The city has very old trading traditions dating from medieval times and a long history of industrialisation, beginning with the establishment of a railway station in 1850. The most important sector is still classical industry (machinery, especially motor vehicles; electronics; pharmaceuticals). The establishment of the University of Ulm, is regarded as one of the best research universities in Germany and the world. The university focuses on biomedicine, the sciences, and engineering. The establishment also helped support the transition to high-tech industry, especially after the crisis of classical industries in the 1980s.
� Ebner & Spiegel GmbH (book printing)
� Gardena AG (gardening tools)
� J. G. Ansch�tz (firearms for sports and hunting)
� M�ller Ltd. & Co. KG (major German trade company)
� Ratiopharm (pharmaceuticals)
� Carl Walther GmbH (fire arms, especially pistols)
� Wieland-Werke AG (non-ferrous semi-finished products)
� Britax Roemer Kindersicherheit GmbH (Child safety products)
� Iveco Magirus AG
� Daimler: Daimler Forschungszentrum (research centre) and EvoBus (production of buses)
� EADS, European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company
� Nokia (telecommunication, research centre)
� Nuance Communications Speech Recognition (research departments)
� Siemens AG
� Nokia Siemens Networks
� Deutsche Telekom AG
� Atmel
� Intel
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