< PreviousTRANSPORTATION & LOGISTICSTop Cities 1 Campinas Metro Area, Brazil 1 Mexico City Metro Area, Mexico 3 São Paulo Metro Area, Brazil 4 San José-Heredia Metro Area, Costa Rica 4 Santiago Metro Area, Chile 4 Rio de Janeiro Metro Area, Brazil CompanyMetro AreaCountryInv. US $MillionJobsAPM Terminals North America, Inc. Limon Costa Rica 1,000 550International Container Terminal Services, Inc. Buenaventura Colombia 550 DP World Posorja Ecuador 500 1,000APM Terminals Management B.V. Lazaro Cardenas Mexico 350 Sanofi São Paulo Brazil 212 Selected Corporate Facilities Investments, 2015-2017LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN1. Chile2. Canada3. Brazil4. Kuwait5. United States6. Bahrain7. Colombia8. Qatar9. Panama10. Peru11. Georgia12. Costa Rica13. Argentina14. Australia15. Ecuador16. Nicaragua17. U.A.E.18. Norway19. Guatemala20. UruguayGlobal Infrastructure RankingsSOURCE: CG/LA & SITE SELECTION MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER 2018108 2018 W O R L D ’ S M O S T C O M P E T I T I V E C I T I E SCAMPINASPHOTO: GETTY IMAGESSECTOR LEADER IN:ocated just outside the metro of São Paulo, Campinas still benefi ts from being in São Paulo state. e city of 1.1 million with a workforce of more than 408,000 competes strongly in such sectors as automotive and energy — sometimes at the same location. at was the case in April 2017 when Chinese clean energy, battery and vehicle manufacturing fi rm BYD opened a 360-job solar panel plant at the same site where in 2015 it began producing electric buses. e company’s plans for Brazil also include investing in public-private partnerships (PPPs) for new monorail projects.“We are very happy with this historical moment, especially because we are launching our factories in Campinas, an innovative city driven by the same dreams as BYD,” said Tyler Li, president of BYD Brazil.According to Investe São Paulo, manufacturing continues to comprise just under 15 percent of total employment in Campinas.“ e development of Campinas was only possible due to considerable investments – both public and private – in high quality infrastructure in the São Paulo State, in many ways comparable to U.S. or German infrastructure,” says Renato Byrro, Brazilian native and software product developer for Site Selection parent company Conway Inc.’s Analytics division. He says a number of multinationals from the U.S., Europe and Asia are now based in Campinas and rely on the city as a platform to reach the entire Brazilian market.“Azul Airlines is an example of a modern airline company that transformed Campinas into a major Latin American air hub, now connecting hundreds of locations in Brazil and other countries, including the U.S.,” he says. “Owned by a Brazilian-American entrepreneur, Azul is also an example of how benefi cial it will be for Brazil and the U.S. to achieve a closer and deeper economic integration between the countries.”It also plays a connector role internally. “ is vibrant city is now a key piece of Brazil’s economy and plays an important role in strengthening other areas in a positive feedback loop,” Byrro says. “ e capital of São Paulo benefi ts from deep economic integration with Campinas, as does the south of the State of Minas Gerais, for example.”Overall, he adds, “Campinas is a great example of how important it is for Brazil to decentralize economic and human development, today still highly concentrated in very few areas of the country.”Adam BrunsSite Selection Magazine22.9109° S 47.0656° Welev. 1,821 ft.BRSUTC-32nd1st1st4th1stBRAZIL 2018 W O R L D ’ S M O S T C O M P E T I T I V E C I T I E S 109TRANSPORTATION & LOGISTICSTop Cities 1 Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman Metro Area, United Arab Emirates 2 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 3 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 4 Johannesburg Metro Area, South Africa 5 Cairo Metro Area, Egypt 5 Durban Metro Area, South Africa Company Metro Area Country Inv. US $Million JobsChina Merchants Group Co., Ltd. Djibouti Djibouti 1,060 Saudi Aerospace Engineering Industries Jeddah Saudi Arabia 933 Apm Terminals Tangier SA Tangiers Morocco 854 Cosco Shipping Co., Ltd. Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates 738 Namcor Walvis Bay Namibia 294 Selected Corporate Facilities Investments, 2015-2017AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST“Dubai and China have a longstanding trading history, and it’s essential that we develop the movement of goods in tandem with the growing needs of consumers ... Initiatives such as these will create the trade hubs and seamless supply chain opportunities needed to capitalize on global economic growth.” — DP World Group Chairman and CEO Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, July 2018, on signing an agreement with Zhejiang China Commodities City Group to build a 32-million-sq.