autoregion international - 02/2022

Products – Markets – Environment – Energy – IT – E-Mobility – Drive Technology – Future Energy autoregion international Greater Region Mobility Innovation. Issue 02/2022

Der neue Mercedes-AMG SL. Die Neuauflage der Ikone kehrt zu ihren sportlichen Wurzeln zurück. Der SL wurde von Mercedes AMG entwickelt und ist erstmals mit Hinterachslenkung und dem vollvariablem Allradantrieb AMG Performance 4MATIC+ erhältlich. Damit bringt er seinen dynamischen Charakter präzise auf die Straße. Luxus trifft auf Performance. Jetzt Probe fahren. Mercedes-AMG SL 63 4MATIC+ | WLTP: Kraftstoffverbrauch kombiniert: 13,0–12,5 l/100 km, CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 294–282 g/km.1 1 Die angegebenen Werte sind die ermittelten WLTP-CO₂-Werte i. S. v. Art. 2 Nr. 3 Durchführungsverordnung (EU) 2017/1153. Die Kraftstoffverbrauchswerte wurden auf Basis dieser Werte errechnet. Torpedo Garage Saarland GmbH, Untertürkheimer Str. 1, 66117 Saarbücken | Neunkirchen | Saarlouis | St. Wendel Tel.: 0681 507-0 | Mail: dialog@torpedo-gruppe.de | www.torpedo-gruppe.de Anbieter: Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Mercedestraße 120, 70372 Stuttgart Partner vor Ort: Torpedo Garage Saarland GmbH und Mercedes-Benz sind Marken der Mercedes-Benz Group AG. THE STAR IS REBORN

3 This is why autoregion is one of the partners with whom the state government has launched the Saarland Transformation Network (TraSaar). In TraSaar, the Ministry of Economics works closely with companies, chambers, research institutions and trade unions to make Saarland a highly qualified technology supplier for the future of the automotive sector. The project is based at the Gesellschaft für Transformationsmanagement Saar. Other partners are the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, ZeMA gGmbH, the Chamber of Labour and the Transformation Workshop of IG Metall. Each partner is responsible for one of a total of six sub-projects. Through the close interlocking among each other, we will launch holistic solutions and concepts for the sector. Within the project, autoregion plays an important role in technology transfer, especially in the fields of hydrogen and fuel cells, Transformation Network Saarland: Innovation for the automotive industry By Jürgen Barke, Minister for Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digital Affairs and Energy The automotive industry shapes our location more than any other economic sector. However, the industry is currently under great pressure to change: electric mobility, autonomous driving, digitalised vehicles and newmobility offers are the mega topics of the future. The effects of this fundamental change are also being felt in the Saar economy. Brexit, Corona, supply chain bottlenecks, semiconductor shortages as well as increased energy prices have left their mark on the export-strong Saar economy. In addition, Saarland’s vehicle manufacturing industry and its suppliers are highly dependent on the combustion engine. This transformation process is not only taking place in Saarland, but in the entire Federal Republic. The entire automotive value chain is affected, from production to logistics to sales. In order for the Saarland automotive industry to continue to provide strong impulses for innovation, growth and employment in the future, all relevant actors must pull together and network with each other - at both regional and supra-regional level. One of our central cooperation partners is autoregion e.V. With its wide-ranging fields of work and members from the entire Greater Region, the association makes an indispensable contribution to the successful transformation of the automotive industry. Image: © Oliver Dietze battery production and recycling. The next steps also include joint events, such as on the circular economy in electromobility in autumn. Our business location is diverse. Traditional industries meet innovative know-how from cutting-edge research here. And because the distances in Saarland are known to be short, cooperation is particularly easy. I see this as a great opportunity for growth and employment. We are already seeing great progress in the areas of IT, artificial intelligence and automated driving. We want to build on these strengths together and ensure that the car of the future continues to have a Saarland soul. Summary Transformationsnetzwerk Saarland: Innovation für die Automobilindustrie Von Jürgen Barke, Minister für Wirtschaft, Innovation, Digitales und Energie Die Automobilindustrie prägt unseren Standort so stark wie keine andere Wirtschaftsbranche. Doch die Branche steht derzeit unter einem großen Veränderungsdruck: Elek- tromobilität, autonomes Fahren, digi- talisierte Fahrzeuge und neue Mobili- tätsangebote sind die Mega-Themen der Zukunft. Die Auswirkungen dieses grundlegenden Wandels sind auch in der Saarwirtschaft zu spüren. Brexit, Corona, Lieferkettenengpässe, Halbleitermangel sowie gestiegene … Weiterlesen https://t1p.de/qj4xq Jürgen Barke, Minister for Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digital Affairs and Energy

