Machine-Building in Thüringen - Landesentwicklungsgesellschaft ...

Status 08/2007
Industry profile
Workforce
Innovation through
cooperation
Research and
Development
Successful in
Thüringen
Our consulting services
are free.
Simply set an appointment
with our investor
service team.
Machine-Building
in Thüringen
Ideal environment
Thüringen offers an ideal environment for machine-builders and toolmakers.
Its central location in Europe‘s heartland and its first-class
transport infrastructure brings markets closer. Harness the benefits of
low unit labor costs. Enjoy access to world-class R&D institutions with
profiles tailored to the needs of your industry.
Expert workers in Thüringen traditionally boast extensive technical
know-how. With a healthy mix of top-flight nearby universities and
vocational colleges offering relevant degree programs, Thüringen is
a great place to find highly qualified workers. Successful companies
from the same and related industries make up a local pool of attractive
suppliers and partners.
Discover your opportunities. Come to Thüringen. You’ll have a strong
partner in LEG - State Development Corporation Thüringen. We will
guide your company from concept to location discreetly, competently
and conveniently.
Industry profile
Characteristics
In Thüringen, machine-building and
tool-making enjoy a long tradition.
It all began with the production of
ironware, forgings and weaponry.
Today, the industry is the Free
State‘s third largest employer, after
manufacturers of metal products
and food and beverage companies.
Almost 20,000 people work at over
500 firms. Most of the companies
are small or medium-sized. In 2006,
Thüringen`s machine builders with
20 or more employees generate
EUR 2 billion in sales. The export
ratio stood at 29 percent in 2006,
and shows no sign of slowing
down. Thüringen‘s major exports
include machine tools for metal
processing, machines for plastic
and rubber processing, mining and
construction machinery as well as
bearings, transmissions, cogs and
drive elements.
Main areas
Numerous firms specialize in laser
technology, rapid tooling or robotics.
With outstanding R&D institutions
and close ties to industries such as
IT, electronics and optics, synergies
and innovative products are virtually
guaranteed. Manufacturers of
complex machinery and equipment
have been joined in recent years by
suppliers of units and machine
components. They serve well-known
companies in Germany and the
world as a whole. Furthermore, a
host of small and medium-sized
businesses operate very successfully
in industrial automation, modern
tool-making and special-purpose
machinery. Other areas of specialty
include precision engineering,
micro-engineering, precision molding,
mechatronics and automation.
There are machine-building
and tool-making companies
in every county in Thüringen.
However, the main centers
by number of employees are
Wartburg County, Weimarer
Land County, Schmalkalden-
Meiningen County and the
City of Erfurt.

„Machine-building
has a long tradition
in Thüringen; that
enables us to build
innovative products. We
were delighted by the
excellent supply
of expert workers.“
Horst Keller, CEO,
Horsch Maschinen GmbH
Workforce
Outstanding experts – they live in
Thüringen. Being highly motivated,
qualified and versatile, they form
the bedrock of business success.
Companies in Thüringen use
flexible working-time models and
benefit from staff costs far below
the German average.
Vocational training networks
The Free State invests in qualifications
so industry employers can
find the right staff for years to
come. Young people are trained to
become tool makers, die casters,
CNC engineers, C programmers or
mechanics. Thüringen also targets,
fosters and supports training
consortia in the metalworking
industry: In these associations,
companies and vocational-training
institutes join forces both regionally
and locally to train more young
people and retraining students.
Qualification at universities
The local colleges stay true to
Thüringen’s traditional technical
focus by producing excellent
engineers. Five universities and
colleges offer degrees in mechanical
engineering and relevant subjects.
Around one quarter of Thüringen‘s
students are enrolled in such
programs. Some of them study
mechanical engineering at the
Technical University of Ilmenau,
widely regarded as one of Europe‘s
best engineering universities.
The universities of applied sciences
in Jena and Schmalkalden also offer
specialized concentrations.
At Thüringen’s vocational colleges,
theory is intertwined even more
inextricably with application. The
vocational college in Eisenach, for
example, offers engineering majors
with a concentration in design or
mechatronics. Companies in and
outside Germany agree that Thüringen‘s
graduates leave their alma
maters with in-depth expertise, an
exceptionally pragmatic approach
and a love of engineering.
Potential workforce
Jobless workers can be qualified
to meet specific needs with
funding provided by the Federal
Employment Agency. Training
institutions and educational firms
work with industry companies
to develop job profiles tailored to
meet the firms‘ specific needs.
For a particularly attractive pool
of recruits, companies can count
on specialists currently commuting
between their homes in Thüringen
and their workplaces in Western
Germany. They will re-enter their
local labor market to take up attractive
employment positions.