-ft. ‘Traders Market’ at DP World’s Jebel Ali Port and Free Zone in Dubai110 2018 W O R L D ’ S M O S T C O M P E T I T I V E C I T I E STOP CITY PROFILESSNAPSHOTS FROM THE FUTUREThe 17 cities represented by full-page profi les in the preceding pages ranked in the top fi ve the most times across our 12 industry sectors, led by Budapest and Chicago (11 times); Dallas-Fort Worth and Abu Dhabi (10); Berlin (9); and Singapore and Suzhou (8).On the pages that follow we present 50 metro areas (in alphabetical order) that appeared in the top fi ve at least twice across the 12 sectors (see sector icon legend below).You'll find useful and insightful data about projects, workforce, economic trends, demographics* and infrastructure, as well as time zones and map coordinates. You’ll also find quotations that shed light on these capitals of culture, finance, government and commerce.Use these bits of business intelligence as a guide in your global location search.*Population fi gures are the most accurate available for the central municipalities in these regions, and do not represent the populations of the metro areas evaluated for this report. — EditorsTSECTOR LEGENDELECTRONICSENERGYAEROSPACEFOOD & BEVERAGEAUTOMOTIVEIT & COMMUNICATIONSBUSINESS & FINANCIAL SERVICESLIFE SCIENCESCHEMICALS & PLASTICSMACHINERY, EQUIPMENT, & CONSTRUCTIONMETALSTRANSPORTATION & LOGISTICS 2018 W O R L D ’ S M O S T C O M P E T I T I V E C I T I E S 111 2018 W O R L D ’ S M O S T C O M P E T I T I V E C I T I E S 111population 2018: XXX,XXX,XXXprojected population 2023: XXX,XXX,XXXpopulation 2018: XXX,XXX,XXXprojected population 2023: XXX,XXX,XXX• Amsterdam has a population of 851,373 within the city proper, 1.4 million in the urban area and 2.4 million in the Amsterdam metro area.• Amsterdam is the hub of the Holland Metropole, a region consisting of the Netherlands’ four biggest cities, which share resources and transport infrastructure.• By 2026, all of Amsterdam’s buses will be emissions-free.• Amsterdam’s StartupDelta partnership connects companies with incubator and accelerator programs.The NetherlandsAmsterdam Metro Areapopulation 2018: 1,131,690projected population 2023: 1,174,025In the past, Amsterdam was considered a relatively small local city, but now it is building up scale to become a global city, which is attracting overseas interest and investment.” SVEN BERTENS, Head of Research Advisory, JLL5th3rd1st52.374° N4.8897° Eelev. -7 ft.CESUTC+1Company Investment (US$M) JobsMicrosoft Corporation 2,252 —Edgeconnex Europe B.V. 250 30Tata Steel Limited 212 —Equinix (Netherlands) B.V. — —Digital Realty 125 36• Atlanta is the capital of Georgia, which was named the top state business climate for the past six consecutive years by Site Selection magazine.• At $364 billion, Metro Atlanta’s 2016 GDP was larger than that of Denmark and Singapore, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.• Fortune 500 companies based in Atlanta include NCR, Home Depot, UPS, Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines and AGCO.USAAtlanta, Georgia is Campus symbolizes the power of reinvention…Our move to Midtown is part of our vision for transforming Atlanta into the Silicon Valley of the East.” BILL NUTI,NCR Chairman and CEO on January 8, 2018, on the opening of NCR’s new headquarters campus in Midtown Atlanta, which will be home to about 5,000 employees5th3rd5th33.749° N84.388° Welev. 738 ft.EDTUTC-4Company Investment (US$M) JobsSwitch, Ltd. 2,500 65Riskalyze, Inc. 500 40Keurig Green Mountain 337 550Google Inc. 300 26Honda Precision Parts Of Georgia, LLC 235 —population 2018: 5,572,386projected population 2023: 6,106,341112 2018 W O R L D ’ S M O S T C O M P E T I T I V E C I T I E Spopulation 2018: XXX,XXX,XXXprojected population 2023: XXX,XXX,XXXpopulation 2018: XXX,XXX,XXXprojected population 2023: XXX,XXX,XXXCompany Investment (US$M) JobsExxon Mobil Corp. 400 1,000Oracle Corporation 400 1,200JSW Steel Limited 384 —Kapci Coatings Co. 200 400Mediatek 200 —• Formerly known as Bangalore, Bengaluru is the capital of India’s southern Karnataka state and is the center of India’s high-tech industry.• With economic growth of 10.3 percent, Bengaluru is the second-fastest-growing major metropolis in India.• India’s National Aerospace Laboratories, dedicated to the development of civil aviation technologies, is headquartered in Bengaluru.