Schaeffler Opened a Cutting-edge Technology Center in Herzogenaurach

Schaeffler AG has established a cutting-edge technology center at its headquarters in Herzogenaurach. The technological center was built with an investment of around 90 million euros. The project was finished on time in two years and five months. The technological center covers more than 18,000 square meters and brings together key areas of knowledge in materials science and engineering. These are critical for the advancement of technical advancements in the areas of electric transportation, battery technology, and hydrogen.

Klaus Rosenfeld, CEO of Schaeffler AG, explains: “The cutting-edge technology center in Herzogenaurach testifies to our company’s commitment to Germany as an industrial base and is a beacon of outstanding innovative strength and development excellence. These are qualities that have set Schaeffler apart for decades. Through the new technology center, we aim to bring innovations in promising growth areas to fruition even faster. This is part of our mission to form the leading motion technology company.”

Technological milestone at company's headquarters

The newly established technology center can house around 340 people and has 15 labs dedicated to measuring, testing, and calibrating systems, as well as material, chemical, coating, and nanotechnologies. The primary emphasis is on solutions that help with the energy and transportation transformation. The new labs' research efforts will focus on materials science and engineering, such as novel coatings for solid-state batteries or Schaeffler hydrogen bipolar plates. Furthermore, an EMC laboratory enables the electromagnetic compatibility of electronic components such as Schaeffler's revolutionary power electronics to be assessed. These tests are critical for electric mobility because they assist to improve product safety and resistance to electromagnetic interference.

The entire office area was designed in line with "new work" concepts, creating a work atmosphere that promotes cooperation and multidisciplinary teamwork. The building satisfies the most demanding sustainability criteria and has been accredited to the DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council) gold grade. For example, it utilizes waste heat from manufacturing operations to heat.

According to Uwe Wagner, Chief Technology Officer of Schaeffler AG, “Innovative materials are extremely important for sustainable solutions in the field of motion technologies, for example in electric mobility, robotics or wind power. The technology center in Herzogenaurach will set benchmarks and strengthen our global R&D network in the long term.”

The new technological center's "Motion Hub" is a distinct location where the firm will exhibit its reorganized range of goods and services, which arose from the purchase of Vitesco Technologies and currently includes eight product families, to customers, suppliers, and employees.

Source: Schaeffler