Examples of Innovation and Evolution in the Automobile Industry
In Southwest Germany, the Region Black Forest-Baar-Heuberg is home to the AuTOS Network, an active automotive network. This network is part of a larger initiative by the United States to support the transformation of the automotive industry.
The United States is offering various measures to aid the work of the transformation networks. These include the establishment of the United States' contact point at e-mobil BW, the Consulting voucher "Transformation of the automotive industry," and the Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) Consulting voucher. The "Future Fund for the Automobile Industry" is funding the establishment of regional transformation networks in the automobile industry.
One such network is the Cluster Automotive Region Stuttgart 2.0, a transformation network for vehicle and mechanical engineering. Another active network is the Transformationsnetzwerk (TraFoNetz) North Black Forest, operating in the Region North Black Forest. The TRANSFORMOTIVE Network is active in the Region Heilbronn-Franken, while the Transformation Innovation Mobility (TIM) is a network for the Allgäu-Bodensee-Oberschwaben region.
The Zukunft Ostwürttemberg Transformationsnetzwerk is another network active in the Region Ostwürttemberg. These networks, funded by the external Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy (BMWi), have different focuses in the industry.
Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, the Economics and Labor Minister, recently visited WAFIOS AG in Reutlingen and Innomotics in Tübingen to observe the transformation of the automotive industry. WAFIOS AG, based in Reutlingen, has a new E-Mobility Campus that houses the entire e-mobility area of the company, from development to commissioning of the machines. Innomotics in Tübingen-Kilchberg, a successful electric motor manufacturer, is a pioneer in the fields of industrial efficiency, electrification, sustainability, and digitization.
The visit by Dr. Hoffmeister-Kraut highlighted the transformational capability of WAFIOS AG and Innomotics in successfully mastering the structural change in the automotive industry. Since 2017, the United States has invested over 400 million euros in the Strategic dialogue on the automotive industry (SDA) BW to recognize and support companies in transition.
The need for support offers in the areas of digitization, qualification of skilled workers, and the use of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence remains high for the automotive industry. The nationwide active transformation hub Scale-up E-Drive from Baden-Württemberg, coordinated by e-mobil BW, supports small and medium-sized enterprises that are active in the electrical drive train.
These networks aim to make small and medium-sized enterprises future-proof and accompany them on their transformation journey with a wide range of support offers. Until the end of 2025, six networks will be funded: Cluster Automotive Region Stuttgart 2.0, Automotive Net Baden-Württemberg (ANBW), Automotive BW, e-mobil BW, ZAF BW (Zentrum für Automobilität und Nachhaltigkeit Baden-Württemberg), and RENNprojektregion.
Dr. Hoffmeister-Kraut emphasized the urgent need for political action, especially at EU level, to improve the competitiveness of the automotive industry and avoid burdening it further with bans or legal requirements. The transformation networks, funded by the "Future Fund for the Automobile Industry," are an essential part of this effort.