• e city accounts for some 97 percent of India’s biotechnology companies.IndiaBengaluru Metro AreaI was in Bangalore, India, the Silicon Valley of India, when I realized that the world was fl at.” THOMAS FRIEDMAN, New York Times Journalist1st4th1st12.9719° N77.5937° Eelev. 3,020 ft.ISTUTC+5population 2018: 11,440,030projected population 2023: 13,607,800Company Investment (US$M) JobsCoca-Cola Femsa 200 —Grupo Bimbo, S.A.B. De C.V. 86 270Yanbal 70 —Belcorp Corp. 20 —Bogota Beer Co. 16 —• Bogotá’s fi rst public transit metro system is slated to open by the end of 2018.• El Dorado, Bogotá’s international airport, has the largest cargo transportation capacity in Latin America and sees more than 30 million travelers annually.• e city has more than 5,000 public parks, 120 museums, 70 theaters and 80 public libraries.ColombiaBogotá Metro AreaGrowth in Bogotá has allowed the city to enter into direct competition with the main capitals of the region ... to host the operation centers of important multinationals. is is a demanding and diffi cult race in which the prize is worth it.” JUAN GABRIEL PÉREZ, Executive Director of Invest in Bogota3rd4th4.6097° N74.0817° Welev. 8,660 ft.COTUTC-5population 2018: 10,574,409projected population 2023: 11,507,960 2018 W O R L D ’ S M O S T C O M P E T I T I V E C I T I E S 113• e average commute time for workers in Boston-Cambridge-Newton is about 29.6 minutes; the U.S. average is 25.3 minutes.• e most common employment sectors in Boston-Cambridge-Newton are Healthcare & Social Assistance; Professional, Scientifi c and Tech Services; and Educational Services.• More than 2.59 million people work within the metro area; the region’s median age is 38.8.Boston, MassachusettsMarathon Day in Boston and all of Massachusetts, it's Patriot's Day, and it's a big celebration for us. It's a day when we're kind of the whole world's city there.” ELIZABETH WARREN,U.S. Senator - Massachusetts3rd42.3584° N71.0598° Welev. 141 ft.EDTUTC-5Company Investment (US$M) JobsSiemens Healthineers Co., Ltd. 300 —General Electric Co. 200 800Pfizer Inc. 200 75EMD Millipore Corp. 115 —Moderna Therapeutics, Inc. 110 —population 2018: 4,307,751projected population 2023: 4,344,081USA• With a population of nearly 400,000, Brno is the second largest city in the Czech Republic and the center of the South Moravian Region.• Brno is home to a number of research institutions focusing on biochemistry, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, textiles, food processing and the military.• More than 20 percent of the world’s electron microscopes come from Brno, from companies such as FEI and Tescan.• Siemens, AT&T, IBM, Infosys, Honeywell, Vodaphone and Motorola are among the global companies with a signifi cant presence in Brno.Brno Metro AreaIf the City of Brno is going to work intensively, its citizens will not have to wait for decades for the underground railway.” PETR VOKR AL,Brno mayor, on plans to construct an underground central train station in Brno3rd1st49.1952° N16.608° Eelev. 778 ft.CETUTC+1Company Investment (US$M) JobsMetaldyne Oslavany, Spol. S.R.O. 46 250FEI 38 600ABB S.R.O. 35 398Penam, A.S. 26 100Oncomed Manufacturing A.S. 21 20population 2018: 378,144projected population 2023: 379,537Czech Republic114 2018 W O R L D ’ S M O S T C O M P E T I T I V E C I T I E S• Buenos Aires hosts 57 percent of Argentina's IT fi rms, creating a national scientifi c and technological hub.• One-quarter of Argentina’s FDI goes to software and IT services; the Technology District of Buenos Aires is home to more than 230 IT companies.• Buenos Aires is the leading city in Latin America for software development and multimedia design. More than 81,000 people work in the software industry.Buenos AiresArgentina is an interesting market with great potential that fi ts Norwegian’s global strategy very well, combining aff ordable domestic and international fl ights.” OLE CHRISTIAN MELHUS, CEO of Norwegian Air Argentina, on Norwegian's plans to have a considerable operation in Argentina that includes both domestic and international flights.4th5th3rd34.6037° S58.3816° Welev. 82 ft.ARTUTC-3Company Investment (US$M) JobsPfizer Inc. 300 —BBVA Banco Francés 221 —Air Liquide 84 —Bimbo 30 450Whirlpool S/A 27 50population 2018: 14,966,530projected population 2023: 15,490,415Argentina• Bucharest is Romania’s capital and largest city, as well as its cultural, industrial and fi nancial center. It has a metro population of 2.3 million people.• Bucharest enjoyed 6.9 percent GDP growth in 2017• Bucharest is Romania’s largest center for information technology and communications.