A review of the biggest workplaces on Lolland, Falster and in Vordingborg Municipality shows which public institutions and private employers carry the most weight in the local economy.
Vestas takes up quite a bit of space at the port in Nakskov. But how many people work there? Archive photo: Jan Knudsen
Who really keeps Lolland, Falster and Vordingborg Municipality running? The list of the region’s largest workplaces offers a fairly clear answer. At the top are municipalities and hospitals, which, with thousands of employees, account for a large share of everyday welfare, treatment, care and public services.
Just below them are the workplaces that do much to shape private-sector business in this part of Denmark. Femern Link Contractors has assembled a construction project on a European scale on Lolland. Vestas manufactures wind turbine blades in Nakskov. Nordic Sugar sustains an industry that has shaped the area for generations.
Guldborgsund Municipality tops the list, and that says something about how much authority and everyday life are concentrated in a single organisation. A large share of the region’s welfare is turned into practical work here every day, which is why the municipality as an employer reaches further into local communities than any other workplace in the area. The municipality has 59,106 inhabitants and covers 90,697 hectares.
Vordingborg Municipality brings together much of everyday life in a local authority stretching from Vordingborg through Præstø to Stege and Møn. As a workplace, it encompasses both the major welfare services and the day-to-day running of a municipality with many local communities and considerable distances between them. The municipality has 44,835 inhabitants and covers 62,030 hectares.
Lolland Municipality is the smallest of the three municipalities in the ranking when measured by employee numbers. At the same time, it stretches from Nakskov and Maribo to Rødby and Holeby, and onwards to islands such as Fejø, Femø and Askø. That makes it a workplace that has to keep everyday life functioning across towns, rural districts and island communities. The municipality has 38,533 inhabitants and covers 88,670 hectares.
Femern Link Contractors: 2,310 employees | 2,012 full-time equivalents
Femern Link Contractors runs one of Europe’s largest construction sites and has brought together some of the world’s most skilled engineers, specialists and contracting professionals to build the Fehmarnbelt link. Work here includes tunnel elements, port facilities, logistics, concrete, marine operations and advanced project management in a project that has already left a major mark on the whole area.
Nykøbing F. Hospital: 1,652 employees | 1,416 full-time equivalents
Archive photo: Rikke Folm Berg
Nykøbing Falster Hospital is the acute hospital for Lolland-Falster and a workplace that brings together a wide range of professional groups around the clock. Doctors, nurses, healthcare assistants, secretaries, technicians and other staff work here on treatment, care and operations on a scale unmatched by any other workplace in this part of the region.
The list shows the largest workplaces in the municipalities of Lolland, Guldborgsund and Vordingborg. The order is based on the number of employees in the most recently available month in the CVR data. The overview shows both the number of employees and full-time equivalent positions.
For companies and institutions with several local units, the figures are, as a starting point, stated for the specific workplace or the relevant p-number. In a few cases, several units have been combined when together they make up one clear local workplace. This applies, for example, to Nordic Sugar, where the figures cover units in Nykøbing, Nakskov and the company’s innovation and technology unit.
Vestas in Nakskov, Femern Link Contractors and Nykøbing F. Hospital are included on the basis of specific local units in the CVR.
Vestas in Nakskov is one of the largest private workplaces in the region and at the same time one of Lolland’s most prominent industrial names. The factory produces blades for large offshore wind turbines and plays a central role in Vestas’s offshore business, with Nakskov involved in the development and production of some of its largest blade types. This is where advanced manufacturing, scale and the green transition come together.
Central and West Zealand Hospital, Vordingborg: 482 employees | 397 full-time equivalents
The workplace on Færgegaardsvej is part of Region Zealand’s psychiatric services. Adult patients from places including Vordingborg, Næstved, Lolland and Guldborgsund are treated here, both as outpatients and during admission. Vordingborg also has a 24-hour psychiatric emergency unit, making this a specialised service that operates around the clock.
