Easy access to European markets

Located at the heart of the three largest economies in Europe—Germany, the United Kingdom and France—the Netherlands gives you easy access, not only to markets in Europe, but also in the Middle East and Africa. The country is within a 400-mile radius of half of Europe's major markets and the country’s transport infrastructure has a big role to play.

Take for example, the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, which is served by all the major international airlines. Or how about the fact that it takes roughly an hour to get from Amsterdam to Rotterdam by train and with the completion of the high speed lines (HSL) in late-2009, the section will take 43 minutes, and you will also be able to cover the Rotterdam-Schiphol stretch in 26 minutes. The train network will connect the Netherlands to Antwerp, Brussels and Paris.  Based on multiple factors like quality of roads, railroads, ports and air transport, energy infrastructure and costs, the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2007, ranked the Netherlands number six.

The country has a large market share in terms of setting up of European distribution centres by countries from outside the European Union and that in itself speaks about it being the country of choice for companies wishing to service Europe.

EDC Market Share

(A European distribution centre is one from which at least five countries are served.)
Source: www.hollandtrade.com

For Indian companies, the Netherlands acts as Europe's front door, making it easy to establish your presence and then reach out to markets across Northern, Central, Southern and Eastern Europe. Accessibility is a key differentiator here as is excellent infrastructure. With a history of being Europe's successful trading hub, the Netherlands is an obvious choice to locate a pan-European operation, whether it is a European headquarter, a shared services centre, a customer care centre, a distribution and logistics operation, or an R&D facility.