NXP wins 'Oscar of Dutch business' with Koning Willem I award

On Monday evening, chip manufacturer NXP won the Netherlands’ most prestigious business award, the King Willem I Prize. This biennial prize was presented by Her Majesty Queen Máxima and Klaas Knot, Director of De Nederlandsche Bank.

Bold strategy

The award recognises courageous, resilient and sustainable entrepreneurship. According to the jury, NXP has ‘demonstrated excellent entrepreneurship through a bold strategy’. In this way, it is making a contribution to people and society in areas where a difference is being made.

Semiconductor manufacturer NXP is headquartered in Eindhoven and has a large factory in Nijmegen. NXP originated from Philips. It is now one of the world's largest chipmakers. Its annual sales topped $11 billion last year. The demand for chips is huge and the number of applications is still growing.

Keep innovating

Around 17 per cent of NXP’s turnover is spent on Research & Development. Given a turnover of 11 billion dollars, that is, of course, a huge sum. According to Jean Schreurs, NXP’s CEO and a member of the Economic Board, this is essential to ensure the company can continue to innovate – both in the further development of existing products and in the creation of new applications.

Winners

The King Willem I Prize in the SME category went to Maan Group from Raalte, an R&D-driven company with its roots in adhesives and surface technology. The King Willem I Plaque for Sustainable Entrepreneurship went to the sustainable jeans company MUD Jeans from Amsterdam.