Lalandia in Rødby is a workplace most people know. Employees work across everything from the water park, restaurants and cleaning to operations, service and large-scale visitor experiences. At the same time, the holiday resort has helped turn Rødby into a far stronger tourism name than it once was.
Nordic Sugar has 223 employees in Nykøbing, 188 in Nakskov and a further 21 in the company’s innovation and technology unit. Taken together, that makes the group one of the largest private employers in the area. The sugar factories remain closely tied to beet cultivation and to an industry that still carries considerable weight on Lolland-Falster.
UCE brings together a large part of the local education sector under one roof. Teachers, advisers, administrative staff and other professional groups work here with teaching and education across several locations. That makes UCE an important part of everyday life for both young people and adult learners in the southern part of Region Zealand.
Hardi International A/S: 352 employees | 324 full-time equivalents
Hardi International in Nørre Alslev is one of the best-known industrial companies on Lolland-Falster and has for decades been a major name in agricultural machinery. The company produces spraying technology for agriculture and sells its solutions far beyond Denmark. Hardi is a classic export business with deep roots in the area and a strong position at the intersection of agriculture and mechanical engineering.
Lolland-Falsters Folketidende stands out on the list because of the marked gap between employee numbers and full-time equivalents. That is linked to distribution, where many delivery workers are included in the headcount. At the same time, the media house is broader than the daily newspaper itself and also includes weekly papers, Radio Sydhavsøerne and the business title FemernBusiness.
Bisca in Stege is one of the most prominent manufacturing companies in Vordingborg Municipality and one of the strongest food brands in the area. The company produces cakes, biscuits and other sweet goods and is behind well-known names such as Karen Volf, Karen’s Bakery, Snøfler, All in One and MØN. Production has been based in Stege since 1968, although the company’s roots go back even further.
Alfa Laval Nakskov A/S: 164 employees | 155 full-time equivalents
Alfa Laval Nakskov is part of the Swedish industrial group Alfa Laval and one of the best-known industrial names in Nakskov. The company is closely linked to the part of industry that works with technology and equipment for, among other things, sugar production and process industries. It also draws on an industrial tradition that remains an important part of Nakskov’s business history.
Møns Bank A/S: 157 employees | 151 full-time equivalents
Møns Bank is one of the most prominent financial companies in Vordingborg Municipality and has deep historical roots in the area. The bank originated on Møn, but in recent years it has expanded its business area and opened a branch in Køge as part of its growth strategy. At the same time, it has sharpened its focus on business customers, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises.
DLF Beet Seed in Holeby is part of the DLF seed group and works with sugar beet seeds for an international market. The company belongs to an industry in which research, plant breeding and agricultural production are closely intertwined, and where development often stretches over many years. Based on Lolland, it is closely tied to an area where sugar beet cultivation and seed production still play a significant role.
Lollands Bank A/S: 144 employees | 135 full-time equivalents
Lollands Bank is the region’s leading financial player and plays a central role for both private customers and the business community on Lolland-Falster and in the southern part of Zealand. The bank has a strong local profile and builds much of its identity on close customer contact and strong relationships across its market area.
Diocese of Lolland-Falster: 139 employees | 79 full-time equivalents
Lolland-Falsters bishop Marianne Gaarden Photo: Ingrid Riis
The Diocese of Lolland-Falster brings together the work of the Church of Denmark in the area and includes staff across both ecclesiastical and administrative functions. The workplace covers a wide geographical area and encompasses many local parishes and church activities.
MSE is one of the most prominent players in the local construction and civil engineering sector. The company works on everything from earthworks and sewer systems to district heating, drainage and major construction projects. It is a name many in the business community know because, over the years, it has left a clear mark on a wide range of projects.
Ortofon in Nakskov is a name known to vinyl enthusiasts around the world. The company produces cartridges at the premium end of the market, and some models are priced almost like small luxury goods. That also says something about just how specialised a niche Ortofon operates in. From Nakskov, the company sells products to a market where sound, precision and craftsmanship matter above all.