4 Decarbonisation of the transport sector – is the direction right? Interview with Armin Gehl, Managing Director of autoregion e.V., Saarbrücken 6 Transformation Network 3 Saarland: Innovation for the automotive industry By Jürgen Barke, Minister for Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digital Affairs and Energy Decarbonisation of the 6 transport sector – is the direction right? Interview with Armin Gehl, Managing Director of autoregion e.V., Saarbrücken Luxembourg: 8 a mature and dynamic automotive sector By Luxinnovation St. Ingbert relies on 10 sustainable transport concepts, innovative companies and citizen-friendly mobility By Dr. Ulli Meyer, Oberbürgermeister St. Ingbert IZB 2022 12 Focus on Digitalisation and Electrification Registrations from around 900 exhibitors from 36 different countries fleXstructures – Leading 14 the way in innovative and ground-breaking product design Interview with Oliver Hermanns, Managing Director of fleXstructures GmbH, Kaiserslautern and Daniel Dengel, Technical Sales, fleXstructures GmbH IB-Lenhardt AG – 18 Your Partner for Product Tests and World-wide Certification abat+ GmbH 22 CTC advanced GmbH 24 High-performance DTM 25 coatings on Sol-Gel basis By Dr.-Ing Georg Wagner, Executive Director, NTC Nano Tech Coatings GmbH Driving the transformation 26 of the automotive industry with innovations By Dr. Jörg Rupp, Managing Director of DORUCON – DR. RUPP CONSULTING GmbH Ready to face 28 transformation by retooling of production facilities Global Retool Group (GRG) Saarstahl Steel of the future 29 DBK‘s High Voltage Fluid 30 Heater is a powerful “installation space world champion” DBK David + Baader GmbH | Automotive Table of contents Image: © Oliver Dietze Transformation Network Saarland: Innovation for the automotive industry By Jürgen Barke, Minister for Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digital Affairs and Energy 3 fleXstructures – Leading the way in innovative and ground-breaking product design Interview with Oliver Hermanns, Managing Director of fleXstructures GmbH, Kaiserslautern and Daniel Dengel, Technical Sales, fleXstructures GmbH 14 Oliver Hermanns, fleXstructures GmbH Daniel Dengel, fleXstructures GmbH

5 Driving the transformation of the automotive industry with innovations By Dr. Jörg Rupp, Managing Director of DORUCON – DR. RUPP CONSULTING GmbH 26 Company Presentations autoregion e. v. 31 Büchner Barella 32 DORUCON – DR. RUPP CONSULTING GmbH 33 Global Retool 34 Nemak Dillingen GmbH 35 Walter Werner 36 List of Experts 38/40 Legal notice 30 Advertisments TORPEDO Garage Saarland GmbH U2 ODION GmbH Software für Besserwisser 6 MAUSS&COLL. Steuer- beratungsgesellschaft GmbH 9 CTC advanced 11 Cebi Luxembourg S.A. 13 Fraunhofer IZFP 16 NTC Nano Tech Coatings GmbH 17 IB-Lenhardt AG 18, 19 INFOSERVE Cloud Service 20, 21 LUXEMBOURG TRADE INVEST 23 fleXstructures 27 Wolfsburg AG 37 autoregion e.V. 39 Porsche Zentrum Saarland U3 Image: © Giusi Faragone Wir danken allen teilnehmenden Unternehmen, Autorinnen und Autoren sowie allen Anzeigenkundinnen und Anzeigenkunden für Ihre Unterstützung. St. Ingbert relies on sustainable transport concepts, innovative companies and citizen-friendly mobility By Dr. Ulli Meyer, Oberbürgermeister St. Ingbert 10 High-performance DTM coatings on Sol-Gel basis By Dr.-Ing Georg Wagner, Executive Director, NTC Nano Tech Coatings GmbH 25

