Zukunftsallianz Maschinenbau eV and Smart Systems Hub are partnering to address the challenges that the German economy faces in securing a successful future. As global leaders in their niche, medium-sized mechanical engineering companies are the driving force behind Germany’s position as an export nation. To maintain this success, there is a need for agile action and the linking of research, industry, and methodological knowledge, as well as the establishment of innovation clusters. Only through collaboration can a successful future be secured.

To address these challenges, the Smart Systems Hub in Dresden and the Zukunftsallianz Maschinenbau, which was founded in Hanover in 2015, will partner to establish a permanent presence of the innovation network. This collaboration will commence on March 30, 2023, with the aim of providing support to medium-sized companies facing current challenges. The Zukunftsallianz Maschinenbau now has approximately 50 members throughout Germany, and the East German presence of the innovation network will be managed by Eike Dölschner, a board member of Zukunftsallianz Maschinenbau and spokesman for the Regional Section East. With decades of experience as an engineer and managing director, Dölschner is well equipped to support medium-sized companies in addressing their challenges.

“Networking and the transfer of innovations and solutions to one’s own products and processes also ensure the future viability of companies in mechanical engineering. As a passionate engineer with a global career, I and my employees benefit greatly from the networking offered by the Zukunftsallianz Maschinenbau. Personal contacts, a look behind the scenes, honest references, impulses for innovations and market development—the list of practical advantages is long. We now want to make this special spirit accessible to machine builders in the East, in the region, for the region. We would like to promote the networking of machine builders and automation companies north of the Main line and east of Hanover, starting from the Smart Systems Hub in Dresden. Current challenges such as digitization, energy transition, and changed globalization should be addressed, as well as the recruitment of skilled workers and new business models,” says Eike Dölschner, Board Member, Zukunftsallianz Maschinenbau e. V. and Regional Section East Spokesman.

The aim of the new contact point is to support East German companies from mechanical engineering and industrial automation in their innovation processes. In addition, the two partners want to provide impetus for cross-company cooperation and give East German SMEs access to the experiences that both networks have built up over their many years of work on medium-sized digitization projects.

Michael Kaiser, Managing Director, Smart Systems Hub GmbH, explains: “In addition, both organizations offer specialist conferences, method transfer workshops, interdisciplinary specialist and working groups, and cooperative technology monitoring that are specially tailored to the needs of SMEs. In addition, both innovation partners help to initiate joint research projects to integrate new technologies, business models, and organizational structures. Innovative SMEs have the opportunity to use the fitness checks for core operational processes. In this way, they learn more about how to develop virtual products or optimize their production logistics step by step.”

The constant presence in the Smart Systems Hub should help to strengthen East Germany as a location for innovation and ensure the competitiveness of companies. Tobias Reissmann, Managing Director, XENON Automatisierungstechnik GmbH, says: “As a founding member of the Zukunftsallianz Maschinenbau (ZAM), one of our core concerns was to stimulate the supra-regional exchange of knowledge and best practices by linking different technology providers and users. With the opening of the East Regional Section, a next milestone has been reached in order to advance this goal. The cooperation between ZAM and the Smart Systems Hub will create an excellent environment for cross-company innovation projects in which we will be actively involved.”

On March 30, 2023, representatives of both networks and member companies came together in the rooms of the Smart Systems Hub to celebrate the opening ceremony of the location of the Regional Section East. At the joint event, the partners gave an outlook on joint activities and plans for the future.

Among other things, a cross-network launch event for members and partners is planned. From now on, there will also be an open day in the regional office for interested companies on the first Thursday of every month. In addition, joint appearances are already planned, such as at the Hannover Messe (Hall 14, Stand H06), where both networks will offer a ‘Guided Tour’ to exhibiting partners and also a contact point for companies from mechanical, engineering, and industrial automation offer to learn more about the use of 5G campus networks in production.

Zukunftsallianz Maschinenbau eV and Smart Systems Hub

Hall 14, Stand H06

For more information: www.zukunftsallianz-maschinenbau.de

www.smart-systems-hub.de