Germany

Founded: 1913 Employees: 20,000 Sales: $US21 billion (1993) SICs: 5400 Food Stores Privately held by brothers Theo and…

Founded: 1929 Employees: 13,409 Sales: EUR 600 million ($628.98 million) (2002) NAIC: 485111 Mixed Mode Transit…

Burda Holding GmbH.

The Deutsche Post AG is the largest provider of postal services in Europe.

Established: 1970 following merger of Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft and Norddeutscher…

1920s:Company begins production of platen presses.

Founded: 1634 Employees: 1,177 Sales: DM 532.2 million ($258.58 million)(1998) NAIC: 31212 Breweries 1920s:Paulaner…

Founded: 1898 as Rheinisch-Westfälisches Elektrizitätswerk Aktiengesellschaft Employees: 155,634 (2001) Sales: $29,498…

Joint Subsidiary: Incorporated: 1872 as Schenker & Co.

Founded: 1867 Employees: 200,000 Sales: DM 53 billion (US $34 billion) (1997) SICs: 5411 Grocery Stores Privately held…

Buderus AG is the holding company for the German Buderus concern, best known for three main divisions producing steel,…

A.W.

Koenig & Bauer AG (KBA) sees itself as the world's third-largest manufacturer of printing machines.

Bertelsmann AG is the largest media group in Germany and Europe, and the second-largest in the world to the U.S.-based…

GEHE AG is the largest drug wholesaler in Europe.

Villeroy & Boch AG has been one of Europe's top names in household and architectural ceramic goods for more than 250…

AXA Colonia Konzern AG is Germany's fourth largest primary insurer based in Cologne.

Stollwerck AG is one of Germany's largest chocolate manufacturers.

Jenoptik AG is a high-technology company, based in Jena, Germany, that specializes in the fields of systems engineering…

Weinheim, Germany's Freudenberg & Co.

Leica Camera AG is a manufacturer of high quality equipment for photography, photographic reproduction, and observation.

Leica Microsystems Holdings GmbH (LMS) is one of the world's leading manufacturers of microscopes and related…

Total Assets: EUR 5.7 billion ($5.3 billion) (2000) NAIC: 524113 Direct Life Insurance Carriers; 524114 Direct Health…

Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik AG (WMF) is one of the world's leading manufacturers of commercial coffee makers and…

Phoenix AG is a major supplier of sound and vibration control systems, technical hoses, and rubber components to the…

1930s:Growing numbers of accordions made, largely for the German market.

König Brauerei GmbH & Co.

Adam Opel AG ranks among Germany's largest automobile manufacturers, producing passenger cars, sport utility vehicles,…

Deutz AG is one of Germany's leading manufacturers of diesel and gas engines for the global market.

German-based Dyckerhoff AG is the management holding company for one of the world's largest groups of companies engaged…

Norddeutsche Affinerie AG (NA) is the world's largest recycler of scrap copper and the fifth-largest producer of…

Dürkopp Adler AG makes industrial sewing machines, including specialized automated machines for specific applications…

J.M.

Total Assets: EUR 669.1 billion ($769.6 billion) (2003) Stock Exchanges: Berlin Bremenk Düsseldorf Frankfurt Hamburg…

Total Assets: DM 631.74 billion Stock Exchanges: Berlin Bremen Düsseldorf Frankfurt Hamburg Hanover Munich Stuttgart…

Ticker Symbols: CON; CTTAY (ADR) NAIC: 326211 Motor Vehicle Tires Manufacturing; 336322 Other Motor Vehicle Electrical…

Esselte Leitz GmbH & Co.

KSB AG is Europe's leading manufacturer of pumps, valves, and related control systems for use in construction and…

19702: The company gradually reenters the U.S.

Total Assets: $448.81 billion (2002) Stock Exchanges: German Ticker Symbol:DRB NAIC: 522110 Commercial Banking; 523110…

Degussa-Hüls AG is a specialty chemicals company based in Germany.

