Managing an Industrial Park means facing several difficult questions: How do I identify the needs of tenant companies? Which essential services should the park provide? When is it necessary to have own permanent staff? Hardly anyone could respond to these questions better than Dr. Lothar Meier, a former Infraserv Höchst manager who has managed and developed chemical, pharmaceutical and industrial parks for 17 years. On June 9th, he shared his experience in a lecture on “The Challenge to Operate and Manage an Industrial Park” on behalf of the SIA Working Group.
To ensure the long-term competitiveness of an industrial park, a proactive, constant adaptation to the tenants’ needs as well as a sustainable development is required, Lothar Meier stressed in his lecture. Thereby, a clear mission and an attractive business model, including a pricing strategy, are important milestones to foster uniqueness and to ensure growth.
Fostering synergies in an industrial park
A key challenge for park managers is to anticipate the customers’ needs in order to find solutions for potential problems even before they appear. Different aspects, such as providing services and own permanent staff, could boost efficiencies in the entire industrial park and even the surrounding area, Dr. Meier underlined. He also recommended attracting tenants from different industries as this can lead to further efficiency gains.
Years of experience feed into the lecture
Dr. Lothar Meier has more than 35 years’ management experience in various companies, countries and sites within the chemical and process industry, including 17 years’ experience in site services management and development. The lecture was co-funded by TUEWAS and the sector project sustainable economic development. 28 GIZ colleagues participated.
Key buzzwords / “tags”
#sustainable industrial areas, #SIA Working Group, #EcoIndustrialPark, #virtuallearning
Contact person:
Nadine Stöcker – Advisor on Sustainable Industrial Areas
Section Environment GIZ Germany
nadine.stoecker@giz.de
Further information:
- History of construction at Industriepark Höchst (animated video)
- Sustainable Industrial Areas – SIA Toolbox by GIZ
- International Framework for Eco-Industrial Parks (GIZ, UNIDO, WBG)
