A combination of mechanics and electronics
Mechatronics is a highly interdisciplinary field of industry. It is here that companies seek to accomplish the highest possible integration of mechanical engineering, electronics and IT/software for the development and production of intelligent technical systems. Mechatronic competence provides extremely efficient machinery and equipment which can perform new functions and at the same time requires the smallest possible amount of space.
The development in the field of mechantronics opens up huge value-added potential, both for the product and for the processing side.
Mechatronics plays a key role for competitive products and production processes in the high-tech sector as well as in classic industries right through to the service sector. Mechatronics has a particularly strong impact on modern mechanical engineering as well as automotive engineering and the electrical industry. It also has a large influence on industrial sectors such as production engineering, automation and robotics.
Export highlight from Bavaria
Mechatronic systems “Made in Germany“ boast a cutting edge worldwide in many industrial sectors based on their excellent technological features. Mechanical engineering, automotive engineering and the electrical industry - Bavaria’s three major fields of industrial competence - each account for a share of between 20 and 25 percent of the workforce in Germany or between 22.5 and 30 percent of sales revenue. The strength of the Bavarian industry in an international comparison is underpinned by export shares of between 55 and 60 percent. Beyond this, the production spectrum of the Bavarian industry covers virtually the entire bandwidth of industrial production.
Mechatronics in Bavaria
Bavaria coins mechatronics and this also applies vice versa. Mechanical engineering, automotive engineering and the electrical industry together employ a workforce of over 610,000 people in the State of Bavaria and generate sales of over 170 billion euro per annum. That is approximately 50 percent of people employed and some 60 percent of sales from the manufacturing industry in Bavaria.
Bavaria boasts outstanding competences in research and development: - Production engineering, high-capacity and flexible manufacturing and assembly systems, for example
- Robotics/automation, for example, intelligent control engineering and lightweight construction drives
- Automotive engineering, mechatronic brake systems, for instance, or drive-by-wire technologies
- Medical technology, active implants, tools for minimal-invasive surgery, computer-aided/robot-assisted surgery to name but a few
- Cross-section areas, for example mechatronic packaging solutions, methods and tools for concurrent engineering
Market and partner for mechatronics
Bavaria offers a wide and attractive market for successful products. Market leaders of the high-tech user sectors in the field of mechatronics – from mechanical engineering to automotive engineering, aerospace up to the electrical industry and medical technology – are from Bavaria or have a base here. Many companies besides the large technology groups, and also a particularly large number of small and medium-sized businesses from specific branches of industry and the component suppliers industry rely on the innovative drive of mechatronic solutions.
Supra-regional and regional networks act as platforms for information and technology transfer to ensure the best possible use of know-how and cooperation potential of the business community and science. Bavarian Innovation and Cooperation Initiative for the Automotive Components Suppliers Industry Attractive research environment for mechatronics in Bavaria:
Bavarian universities, universities of applied sciences and non-university research institutions boast extensive and high-calibre expertise in the technology disciplines of mechatronics making them competent partners for business enterprises.
Universities: Universities of applied sciences: Non-university research institutions: Research Cooperations - Bavarian Research Cooperation Flexible Tools (FORWERKZEUG)
- Bavarian Research Cooperation for Bioanalogical Assistant Systems (FORBIAS)
- Bavarian Research Cooperation for Nanotechnology (FORNEL)
- Bavarian Research Cooperation for Situated, Individualized and Personalized Human-Computer Interaction (FORSIP)
- Bavarian Research Cooperation for Supra-Adaptive Logistics Systems (FORLOG)
- Bavarian Research Cooperation for Carbon-Based Materials (FORCARBON)
Well-qualified workforce for mechantronics
A large portion of the workforce operating in the Bavarian mechatronics industry work at the largest production locations of Munich, with 150,000 persons employed, and Nuremberg where 100,000 persons are employed. Bavaria takes up a frontline position in education and training. An excellent training is the basis for the top qualification of Bavarian skilled workers who are renowned all over the world. This applies especially to mechatronics and the associated user industries: - In the academic sector, universities and universities of applied sciences turn out high-caliber engineers and scientists.
- The vocational training system, based on the dual system with its close knit combination of theory and practice, is a guarantee for excellent staff competence.
Optimum environment
Bavaria is home to the headquarters of the German Patent and Trademark Office, the European Patent Office, the Fraunhofer Patent Center for German Research, the Max-Planck Institute for Foreign and International Patent Rights, copyrights and competition as well as the central administration of the Fraunhofer and Max-Planck Society.
Bavaria provides competence centers as well as innovation and start-up incubators which are ready to help start-ups and new business investments off the ground: Access to funding
Bavaria is the venture capital center of Germany and is home to a host of VC companies. The company Bayern Kapital GmbH is a key driver for providing venture capital. The investment of private investors can be tripled by Bayern Kapital and the TBG Technologie-Beteiligungs-Gesellschaft investing the same amount.
Bavarian initiatives and programs in the field of mechatronics
With its High-Tech Offensive the Bavarian State Government made mechatronics one of the key political topics and some 50 million euro of funds were provided for this sector during the period from 2000 to 2005.
Bavaria also grants extensive support to research and development projects for mechatronic applications through the Mechatronics locations in Bavaria
There is a particularly strong focus of mechatronics production and major user industries in the Greater Areas of - Munich (automotive engineering, aerospace, general mechanical engineering, medical technology),
- Nuremberg (Electrical engineering/electronics, general mechanical engineering, drive technology, automation, medical technology)
- Augsburg/ Swabia (general mechanical engineering, robotics, drive technology, aerospace)
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