• 9.9 million sq. ft. (900,000 sq. m.) of offi ce space are under construction and planned in Bucharest with estimated delivery dates during 2018-2020, according to CBRE.BucharestCompany Investment (US$M) JobsCan-Pack Romania SRL 59 —DSV A/S 58 —Qualicaps Europe Sa 12 —DHL Express Romania 11 —Faurecia 9 —population 2018: 1,821,380projected population 2023: 1,776,385 e data economy is the future, and the Romanian ICT and creative sectors have one of the highest share of national GDP across the [European] Union.” KLAUS IOHANNIS,President of Romania, Oct. 23,2018, in a speech to the European Parliament4th3rd4th44.4323° N26.1063° Eelev. 183.1 ft.EESUTC+2Romania 2018 W O R L D ’ S M O S T C O M P E T I T I V E C I T I E S 115• An alternative capital under construction by Administrative Capital for Urban Development (ACUD) will has planned capacity to house 5 million people and host a cluster of Chinese-backed offi ce towers. In 2017, Egypt’s construction market grew by 10 percent, after average annual growth of 5.3 percent over the previous four years.• Since an IMF loan of $12 billion in 2016 to help the Egyptian government return to stability, Egyptian authorities have adopted a value-added tax, allowed the exchange rate to be determined by market forces, and reduced ineffi cient fuel and electricity subsidies. “In addition, to improve the business climate, they passed the new industrial licensing law, the investment law, the companies law and the insolvency law,” says the IMF.Cairo e steps taken by the Egyptian government since 2016, especially the launch of the reform program, have been very encouraging and set the stage for a new era.” JOSINE HEIJMANS,Portfolio Director, The Big 5 Construct Egypt4th3rd2nd30.0444° N31.2357° Eelev. 75 ft.EETUTC+2Company Investment (US$M) JobsAl Ghurair Group 450 —German Lebanese For Industry Co. 284 400Careem Networks FZ-LLC 100 —Coca-Cola Co. 100 —Henkel Corp. 45 —population 2018: 20,076,002projected population 2023: 22,183,2015thEgypt• Casablanca is Morocco’s biggest city, principal port and economic capital.• Casablanca is the industrial center of Morocco, with more than half of the country's factories, investment and commerce operations, and consumes 30 percent of national electricity production.• Half of all of Morocco's commercial banking transactions occur in Casablanca.CasablancaCasablanca is the natural hub for business between the U.S., Europe, Africa and the Middle East.” ANDREW JEFFREYS,CEO, Oxford Business Group1st5th3rd33.5883° N7.6114° Welev. 0 ft.WETUTC+0Company Investment (US$M) JobsAttijariwafa Bank 101 —Aerolia 54 500Sumitomo Electric Industries 34 300Hexcel Corp. 22 —Winxo 16 —population 2018: 3,683,566projected population 2023: 3,892,837Morocco116 2018 W O R L D ’ S M O S T C O M P E T I T I V E C I T I E S• Dammam is the sixth-largest city in Saudi Arabia, and the capital of the kingdom’s Eastern Province.• Greater Dammam has a population of 4.1 million people and is a major administrative center for the Saudi oil industry.• Dammam is served by the King Fahd International Airport, the world’s largest in terms of land area.• Dammam’s King Abdul Aziz Sea Port is the largest on the Persian Gulf.Dammam e ambitious plans to diversify the economy away from its current dependence on oil will have a less positive impact on the oil-rich Dammam Metropolitan Area – headquarters for the oil and gas giant Saudi Aramco.” JLL3rd3rd26.4344° N50.1033° Eelev. 30 ft.ASTUTC+3Company Investment (US$M) JobsSaudi Butanol Co. Limited 533 —Industrial Systems Group 53 —Addar Chemicals Co. 35 —Saudi Basic Industries Corp. 11 —Western Auto Co. Limited 2 —population 2018: 1,197,400projected population 2023: 1,329,291Saudi Arabia• Greater Charlotte is home to 2.8 million people, and its UNC Charlotte University Research Park hosts 30,000 jobs.• More than 250 energy companies call Greater Charlotte home. One of the largest is Siemens, which located its Global Energy Hub in the area in 1969 and today employs 1,600.• CBRE recently ranked Charlotte as the top metro for growth in tech talent, with key occupations growing by more than 77 percent between 2011 and 2016, accounting for 21,690 new jobs.Charlotte, NCIt’s easy and effi cient to get groups in and out and to host them in Charlotte. at is a competitive advantage for a company located here versus a shop that’s a two-hour drive from the nearest airport.” KEVIN POET,Director of Operations, Siemens Charlotte Energy Hub, in Site Selection magazine, Nov. 20175th35.2271° N80.8431° Welev. 751 ft.EDTUTC-5Company Investment (US$M) JobsGiti Tire 560 1,700Haile Gold Mine, Inc. 353 270Romarco Minerals Inc. 353 270Blue Sphere USA 245 52LPL Financial 150 —population 2018: 1,885,618projected population 2023: 2,266,9395thUSA 2018 W O R L D ’ S M O S T C O M P E T I T I V E C I T I E S 117Next >