Peter and Poseidon seem to get on well: One makes the weather, the other is in his element when it comes to water. So the weather could only play along when NIRO invited people to a summer networking event in the new harbor quarter. Our network now uses the harbor space two and a half days a week (Wednesday and Thursday as well as half of Friday). There have already been numerous successful events there.
Some people from our NIRO family have not yet been able to get to know the new location – the best opportunity for a relaxed and informative lunch break in the new quarter. In close partnership with the Digital Workbench, we have been located at the interface between industry and the digital economy since the beginning of 2024: On the one hand, the Digital Port is growing with the Fraunhofer Institute for Software and Systems Engineering ISST, the new Lensing Media Port building, the Academy for Theater and Digitality and many other companies in the digital economy developing their sites there.
On the other hand, there is great potential for the network in the planned industrial campus.
This new situation, which promotes many opportunities and innovations, was the focus of this special lunch break. Our Managing Director Ingrid Lange welcomed the guests to the new harbour room and led the way to the short impulses.
First, Jens te Kaat, NIRO Board Spokesman and Managing Director of Kueppers Solutions GmbH, spoke about the relocation of our network organization to the new location. Since our network was founded, NIRO has also been based there thanks to its close ties with WFG Kreis Unna. Now the Port of Dortmund offers us new quarters for the network: Jens te Kaat emphasized how important it is, especially for future generations, to constantly reposition ourselves and move with the times. The new space offers many opportunities and clear added value for NIRO members, as they can also use it for their own events. Susanne Hegemann, authorized signatory of TZ Net GmbH, one of the faces of the Digital Workbench and the Digital Week in Dortmund, went into more detail about the residential community that we run together with the Digital Workbench. The Digital Workbench in Dortmund, which connects companies from the digital economy with others, has been in existence since 2017. With its new focus on digitalization processes in industry, the close strategic cooperation with our network is valuable and synergies can be used even better in the future. Nora Schmeer from the Dortmund Economic Development Agency’s project management for site development and Horst-Günter Nehm, Managing Director and Commercial Director of the special asset “Lease of Dortmund Technology Center”, gave our guests an insight into what is still to be done with the 55,000 square meter site. With a somewhat difficult past, the remaining buildings will initially be renovated in order to offer manufacturing companies a new location. Some of the buildings have already been completed. ABP Induction Systems GmbH, a NIRO member, is the main existing tenant. Our network and the Digital Workbench will be added as new multipliers at the location and create visibility for the potential of the new industrial campus in Dortmund. After these informative short presentations, the focus was on networking.
As beautiful as the new room may be: in midsummer temperatures, barbecued food, refreshing drinks and ice cream taste best in the fresh air. The rest of the lunch break flew by in a relaxed atmosphere. NIRO is delighted with this successful break in midsummer and hopes that all guests were able to take away new impressions of current and planned future projects. After all, the very real space in the port opens up many more new opportunities for networking.
