The supplier list connects investors and local businesses

Large investment companies within, among others, data centers and Power-to-X are currently looking towards Esbjerg as a possible base. Some have already established themselves, others will come. To help them as best as possible, Invest in Esbjerg stands ready as the link between investors and local suppliers. This happens, among other things, through the supplier list. Through it, investors can find companies with exactly the competencies they demand in their future project. 

– We have an ambition both to create local growth for the companies and to give the companies looking towards Esbjerg as an investment opportunity peace of mind. In that way, we use the supplier list both ways, explains Uffe Lundgaard, Head of Business Esbjerg's Business and Investment Department, and is supplemented by Mikael Kirk Simonsen, Investment Manager at Business Esbjerg:

– Foreign companies typically consider many different locations before they decide. We want to show that our area has a strong industry within the energy sector, just as we also have a large network of suppliers, contractors, craftsmen, and engineers. If you place your investment here, we and the business community are ready to help!

Local companies become visible

For local companies, the supplier list is an opportunity to become visible to potential investors, and it is open to all Business Esbjerg members.

– You get visibility on the website initially, and as we progress in the process, some will also find their way to concrete orders. We place no demands on who gets on the list, other than that you must be a member of Business Esbjerg and have an ambition to be able to deliver to, for example, the data industry or Power-to-X, says Uffe.

So, large investment companies can safely look towards Esbjerg because, on the one hand, the business community is geared to handle the task, and on the other, Invest in Esbjerg is ready with a helping hand – among other things in the form of the supplier list.

– An indirect effect and advantage of using local suppliers is also that you limit your climate footprint by using labor that does not have to travel far to the task all the time, says Mikael.

The supplier list is not only for the companies that bring in the investments but also for those who get the large contracts. Large investors often use contractors who handle the entire construction process. They also need local labor that can supplement them. In that way, there are several levels, that can benefit from our local supplier list.

Data center enthusiastic about local labor

Bulk Data Centers, based in Esbjerg and set to expand, are among those who greatly appreciate both the collaboration with Business Esbjerg and reaching out to local suppliers. For example, JORTON, located just across from the data center, has been involved in the entire first phase.

– It means a lot to us to be able to use local suppliers and be part of the area we are building in. For us, it goes both ways: We need the local community just as much as they need us. Therefore, Business Esbjerg hits the mark completely in relation to our needs. We could well use a technician from a large Dutch company, but what are the chances that he comes back or knows much about Esbjerg? A craftsman from the nearby area we can call again if we need help, just as local companies have a different pride about what they do, says Rune Bråten, Site Manager at Bulk Data Centers.

He explains that it can also be an advantage for Esbjerg companies early in the process to be trained to deliver to a data center.

– The companies we interact with have a much greater chance of subsequently landing large contracts with the investment companies. 

Invest in Esbjerg helps with networking

Bulk Data Centers uses Invest in Esbjerg for sparring and to point in the direction of local labor. Back in the day, it was also them who helped find the land, which made it possible to start a data center in Esbjerg.

– The supplier list can really benefit us, for example, if we are short of personnel for the technical elements here in the data centers. Here the supplier list and Invest in Esbjerg can be "the extra employee" who knows everything and everyone in town and gives us the extra reach we sometimes need, explains Rune, who generally wants to emphasize that the data centers’ reputation should not be based on rumors and that people should open their eyes to the fact that establishing a data center can lift an area.

– Right now, for example, it is said that data centers use enormous amounts of water, but at our facility, the monthly water consumption is less than in my household at home with five people.

He looks forward to the next project and to continuing to work with Esbjerg companies and Invest in Esbjerg.