Editing Minden (section)

===Economy===
For a long time, Minden's economic development was hindered by the constraints of the fortress. In 1873, the fortress was dissolved, allowing the city and its economy to expand beyond its borders. Today, the city is home of about 3,600 businesses.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Stadt Minden |title = Zahlen, Daten, Fakten zum Standort | url = https://www.minden.de/wirtschaft-mobilitaet-wohnen/standort-minden/ | website = minden.de | access-date = 8 February 2024}}</ref>

Agriculture still occupies 50% of the administrative bounds, which have little changed. This is slightly more than the state average and much more than in the densely populated areas of the state.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2018-12-12|archive-date=2011-05-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519124032/http://www.it.nrw.de/kommunalprofil/k05770024.pdf|date=26 November 2010|format=PDF; 74&nbsp;kB|pages=1|publisher=Landesdatenbank NRW|title=Strukturdaten für Minden, Stadt|url=http://www.it.nrw.de/kommunalprofil/k05770024.pdf|website=it.nrw.de}}</ref>

The average income in Minden is slightly below the average of the Minden-Lübbecke district and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.<ref>[https://www.it.nrw/nrw-verfuegbares-einkommen-je-einwohner-im-schnitt-bei-21-336-euro-13395 ''NRW: Verfügbares Einkommen je Einwohner im Schnitt bei 21.336 Euro.''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208130217/https://www.it.nrw/nrw-verfuegbares-einkommen-je-einwohner-im-schnitt-bei-21-336-euro-13395 |date=8 December 2022 }} Pressemitteilung. In: ''it.nrw,'' retrieved 13 July 2018.</ref> Thus, Minden ranks 309th out of 396 municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia in terms of purchasing power.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2018-08-03|archive-date=2018-07-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712185250/https://www.it.nrw/sites/default/files/atoms/files/257_17.pdf|date=13 September 2016|format=PDF; 1,8&nbsp;MB|pages=1, 64, 66|publisher=Information und Technik Nordrhein-Westfalen – Pressestelle –|title=Primäreinkommen und verfügbares Einkommen der privaten Haushalte in NRW|url=https://www.it.nrw/sites/default/files/atoms/files/257_17.pdf|website=it.nrw}}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>

[[File:Firmengelände der Follmann Gruppe, Standort Minden-DE.jpg|thumb|View to the industrial estate east of the town centre]]
[[File:Melitta-Zentrale.jpg|thumb|right|[[Melitta]] headquarters]]
[[File:Harting Minden.jpg|thumb|Harting administration building by [[Mario Botta]]]]
Minden is the economic centre of the district and the bordering region of Lower Saxony. It is part of an agglomeration corridor that extends along the A 2 Autobahn from Minden through Herford, Bielefeld, Gütersloh and on to the [[Ruhr]] area. Traffic connections by railway, highway, federal routes, and waterways are favourable factors for growing industry and trade with about 3,300 firms and 40,000 employees in regular conditions (2020).<ref name="Zahlen">{{cite web |last1=Stadt Minden |title=Zahlen, Daten, Fakten zum Standort |url=https://www.minden.de/wirtschaft-mobilitaet-wohnen/standort-minden/zahlen-und-daten/ |website=minden.de |access-date=18 December 2022}}</ref> A multitude of economic branches include the chemical, metalworking, electronic, paper, ceramic, and woodworking spheres, located on industrial areas mainly in the west and east parts of the town.

According to the [[three-sector model]], the Minden employees work in the [[Primary sector of the economy|primary sector]] (agriculture, forestry) at 0.1%, in the [[Secondary sector of the economy|secondary sector]] (industrial production) at 27.6%, and in the [[Tertiary sector of the economy|tertiary sector]] (mainly service and administration) at 72.4%; these numbers are roughly in accordance to the average of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The number of about 28,000 daily [[commuter]]s exceeds the 17,000 citizens of Minden, who work outside the town's limits.<ref name="Zahlen" /> The [[Disposable and discretionary income|disposable income]] per capita amounts slowly below to the average of North Rhine-Westphalia.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Information und Technik Nordrhein-Westfalen |first1=Statistisches Landesamt |title=Kommunalprofil Minden |url=https://www.it.nrw/sites/default/files/kommunalprofile/l05770024.pdf |website=www.it.nrw |access-date=20 January 2022}} p.21</ref>

