Chennai, Sep 7 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has wrapped up his tour of Germany and the UK, describing it as both an emotionally fulfilling and economically rewarding journey.

In a message posted on X, he wrote that the trip, which began with the enthusiastic welcome of Tamils in Germany, concluded in London with their warm wishes and farewells.

'I return home with countless memories of boundless love showered upon me. To my Tamil brethren who cared for me like a brother during this visit, I extend my love and gratitude,' he said.

The Chief Minister's Office, in a statement, said the overseas tour was aimed at drawing new industrial investments into Tamil Nadu, and it has yielded substantial results.

In Germany, CM Stalin secured 26 Memorandums of Understanding worth Rs 7,020 crore, expected to generate more than 15,300 jobs.

Major commitments came from Knorr-Bremse, which pledged Rs 2,000 crore to set up a new plant for railway braking and door systems, creating 3,500 jobs, and Nordex Group, which will invest Rs 1,000 crore in wind turbine manufacturing, generating 2,500 jobs. ebm-papst announced an expansion plan worth Rs 201 crore in the HVAC and automotive sectors, while companies like Vensys Energy, BASF, Bella Premier Happy Hygiene, Herrenknecht India, Puls, Witzenmann India and Mash Energy together promised over Rs 3,800 crore of additional investment with the potential to create more than 9,000 jobs.

BMW reiterated its faith in Tamil Nadu's automobile sector, and a skill development collaboration was finalised with German institutions, beginning with 120 students and scaling up to 20,000 in the coming years.

The UK leg of the trip further strengthened Tamil Nadu's investment pipeline. The Hinduja Group signed an MoU for a Rs 7,500 crore project in electric vehicle cell and battery manufacturing, energy storage and charging infrastructure, with an employment potential of 1,000 jobs.

Global pharmaceutical major AstraZeneca committed Rs 176 crore to expand its Global Innovation and Technology Centre in Chennai, marking its third investment in the state in just two years.

Other significant deals included Britannia RFID Technologies India pledging Rs 520 crore for an RFID manufacturing facility in Tiruppur-Namakkal with 550 jobs, Wilson Power agreeing to invest Rs 300 crore in transformer production with 543 jobs, and Lloyd's List Intelligence expanding its Global Capability Centre in Chennai to create 200 jobs.

Tamil Nadu also signed agreements with educational and design institutions such as the University of Exeter and Ecole Intuit Lab, while discussions with Rolls-Royce opened new opportunities in aerospace.

The CMP said that altogether Stalin's visit to Europe has brought in investments worth Rs 15,516 crore, promising over 17,600 jobs across sectors such as green energy, automotive, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics and defence.

/IANS