Innovation through
cooperation
Tool-related innovation pro-
cesses get kick-started in a
close partnership between
the Schmalkalden University
of Applied Sciences, Techni-
cal University Ilmenau, GFE
Association for Production
Engineering and Develop-
ment and companies in the
region. Many of the projects
revolve around high-precision
and high-performance tools,
intelligent tools, precision
laser processing and rapid
prototyping. The fruits of
the partnership: new tools,
machine components or tools
with improved characteristics.
Research and Development
Companies in Thüringen benefit
from more than just being located
near the universities. There are also
prestigious research institutions who
make excellent partners for innovations
and other ventures.
Machine-builders and tool-makers
also benefit from the various transfer
centers and from partnering
with business-service providers.
Selected R&D institutions
Added support comes from 13
R&D institutes for machine-building
and tool-making so companies can
keep up with accelerating cycles
of innovation. The most important
institutes in Thüringen include:
- GFE Association for Production
Engineering and Development
in Schmalkalden
- Brunel IMG GmbH in Nord-
hausen
- TZP Transfer Center for Production
Engineering in Machine-
Building in Schmalkalden
- IMMS Institute for Micro-
electronic and Mechatronic
Systems in Ilmenau
- CiS Institute for Micro Sensors
in Erfurt
- MAZeT Microelectronics
Application Center Thüringen
in Erfurt
Last, but not least, the research
environment also includes
Fraunhofer institutes in Jena
and Ilmenau as well as the
Steinbeis Foundation in Ilmenau
and Suhl/Zella-Mehlis. These
institutions guide companies
through every phase, from the
initial tests right to the marketable
product. Thüringen also
boasts a plethora of technology
transfer forums for networking.
With its help, interdisciplinary
synergies in, say, IT, electronics
and machine-building can
be transferred to production
more quickly, while innovations
can be converted into concrete
products in shorter cycles.

Selected companies: Successful in Thüringen
State Development Corporation
Beyeler Maschinenbau GmbH
BMW Fahrzeugtechnik GmbH
Deckel Maho Seebach GmbH
Demag Cranes &
Components GmbH
Demag Ergotech GmbH
Dörfel Midlog KG
Franz Viegener GmbH &
Co. KG
Gbr. Becker GmbH & Co. KG
Gonvauto Thüringen GmbH
GPM GmbH
Horsch Maschinen GmbH
Hydrema Produktion
Weimar GmbH
Jenoptik AG
Kaeser Kompressoren GmbH
Lemuth GmbH
metallumform GmbH & Co. KG
Müller Weingarten AG
MWS Schneidwerkzeuge
GmbH & Co. KG
Samag Saalfelder
Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH
Sandvik Coromant GmbH
Wincor-Nixdorf
Technology GmbH
ZF Gotha GmbH
Machine-builders and tool-makers
will find ideal conditions in
Thüringen. It offers an open, creative
environment for testing more
efficient production structures, new
working-time models or launching
new products and processes. That‘s
something companies appreciate.
Umformtechnik Erfurt is a household
name at automotive factories
the world over. For decades, it has
produced reliable large presses for
carmakers. Located in the state
capital, it is operated as a branch
of Müller Weingarten AG. The
large-scale-plant-engineering unit
and the welding plant were fully
relocated to Thüringen. The Board
also moved the management for
the entire group‘s Services division
to Erfurt.
Once it saw the central location at
the Erfurt highway junction, the
deep pool of specialist workers and
the excellent support provided
by the business-promotion team,
Dörfel KG decided to set up
Dörfel Midlog KG in Arnstadt. The
company produces machines and
warehouse equipment for food and
beverage companies at a 4,000-m 2
site.
Deckel Maho Seebach GmbH has
become one of the largest producers
of machine tools in Eastern
Germany. It employs around 450
people. Within the parent
Gildemeister Group, the Seebach
plant is viewed as one of the most
productive sites. In Ronneburg, agricultural-machinery
maker Horsch
Maschinen GmbH was building
a new manufacturing facility on a
9.5-hectare site. The direct links to
A4 and the close proximity to the
Hermsdorfer junction provide fast
access to markets.
The Gotha-based Beyeler Group
is a technological trailblazer and a
reliable, solution-centric provider
of machinery for sheet-metal pro-
cessing. It is part of Bystronic, a
leading global provider of sole-source
solutions for cutting and bending
sheet metal. Demag Ergotech
GmbH manufactures brand-name
Ergotech injection-molding machines
in Wiehe. Over 300 workers
develop and manufacture fully
hydraulic small machines that have
clamping forces between 250 kN
and 1,100 kN.
BMW Fahrzeugtechnik GmbH
produces large and medium-sized
tools and molded parts in Eisenach
for the manufacture of automobiles.
Its client base includes not only
BMW but also companies like
Porsche, Audi, Volvo, VW and Opel.
In Merbelsrod, GPM GmbH develops
intelligent new pump systems
that reduce energy, space, weight
and costs for the motor-cooling systems
of tomorrow. Its home-grown
system competence has made GPM
GmbH a technological groundbreaker
and a much sought-after
development partner for carmakers
the world over.
Jenoptik AG enjoys an outstanding
reputation all over the world as an
enterprise that builds innovation.
The Laser Technology and Automation
units have been transformed
to the strongest divisions with outstanding
growth prospects.
Thüringen mbH (LEG Thüringen)
Direct Investment &
International Relations
Mainzerhofstrasse 12, D-99084 Erfurt
Your contacter: Jörg Dreyer
Phone: +49 (0)361-5603-457
Fax: +49 (0)361-5603-328
E-Mail: invest@leg-thueringen.de
www.invest-in-thueringen.org
Source of photographs:
Horsch Maschinen GmbH,
LEG Thüringen (Photographers:
Andreas Hultsch, Barbara Neumann)
Get in touch with us
to get competent advice
free of charge.