Heidelberger Zement AG is one of the world's five largest producers of construction materials.

RENK AG is a leading German firm for the engineering and manufacture of the power transmission components, gear units,…

Brenntag AG is Europe's largest distributor of industrial chemicals.

1970s:Vaillant intensifies international expansion.

Bauer Publishing Group is the largest magazine publisher in Germany and one of the largest in Europe, offering a wide…

Hochtief AG is the German market leader in the construction industry and is among the world's leading international…

Based in Germany, Henkel KGaA is one of the world's largest chemical companies.

Karlsberg Brauerei GmbH & Co KG is one of Germany's top ten beer and beverage producers.

Linde AG, an international technology company, operates in two business segments: Gas and Engineering and Materials…

Total Assets: EUR 31.1 billion ($29.1 billion) (2000) Stock Exchanges: Frankfurt am Main Berlin Ticker Symbol:MUV NAIC:…

Wella AG operates as one of the world's top cosmetic suppliers with brands found in over 150 countries.

Metallgesellschaft AG (MG), based in the heart of Frankfurt since its foundation, is a conglomerate providing raw…

Beiersdorf AG is an international company based in Hamburg, Germany, that develops, manufactures and distributes…

For more than 100 years, Vorwerk & Co.

Berlin-based Bewag AG supplies Germany's capital city with electricity.

1950s:The company's international expansion starts in Europe.

One of the ten largest companies in Germany, Robert Bosch GmbH is best known as a worldwide supplier of automotive…

The October 1997 merger of Tarkett AG with the flooring division of France's Sommer Allibert SA has created the world's…

Märklin Holding GmbH is the management company of Germany's number one model train manufacturer.

The Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung, a 'juridical person' under German civil law, is the sole owner of two industrial enterprises,…

Rheinmetall Berlin AG, the parent company of a group of more than 60 industrial manufacturing firms, is a leading…

Total Assets: EUR 852.1 billion ($895 billion) (2002) Stock Exchanges: New York Ticker Symbol:AZ NAIC:524113 Direct…

Mannesmann AG is a leading German telecom provider.

Varta AG produces batteries, including storage batteries (such as automobile batteries), rechargeable batteries (such…

FAG--Kugelfischer Georg Schäfer AG is one of the world's largest manufacturers of bearings.

Active throughout Germany and in the Netherlands, AVA AG (Allgemeine Handelsgesellschaft der Verbraucher AG) is one of…

Margarete Steiff GmbH is the largest manufacturer of stuffed toys in Germany and one of the most recognized brands of…

Ravensburger AG is a publisher based in Ravensburg, Germany, that educates and entertains the whole family with its…

TA Triumph-Adler AG is Germany's leading supplier of distribution services for printing, copying and presentation…

Klöckner-Werke AG of Duisburg, once identified as a leader in German steel, machinery, and plastics, is now known as…

Hella KG Hueck & Co.

Miele & Cie.

Based in Düsseldorf, Peek & Cloppenburg KG is among Germany's leading apparel retailers.

Dr.

Following its acquisition in 2002 by rail operator Deutsche Bahn AG, Stinnes AG has been repositioned as the lead…

August Storck KG is the German-speaking region's leading manufacturer of candy and confectionery and is also one of the…

Total Assets: EUR 14.5 billion ($10.9 billion) (2001) NAIC: 524126 Direct Property and Casualty Insurance Carriers;…

Deutsche BP Aktiengesellschaft is one of the top suppliers of petroleum products in the competitively fragmented German…

Total Assets: EUR 10.4 billion ($9.3 billion) (2001) NAIC: 524126 Direct Property and Casualty Insurance Carriers (pt);…

Total Assets: EUR 8.8 billion ($11.5 billion) (2004) NAIC: 524114 Direct Health and Medical Insurance Carriers; 524113…

Hansgrohe AG is one of the world's leading manufacturers of upscale bathroom fixtures.

Headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, Behr GmbH & Co.

As a cooperative company, Edeka Zentrale A.G.

Vossloh AG is the world market leader for switch systems and fasteners of railway tracks.

Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co.

Fresenius AG is a global, diversified manufacturer of health care products and provider of health care services with…

Sixt AG is Germany's number one car rental company and it continues to expand into all of Europe.

Wacker-Chemie GmbH is a worldwide leader in the manufacture of specialty chemicals.

ZF Friedrichshafen AG--one of the world's largest vendors to the global auto industry--translates power into motion…

German-based MITROPA AG is Germany's fourth largest restaurant chain and one of Europe's leading caterers for people on…

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, popularly known as BMW, is a global manufacturer and marketer of luxury automobiles and…

Philipp Holzmann AG is Europe's largest construction company, the second-largest international building contractor in…

Viessmann Werke GmbH & Co, based in Allendorf, Germany, is one of the world's leading manufacturers of furnaces,…

GEA AG is one of the world's leading suppliers for food and process engineering, and thermal engineering technology.

Karstadt Quelle AG is the product of the 1999 merger between German retail powerhouse Karstadt Aktiengesellschaft and…

Braun GmbH is one of the world's leading manufacturers of small electric appliances.

Kaufring AG is the leading German wholesale organization for mid-sized independent department stores and special…

Barmag AG, with a market share of about 40 percent, is one of the world's leading manufacturers of plants, machines,…

As Berlin's principal waste collector, Berliner Stadtreinigungsbetriebe (BSR) is Germany's largest municipal waste…

German-based Eckes AG is Europe's top manufacturer of fruit juices and the fourth ranked maker of spirits.

Melitta Unternehmensgruppe Bentz KG is the holding company of the Germany-based Melitta group of companies, a leading…

VEW AG is one of Germany's leading utility companies and is active throughout Europe.

World War II Years:Stihl plant is destroyed by bombs; production is moved to Waiblingen; German surrender brings halt…

Deutsche Lufthansa AG (commonly referred to as Lufthansa) is the largest airline in Germany and one of the three…

Ruhrgas AG is Germany's largest natural gas distribution company.

Südzucker AG is the largest sugar producer in the European Union (EU) with an annual production of three million metric…

PreussenElektra Aktiengesellschaft (PreussenElektra) is Germany's second largest electricity utility behind RWE.

Porsche AG is legendary for its innovative and beautiful automobile designs.

HUK-Coburg (whose full name is HUK-Coburg Haftpflicht-Unterst�tzungs-Kasse kraftfahrender Beamter Deutschlands AG) in…

Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co.

Nuremberg-based GfK Aktiengesellschaft is one of the leading European market research companies with a growing…

In 2001 Fairchild Dornier GmbH was the world's third-largest manufacturer of regional jets.

Groz-Beckert Group is among the world's leading manufacturers of high-precision industrial needles used in the cloth…

Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, a company born in the shadow of Nazism, rose to become the world's third largest…

Adolf Würth GmbH & Co.

Grundig AG is a German consumer electronics manufacturer with significant shares in the market for television sets,…

Based near Hannover, Germany, Sennheiser Electronic GmbH & Co.

Körber AG is the holding company for a diversified machinery manufacturer based in Hamburg, Germany, with 30 production…

SPIEGEL-Verlag Rudolf Augstein GmbH & Co.

A.

Operating Revenues: DM 315 billion (1998) NAIC: 52111 Monetary Authorities--Central Bank The Kreditanstalt für…

Puma AG is among the world's leading manufacturers of athletic shoes, sportswear, and accessories.

Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck GmbH is the holding company for Germany's fourth largest publishing and media…

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung GmbH publishes the German daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung--FAZ for short.

While Otto Versand (GmbH & Co.) is the world's largest mail-order company with subsidiaries and affiliates in Europe,…

German-based adidas-Salomon AG is the second largest manufacturer of sporting goods in the world.

