Schaeffler lays foundation stone for central laboratory

The automotive and industrial supplier Schaeffler has laid the foundation stone for its state-of-the-art central laboratory at its Herzogenaurach campus. The 80 million euro investment in the building is a key element of the Roadmap 2025. Despite the challenging environment, the company is going ahead with this future-oriented project, which will be completed in 2023 and occupied by employees at the beginning of 2024.

“For Schaeffler, the central laboratory is of crucial importance in ensuring that the company’s competitiveness and success are also sustained in the future”, says Klaus Rosenfeld, CEO of Schaeffler AG.

The new building will enable Schaeffler to bundle its core expertise and key technologies in the field of research and development and will also strengthen Herzogenaurach as headquarters of the Schaeffler Group. The central laboratory is a clear commitment to Germany as an economic location and a sign that we want to continue along our strategic path.”

In addition to the central laboratory, Schaeffler is also establishing its center of competence for hydrogen technology in Herzogenaurach. Moreover, the automotive and industrial supplier only recently opened a fully automated and digitalized tool technology center at its location in Höchstadt an der Aisch, Franconia. Besides, a world-leading primary plant for e-mobility is being built in Bühl, headquarters of Schaeffler’s Automotive Technologies division. The investments implemented in Germany will secure jobs in future growth fields in the long term.

Prof. Dr.-Ing., Tim Hosenfeldt, Head of Corporate Research and Innovation & Corporate Competence Center Central Technologies, Uwe Wagner, Chief Technology Officer, Sandra Köllner, Vice President Corporate Real Estate Projects, Space Management & New Work, Andreas Schick, Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Alexander Putz, Campusmanager Herzogenaurach, and Sven Brandt, Project Manager Innovation Project, (from left) laid the foundation stone for the new central laboratory at the Herzogenaurach campus (Image: Schaeffler)

Central laboratory will shape future technologies

The cross-divisional central laboratory complex in Herzogenaurach will span more than 17,000 square meters of total floor area and house 15 laboratories and more than 360 employees. “Schaeffler has consistently delivered the highest levels of innovative ability and development excellence”, says Uwe Wagner, Chief Technology Officer of Schaeffler AG. “The central laboratory will allow us to strengthen our expertise in the long term and to shape progress in the automotive and industrial sectors thanks to the solutions which will be developed there.The synergies in the development process will enable Schaeffler to optimize technologies in the future fields e-mobility, hydrogen and renewable energies and to ultimately bring product solutions on to the market even faster.”

The new central laboratory will cover a wide range of topics related to the company’s research and development activities, particularly in key areas of technology, including measurement, testing, and calibration systems, material, chemical, coating and nanotechnologies as well as the optimization of operating life and system reliability. The focus here is on material, chemical, coating and nanotechnologies with the corresponding high resolution measurement technologies (metrology, chemistry, physics, electronics, and analysis).

Prof. Dr.-Ing., Tim Hosenfeldt, Head of Corporate Research and Innovation & Corporate Competence Center Central Technologies, says: “The central laboratory will encompass a unique range of services that combine analysis methods and specialist expertise and will enables us to increase our innovative strength and speed. The building sets new standards in terms of laboratory conditions, which will enable, for example, high-resolution analytics and measurement technologies as well as the tailored development of materials.” The central laboratory will be built to the latest sustainability standards and operated as a green building in accordance with the DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council) Gold Standard. Schaeffler also intends to make the new complex accessible to external customers. Its plans therefore include a laboratory and presentation area for digitalization and the use of artificial intelligence.