The Thuringian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Science and Digital Society today (15.04.2024) allocated six million euros in funding to the Thuringian Center for Mechanical Engineering. In a global market characterized by strong competitive pressure, the innovation center, which is coordinated by the TU Ilmenau, can now realign its future strategy towards energy- and material-saving production technologies and an efficient circular economy, thus consolidating its role as a driver of innovation for Thuringian industry.
Since it was founded in 2013, the Thuringian Center for Mechanical Engineering (ThZM) has been highly successful in supporting the state's manufacturing industry in the application of innovative mechanical engineering technologies across the entire process and production chain. In the eleven years of its existence, the innovation center has contributed to increasing the efficiency of more than 170 Thuringian companies, primarily from the mechanical engineering, metal and plastics processing and automotive supply sectors, through joint projects with industry using modern and resource-saving production technologies. Five research institutions are involved in the ThZM with their respective research infrastructures: the TU Ilmenau, the Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences Jena, the Schmalkalden University of Applied Sciences, the Gesellschaft für Fertigungstechnik und Entwicklung in Schmalkalden and the Günter Köhler Institute for Joining Technology and Materials Testing in Jena. The expertise of the scientists ranges from application-oriented basic research to industry-oriented research.
However, despite the successes that the ThZM has achieved in modernizing Thuringia's small and medium-sized enterprises, the manufacturing industry in Thuringia is still facing major challenges. Companies need to digitalize their work processes and production, while climate change and the long-term consequences of the coronavirus pandemic are affecting operations. With high global competitive pressure, rapidly rising energy prices, scarce raw materials, disrupted supply chains and a lack of demand from abroad are placing a heavy burden on manufacturing companies.
In particular, the European Commission's Green Deal goal of making the EU greenhouse gas-neutral by 2050 requires far-reaching changes in the industry. As the manufacturing industry accounts for a significant proportion of greenhouse gas emissions, companies must use innovative technologies in order to achieve the specified targets. In order to make manufacturing companies in Thuringia fit for the future, the new strategy of the Thuringian Center for Mechanical Engineering focuses on four key areas:
- Development of energy- and material-saving production technologies to reduce resource requirements
- Development of recyclable production strategies for the manufacture of reusable, repairable or recyclable products
- Optimization and development of production processes for the treatment and processing of locally renewable raw materials
- Development of digital production management tools to increase resource efficiency and reduce waste
