Petra Van Bouwelen

The regional Voka – Chamber of Commerce & Industry Mechelen-Kempen employs +50 people and serves over +2800 companies from various industries and sizes in the district of Mechelen and Turnhout. We are private by law and politically independent. The main business sectors that stress the economic importance of this region are: health & care (we have the European production plants of Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Novartis and other significant companies in our region), life sciences, bio based applications, process technology, logistics (one of the biggest logistic hubs of Western Europe), ICT & media, B2B service sector, construction, food & beverages - agro-food (Mechelen has Europe’s largest co-operative auction of fresh vegetables, fruits & bio – halal certified).

Some figures:

✓ We export about 40 billion, which accounts for 14% of total Belgian exports.

✓ Gross domestic product Mechelen-Kempen: 45,5 billion euros (2022)

✓ Gross added value Mechelen-Kempen: 34 billion (2022)

✓ Number of companies in the Mechelen-Kempen region: 71,729

✓ Including self-employed: 113,306

✓ the Turbo of Flanders: an annual GDP growth of 4,2%, with a 31% share of Industrial activities. The GDP of Flanders resides around 1,7 to 2%, with a 20% share for the industry.

✓ In 2022, foreign companies have invested €1.5 billion in the Mechelen and Kempen economies. That is more than the past five years combined.