ermany recorded the highest percentage gain in an inward investment rebound in Europe in 2010, according to Ernst & Young's ninth annual European Attractiveness Survey. This report combines an analysis of international investment into Europe over the last year with a survey of more than 800 global executives on their views about how and where global investment will take place in the next decade.

Across Europe there was a 14-percent increase in projects from 3,303 in 2009 to 3,757 in 2010. The majority of the 43 countries in Europe whose inward investment is measured by the survey showed an improvement. The number of new jobs created across Europe as a result of these investments was also up by 10 percent to 137,000, although this still remains well below the peak of five years ago.

Although the U.K. and France remained the most attractive countries for investors with 728 and 562 FDI projects at growth rates of 7 percent and 6 percent, respectively, the real success story for 2010 among the major European economies was Germany, whose project numbers rose by 34 percent to 560 in 2010, challenging France for second place.

Investment from the U.S. was the primary reason for the turnaround in FDI across Europe, with an increase of 24 percent in project numbers over 2009. The U.S. accounted for more than a quarter of all projects.

"Following a significant decline in investment during the worst of the global recession, investors are now coming back in force to Europe led by the United States," said Mark Otty, Ernst & Young's area managing partner for Europe, Middle East, India and Africa. "The challenge for Europe will be to maintain this momentum in an increasingly competitive global environment."

Countries in Central and Eastern Europe saw strong growth in 2010 with Russia, Poland, Hungary and the Baltics all recording double-digit growth in project numbers, reflecting the strong economic recovery in the region and its growing attractiveness to business.

Portugal, Greece and Spain all saw a decline in project numbers. Spain was overtaken by Russia as the fourth largest recipient for FDI in Europe. By contrast Ireland saw a 36-percent growth in projects in 2010, underlining its long-term competitiveness in terms of tax rates and a highly skilled work force.

Sectors that were hit in 2009 with a decline in FDI projects saw a significant rebound in 2010. Investments in the automotive sector doubled in 2010 and provided 25 percent of the jobs created by FDI projects in Europe. FDI projects in business services and software also went up by 15 percent with a 65-percent increase in jobs created. Europe also attracted 204 projects in renewable energy in 2010, up 29 percent on the previous year. Not all sectors saw an increase: Food, pharmaceuticals, minerals and telecom, which did comparatively well in 2009, all saw a decline in project numbers in 2010.

Although the number of jobs created in 2010 was up on 2009, it remains nearly 40 percent below the 2006 peak, as the nature of the investments into Europe has shifted in relative terms in the last five years from large manufacturing projects to smaller business services, according to E&Y.

innesota-based H.B. Fuller Co. celebrated the official opening of its manufacturing facility in Nanjing, China, in May. The new plant, part of the company's strategic growth plan, is the first multinational reactive adhesives plant in China and is located in the Nanjing Chemical Industrial Park. This facility and the company's regional technical center in Shanghai will collaborate to serve the Asia Pacific region. The new plant will produce urethanes and other reactive chemistries for customers in the construction, filter, flexible packaging, solar, textile, window and woodworking markets.

he Gotthard base tunnel is moving toward its 2016 completion date as it cuts its way through the Swiss Alps. After its completion in 2016 the 57-km. (35-mile) passageway will be the world's longest railway tunnel. More than 28 million tons of rock have been moved for its construction. The total cost of the project will be around €8 billion (US$11.5 billion).

TLT Turbo, a subsidiary of Siemens, recently received an order to supply ventilators for an energy-efficient ventilation system for the tunnel. In a consortium with ABB, TLT will be responsible for the biggest-ever industrial tunnel ventilation system.

The tunnel contains two multifunction areas divided into three adjacent sections of equal length. Each of these multifunction areas has a central ventilation system with four TLT ventilators. In normal operation these are used to cool the tunnels, ventilate sections under maintenance, remove smoke from the tunnels in the event of fire and keep the fire exits free of smoke.

aterpillar has opened a new 20,000-sq.-m. (215,278-sq.-ft.) remanufacturing facility in Singapore. The building will serve as the regional source for remanufactured major components for large off-highway trucks and other mining equipment, including engines, transmissions, final drives and torque converters.

"This new Singapore facility will expand our capability to provide unmatched customer support to the mining industry of Asia," said Greg Folley, Caterpillar vice president with responsibility for the Remanufacturing & Components Division. "Remanufacturing is an attractive, growing and sustainable industry. Our investment here is another illustration of Caterpillar's commitment to customers and sustainable development in Asia. Together with our remanufacturing facility in Shanghai, China, we now provide an unmatched combination of availability, cost, and regional support for our Asia-Pacific customers."

Caterpillar's remanufacturing operations return end-of-life components to their original "same-as-when-new" condition in terms of reliability, durability and performance. Remanufacturing reduces waste, minimizes the need for raw materials to produce new parts and supports Caterpillar's value proposition of providing customers with the lowest life cycle cost over the life of a product.

"Cat Reman makes one of the greatest contributions to sustainable development by keeping nonrenewable resources in circulation for multiple lifetimes," said Frank Li, Asia-Pacific general manager for Caterpillar's Remanufacturing & Components Division. "Sustainability is also built into the Singapore facility itself through a number of features that will have a positive environmental impact."