Operating Budget: DM 11.4 billion ($5.82 billion) (1999) NAIC: 51312 Television Broadcasting; 513112 Radio Stations ARD…

Aral AG, under the parentage of Deutsche BP AG, is Germany's largest operator of gas stations.

Since the company's founding in 1865, Badische Anilin- und Soda-Fabrik AG (now known as BASF Aktiengesellschaft) has…

Bayer A.G., along with BASF and Hoechst, is heir to the German chemical cartel known as I.G.

SPAR Handels AG is Germany's seventh largest company active in grocery wholesale and retail with a market share of…

Wincor Nixdorf Holding GmbH is one of the world's leading manufacturers of automated teller (ATM) and electronic…

LTU Group Holding GmbH is Germany's third-largest leisure travel tour operator and one of Europe's leading charter…

TaurusHolding GmbH & Co.

Total Assets: $432.81 billion (2000) Stock Exchanges: Frankfurt Düsseldorf Hamburg Munich Berlin Stuttgart Bremen…

Klaus Steilmann GmbH & Co.

Preussag AG is the holding company for an international group of firms operating in five major business areas: the…

Founded to manufacture and install telegraphic systems, Germany-based Siemens AG has prospered and grown over 155 years…

BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH, a joint venture between German industrial giants Robert Bosch GmbH and Siemens…

German-based Roland Berger & Partner GmbH is among the leading management consulting firms in Europe.

RAG AG is one of the world's leading hard coal producers and Germany's number one coal producer.

TUI Group GmbH, based in Germany, is Europe's largest tourism conglomerate.

Total Assets: EUR 400 billion ($374 billion) (2000) NAIC: 52211 Commercial Banking Westdeutsche Landesbank…

Fielmann AG, based in Germany, is Europe's largest optician; more than every third pair of eyeglasses sold in Germany…

Employees 2,084 (1995) Sales: US$352.74 million (1995) Stock Exchanges: Stuttgart Frankfurt SICs: 2821…

Bilfinger Berger AG operates as the second-largest general contractor in Germany, just behind competitor HOCHTIEF AG.

SAP AG is the fifth largest independent software producer worldwide and the largest producer of standard…

ESCADA AG (Escada) is Germany's leading luxury fashion brand and a leading player in the global luxury clothing market.

A horseshoe logo marks the products made by Etienne Aigner AG, a Munich-based manufacturer of quality leather goods…

Biotech pioneer Qiagen N.V.--the holding company is based in The Netherlands but the company's main operations and…

Over the course of its more than 50 years in business, Axel Springer Verlag AG has evolved from a publisher of local…

Heraeus Holding GmbH is a family-owned company whose principal activities are the processing of specialty metals,…

Hugo Boss AG is Germany's largest manufacturer of men's and women's clothing and one of the world's leading design…

Hexal AG is Germany's second largest producer of generic drugs, and also claims the number four position in the…

With less than a decade under its belt, Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG has transformed the German aircraft industry from a…

Ticker Symbols: DT; DTE NAIC: 513310 Wired Telecommunications Carriers; 513322 Cellular and Other Wireless…

The union of tennis and fashion propelled Gerry Weber International AG into its position as one of Europe's leading…

Air Berlin GmbH & Co.

1585: Frankfurt merchants meet to establish uniform exchange rates.

One of the largest retailers in the world, Metro AG is a Düsseldorf-based holding company formed through the 1996…

DaimlerChrysler AG--the third-largest car maker in the world--is the product of the November 1998 merger of…

Thyssen Krupp AG was created in March 1999 from the merger of two of Germany's oldest industrial giants, Thyssen AG and…

E.On AG is the largest listed power generation company in Europe.

During Infineon Technologies AG's short life as an independent company, it has become the fourth largest DRAM…

ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG is the largest television company in Germany.

T-Online International AG is one of Europe's largest Internet service providers, with some 12.5 million…