Prize Presented to Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG

SCHWEINFURT, November 8, 2012. Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG in Schweinfurt was officially honored today as a “selected landmark” for its large-size bearing test rig ASTRAIOS in the competition “365 Landmarks in the Land of Ideas”, which is held across Germany. Schaeffler has set a milestone for the further development of renewable energies by putting ASTRAIOS into operation, the world’s largest and most modern large-size bearing test rig for bearings in wind turbines.

With the competition "365 Landmarks in the Land of Ideas", the nation-branding initiative "Germany – Land of Ideas" in conjunction with Deutsche Bank has been awarding outstanding projects and ideas since 2006, which make a significant contribution to Germany’s future viability. The jury of experts comprising scientists, business managers, journalists and politicians selected Schaeffler as a prize winner from over 2,000 entries. In addition, ASTRAIOS was also a winner at Federal level in the "Environment" category. The winners at Federal level are shining examples for Germany's innovative force.

"Schaeffler is an outstanding example for the innovative force in this country. The company is shaping technological progress and the future", emphasized Bernd Sauter from Deutsche Bank. He presented the "selected landmark 2012" award on Wednesday during a special ceremony to Dr. Arbogast Grunau, Senior Vice President Product Development Industrial (CTO) and Member of the Management Board Industrial, and Reinhold Korn, project manager for the large-size bearing test rig, and praised: "Schaeffler shows very impressively that the most important raw material in this country are the ideas in people's heads."

Dr. Grunau made the following comment about the award: "We are extremely proud to be a "selected landmark". The development of renewable energies requires new impetus. Schaeffler is making a contribution to this by introducing creativity, technical expertise and innovative potential." For Reinhold Korn, this large-size bearing test rig also represents "a consistent step for Schaeffler towards further strengthening the strategic growth area that renewable energies represent."

"Germany is dependent on the innovative force of its industry during the energy revolution. This project is an outstanding example of how German industry is leading the world in environmental technologies and demonstrates that German engineers have an enormous wealth of ideas and ability to put new ideas into practice", added Holger Lösch, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of "Germany – Land of Ideas."

ASTRAIOS large-size bearing test rig – Investment in the further development of renewable energies

In November last year, Schaeffler put ASTRAIOS, the world’s largest, most up-to-date and most powerful large-size bearing test rig officially into operation. The test rig enables large-size bearings of up to 15 tons and measuring up to 3.5 meters, such as those used in wind power applications in particular, to be tested in realistic conditions using a comprehensive simulation program. This means Schaeffler is making a major contribution to shortening development times for wind turbines as well as making the design process more reliable and increasing the cost-effectiveness and safety of these turbines. At around €7 million, the Schaeffler large-size bearing test rig is a significant investment in the further development of renewable energies and the company’s development location in Schweinfurt.