Rail / maintenance–−300Brandenburg: known since 24 Sep 2026 (city of Brandenburg, about 80); Woffleben: reported 5 Oct 2026 (nnz, about 220); closure by end-2026; Altenburg site stays
Mecklenburg-W. Pomerania (Rostock)EEW SPC – cuts at offshore-wind monopile plant (of about 1,000)Wind power / steel–−100reported 6 Oct 2026 (Nordkurier, citing media reports); low utilisation expected through 2028
Saxony-Anhalt (Leuna)Aurora – new medical cannabis production hall, capacity doubledPharma–10Opened 8 Oct 2026; investment in the mid single-digit millions (not in total); now 55 staff; Saxony-Anhalt investment agency confirmed 'several million euros' on 13 Oct 2026
Hesse (Sterbfritz, Sinntal municipality)OPmobility – considering moving production of exterior body partsCar parts supplier–−460Announced 7 Oct 2026; about 460 jobs in Sterbfritz by end-2027 (+ about 310 in France per media); not final, talks with employee representatives planned
Bavaria (Taufkirchen an der Vils)Himolla – job cuts in self-administered insolvency (previously 714 jobs)Furniture–−175Reported 6 Oct 2026; notices served end-Sep; about 540 jobs remain
Saxony-Anhalt (Rogätz) and Saxony (Leppersdorf)Theo Müller – closure of Homann sauce plant and Sachsenmilch cheese dairyFood / dairy–−320Announced 6 Oct 2026; Leppersdorf by 31 Dec 2026, Rogätz end-Sep 2027 (about 160 jobs each)
Saxony-Anhalt (Bitterfeld-Wolfen)Verbio – chemical plant for rapeseed-based feedstocks (just under EUR 100m)Chemicals / bio-based10050Started 6 Oct 2026; up to 60,000 t a year; about 130 staff at the site
Thuringia (Erfurt)X-Fab – 'Fab4Micro' chip fab (EUR 300–400m)Semiconductors300100Groundbreaking 5 Oct 2026; aid EUR 127.4m (federal 80.3 + state 47.1); production from end-2028
Mecklenburg-W. Pomerania (Ueckermünde)Breyden – iron foundry closureCar supplier–−320after meeting economy minister W. Blank on Friday evening, Breyden sticks to closure at end-2026 (Nordkurier, 17 Oct 2026, 14:55); social-plan talks from Wednesday (per NDR); company first cited 320 jobs, Nordkurier 'almost 300'; announced 3 Oct 2026
Saxony-Anhalt (Leuna)Leuna-Polyamid – insolvency and shutdownChemicals–−440Proceedings opened 1 Oct 2026; most jobs end 31 Jan 2027
Bavaria (Irlbach-Straßkirchen)BMW – battery plant (Gen6)Cars / batteries1,0001,600Opened, series production reported 2 Oct 2026; jobs at full capacity
Bavaria (Munich, Dingolfing)BMW – new 3 Series / i3 production (about half of EUR 2bn)Cars1,000–Announced 30 Sep 2026
Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, Rhineland-PalatinateBiontech – closure of Tübingen, Marburg, Idar-ObersteinPharma–−1,800Announced 28 Sep 2026; closures 2027–2028
Bavaria (Nuremberg)Bosch Mobility – half of jobs cutCar supplier–−900Announced 28 Sep 2026; by end-2029
Economy: latest data (Federal Statistical Office; forecast: federal government)
Indicatorvs prior month (%)vs year earlier (%)Published
Order backlog, manufacturing, August 2026 (covers 9.0 months) +0.5 % +10.7 %19 Oct 2026
Building permits for dwellings, August 2026 (20,600)– +6.8 %16 Oct 2026
– January–August 2026 (169,400)– +12.1 %16 Oct 2026
Local business tax (Gewerbesteuer) revenue 2025: EUR 76.4bn, record (vs 2024; Baden-Württemberg −7.2%, Saxony −6.9%)– +1.5 %15 Oct 2026
Agricultural producer prices, August 2026 (potatoes +61.5%, milk −23.9%; largest monthly rise since March 2022) +5.5 % −7.0 %14 Oct 2026
Wholesale prices, September 2026 (mineral oil products +48.8%, non-ferrous metals +24.9%, chemicals +16.4%) +1.9 % +8.7 %14 Oct 2026
Government autumn projection: GDP growth 2026 (spring: 0.5%; 2027: 1.1%)– +1.3 %8 Oct 2026
Inflation, September 2026 – final (core 2.4%, energy +14.9%, food +0.4%, services +2.7%) +0.6 % +3.3 %13 Oct 2026
Company insolvencies, July 2026 (2,373; highest July figure in 13 years)– +8.0 %9 Oct 2026
Consumer insolvencies, July 2026 (7,111)– −5.9 %9 Oct 2026
Exports, August 2026 (EUR 137.6bn) −0.8 % +6.2 %8 Oct 2026
Imports, August 2026 (EUR 118.1bn) +0.9 % +5.5 %8 Oct 2026
– exports to the US (EUR 13.5bn) −6.3 % +22.6 %8 Oct 2026
– imports from China (EUR 16.8bn) +11.0 %–8 Oct 2026
Industrial production, total, August 2026 +2.0 % +2.3 %7 Oct 2026
– construction, August 2026 +9.3 %–7 Oct 2026
– car industry, August 2026 −5.4 %–7 Oct 2026
– machinery, August 2026 +5.3 %–7 Oct 2026
– energy-intensive industry, August 2026 −0.5 % −2.1 %7 Oct 2026
Industrial production, July 2026 (revised) −1.2 % −1.8 %7 Oct 2026
Industrial orders, August 2026 −10.6 %–6 Oct 2026
Unemployment rate by state, September 2026 (Federal Employment Agency, as of 30 Sep 2026)
StateSeptember 2026 (%)September 2025 (%)Unemployed (thousand)
Germany6.46.32,994.0
Bavaria4.2––
Baden-Württemberg4.74.7306.1
North Rhine-Westphalia7.97.8792.7
Saxony-Anhalt8.07.888.0
Berlin10.410.3223.8
Bremen11.2––

For information only, not investment advice. Prices as of the time stated, not real-time quotes.

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