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Europe has a reputation for taking the lead in power generation using renewable energy sources. The south of the continent, in particular, has a fondness for solar energy as it bathes in sunshine. EDF ENR supports the solar power industry with a wide selection of services ranging from conceptualization to installation and maintenance. The company will even aid customers in determining their financing options to ensure they can harness the power of the sun.

As one of the world’s leading solution providers in the field of production control and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), FORCAM GmbH delivers significant increases in productivity for its largely blue-chip client base. The innovative IIoT solution partner has, since its foundation in 2001, evolved its product portfolio into a high-performance manufacturing 4.0 platform with turnkey and fully scaleable cloud solutions plus a vital ecosystem of partner applications. More than 100,000 machines worldwide are monitored with FORCAM technology. European Business spoke to its Founder and Managing Director (CEO) Franz Gruber about how his company continues to disrupt the market.

SodaStream has been putting sparkle into tap water since 1903 and continues to break new ground in the beverage market today. Its innovative approach to the problem of plastic waste coupled with a focus on healthy products are what encouraged its takeover by global soft drinks giant Pepsico in 2018. Since October of last year in Norway and in Sweden, SodaStream owners have been able to make iconic Pepsi beverages such as Pepsi, Pepsi Max and 7UP at home.

Sensum d.o.o. transforms what used to be a manual, mundane job with efficient, precise innovation. Headquartered in Slovenia’s capital, Sensum, now entering its 20th year, is one of the premiere developers and manufacturers of automatic visual inspection systems for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical companies. Serving pharmaceutical giants like Pfizer, Novartis and Roche, the Sensum brand was catapulted into the spotlight at the same speed with which its machines inspect thousands of pills. Since then, Sensum has continued to experience steady growth, thanks to its technology-driven leadership.

Real estate is a vital part of any successful investment portfolio. Real estate investments can satisfy the need for long-term, low-risk equity growth as well as generate more opportunistic, shorter term gains. But more than this, bricks and mortar investments are also investments in the very fabric of society, whether it is a residential, commercial, industrial or public building. As an expert in real estate investments of all kinds, Heitman is one of only a few privately owned companies in this competitive sector. It prides itself on its transparency and respect for clients – something it calls the Heitman Difference.

In order to create residential areas that feel pleasant for a long time to come, every urban planning project requires a dedicated approach. One has to enter into a relationship with the local people and surroundings, in order to find the optimal sustainable solution. The project teams of LEVS architecten are always looking for specific answers that suit a particular situation. They work on residential and urban planning projects in The Netherlands and other Western European countries as well as in Russia and rural Africa. The company is based in a former harbour area in Amsterdam and has 40 employees.

Mergers and acquisitions are commonplace, but while the initial proposition may seem attractive to the parties involved, what happens after the deal is done is decisive in determining its long-term success. In 2019, the KISSLING Group, a German specialist in switching solutions, was acquired by TE Connectivity to form TE Connectivity KISSLING Products GmbH. The company's subsequent focus on effective integration will ensure that this particular acquisition fulfils its potential.

Companies in the EU have had the benefit of an integrated European market for decades now. It has provided many opportunities to take products that have been successful in one market, and transplant them in new, untapped markets. To make this happen, you need a company willing to help you break in, like Lemar BV, a distributor of responsible food brands in the Netherlands.

Everybody is talking about hygge these days, but only a few are familiar with fika, the Scandinavian way to take a coffee break. Surprisingly, people in the Nordic countries drink more coffee than anyone in the world, even the Italians. Good coffee and good coffee machines are of utmost importance for a relaxed fika – coffee machines from Jura Sweden AB for instance.