Like in other towns, some great retail areas have deloped apart from the centre in the outer parts of the town. A very special problem of Minden results from the local government reorganization of 1973, when most of the surrounding suburbs were adjointed to the town administratively. The southern suburbs of Barkhausen and Neesen however became parts of the new founded town of [[Porta Westfalica]], that since then has developed a large trading estate ("Porta Markt") in the most northwestern part of its quarter Barkhausen, directly to the border of Minden. The now established shopping scene is situated extremely marginally in the Porta Westfalica area, but the distance to Minden town centre is only {{convert|3|km|mi|abbr=on}}; by the federal route 65 even parts of the western community of Hille and the eastern town of Bückeburg are in the [[Isochrone map|15-minute radius]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Auswirkungs- und Verträglichkeitsanalyse für den Porta Markt (''Report on consequences and acceptability of the Porta Markt'') | url = https://www.portawestfalica.de/rathaus/verwaltung/stadtplanung/bauleitplanung/rechtsverbindliche-bebauungsplaene/v-37-sondergebiet-baumarkt-zwischen-den-daemmen/anlage-8a-vertraeglichkeit-obi-porta-westfalica-2015-08-21.pdf?cid=967 | website = www.portawestfalica.de | access-date = 8 October 2023}} p.22</ref>

====Enterprises====
Minden is location of several middle-sized companies without a dominating industrial branch. As it is typical for the East Westphalian economy,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Intelligent Technical Systems OstWestfalenLippe, Germany |title=it's owl |url=https://www.its-owl.com/about-us/ |website=www.its-owl.com |access-date=16 June 2022}}</ref> most of the Minden firms are small or middle-sized and often yet in ownership of the founder's family. No Minden firm is listed in the German premium stock indices [[DAX]] and [[MDAX]], neither in the small-company index [[SDAX]] or the [[TecDAX]] for technological companies. Most of the greater firms have the status of [[Private limited company|private limited]] [[legal entities]] (''[[Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung]]'') or partnerships (''[[Kommanditgesellschaft]]'').

[[Melitta]] with headquarters in Minden is well known by consumers for its coffee products. The ''Strothmann'' corn brandy of rye distilled liquor is produced here by the ''Wilhelm Strothmann destilleries'' that is now part of the ''Berentzen'' group.<ref>{{cite web |title=Berentzen Group locations |url=https://www.berentzen-gruppe.de/en/berentzen-group/locations |website=www.berentzen-gruppe.de |access-date=27 January 2022}}</ref>

''Siegfried PharmaChemikalien Minden'' (former ''Knoll AG'' and lateron part of the [[BASF]], now subsidiary of ''Siegfried AG'' in Switzerland) produces pharmacy chemicals as [[ephedrine]], [[coffein]] and [[theophylline]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Siegfried Minden. Locations |url=https://www.siegfried.ch/locations |website=www.siegfried.ch |access-date=18 December 2022}}</ref> Another notable firm is ''Follmann'', which produces special dyes and adhesives.<ref>{{cite web |title=Follmann |url=http://www.follmann-chemie.de/home/ |website=www.follmann-chemie.de |access-date=18 December 2022}}</ref> ''Ornamin Kunststoffwerke'' is a designer and producer of innovative plastic utensils like tableware and "To Go"-vessels, located in Minden since 1955.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ornamin. Corporate |url=https://www.ornamin.com/en/about-us/corporate/ |website=www.ornamin.com |access-date=18 December 2022}}</ref>

The ''Harting Technology Group'', an electronics company originally founded in 1945, built an administration centre near to a former Prussian barracks area in the Glacis belt; the main locations of production were moved since 1950 to the nearby towns of [[Espelkamp]] and [[Rahden]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Harting |url=https://www.harting.com/DE/en-gb/news/company/our-anniversary-year-harting-technology-group-holds-its-own |website=www.harting.com/DE/en-gb |access-date=18 December 2022}}</ref> [[WAGO Kontakttechnik]] has its main location in the north of the town centre and produces connector products for the electric and electronic industry. ''Schoppe und Faeser'' was a producer of electronics that has been taken over by the [[ABB Group]]. ''Rose & Krieger'', a subsidiary of [[Phoenix Mecano]], produces technical components. The over 100-year-old [[Altendorf GmbH]] firm produces machine tools including the world leading circular trim saws.

The German retail food [[Cooperative|corporation]] [[Edeka]] has a regional office and distribution centre (''Edeka Minden-Hannover'') in Minden. The office is responsible for a large zone from the North Sea to north-east Germany including local branches of its 100%-subsidiary, low-price supermarket ''NP-Markt'', as some functions of retailer WEZ (25% ownership).

The ''[[Deutsche Bahn|DB]] Systemtechnik'' (German railway system technology) deals with the development of rail vehicles and railway system equipment.<ref>{{cite web |title=DB Systemtechnik |url=https://www.db-systemtechnik.de/dbst-de |access-date=18 December 2022}}</ref>

The regional [[Sparkasse (Germany)|savings bank]] ''Sparkasse Minden-Lübbecke'' has its main administration in Minden.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sparkasse Minden-Lübbecke |url=https://www.sparkasse-minden-luebbecke.de |access-date=18 December 2022}}</ref>