6 In its coalition agreement, the “traffic light” coalition has presented an ambitious programme for the comprehensive decarbonisation of the transport sector. For example, only CO2-neutral passenger cars are to be registered in Germany before 2035. How do you see this ambitious goal being realised? Armin Gehl: In principle, there is nothing fundamentally wrong with the objectives set out in the coalition agreement. However, we have to admit that the realisation is not successful in all areas, or that the wrong political course is being set, or that certain areas are not being worked on with the necessary intensity. Where do you see the course being set, that points in the wrong direction? Armin Gehl: Even though the Federal Minister of Transport is committed to the principle of technology openness in his public statements, we see a clear primacy in the political implementation of the promotion of e-mobility at the expense of other alternative forms of propulsion such as hydrogen or synthetic fuels – so-called e-fuels. We also consider the premature political stigmatisation of the internal combustion engine, which, as a piston engine, according to all experts still has considerable environmentally neutral development and innovation potential in the use of CO2-free fuels, to be a step in the wrong direction. What concrete political measures support your view? Armin Gehl: The prioritisation of e-mobility is already expressed in the available funding volume alone. So far, the purchase of electric cars has been subsidised with a volume of 4.6 billion euros through the so-called environmental bonus – and the trend is rising. For the installation of private charging stations for electric cars, the funding volume was recently increased to 400 million. For the research, testing and production of synthetic fuels, only about 100 million euros in government funding is available. This is Decarbonisation of the transport sector – is the direction right? Interview with Armin Gehl, Managing Director of autoregion e.V., Saarbrücken Are we on the right track towards decarbonisation of the transport sector or do the promises of politics prove to be too ambitious in the concrete implementation? Have we backed the right horse, especially when it comes to alternative drive systems, or are we in danger of missing out on important developments and technological opportunities? A discourse on possibilities and concrete political course-setting as a contribution to climate change in the transport sector. Image: © autoregion e.V. a blatant disproportion and in no way does justice to the potential importance of e-fuels and urgently needs to be corrected. Is the announcement by Economics Minister Habeck to stop or significantly reduce subsidies for hybrid vehicles a step in the right direction? Armin Gehl: The way out of the disproportionate state support cannot be to reduce, discontinue or expand support for drive systems that makes sense in itself, in favour of or at the expense of other drive systems. Along with other drive systems, e-mobility is a fundamentally important component of our decarbonisation strategy. And the hybrid drive – the combination of combustion and electric drive – represents an important variant alongside the pure battery-electric drive, at least as a bridging technology. Particularly against the backdrop of a charging infrastructure that is still inadequate, especially in rural areas, hybrid vehicles represent a sensible alternative to the purely electric vehicle. The driver of such a vehicle Armin Gehl, Managing Director of the association autoregion e.V.

7 does not need to worry about being stranded because of insufficient range or the lack of charging stations. However, discontinuing or reducing subsidies for hybrid vehicles also means further stigmatising the piston engine. Already in the past, the piston engine – at that time still using fossil fuels – has proven its enormous development potential in terms of consumption reduction and environmental friendliness. And this potential is far from exhausted, especially with non-fossil fuels. Piston engine technology is an extremely important structural element of our automotive supply industry in particular. The creeping disappearance of piston engine development and production means a loss of jobs that should not be underestimated in an industrial sector that continues to be internationally recognised for its high technological level. In the Saarland alone, we are talking about an order of magnitude of about 40,000 jobs that are directly dependent on combustion engine technology. Why is the expansion of the charging infrastructure so slow? Armin Gehl: Obviously, the original target was too ambitious. But nevertheless, the expansion of the charging infrastructure is making remarkable progress. Germany currently has around 28,000 public charging stations. However, the registration rate of e-vehicles is rising faster than the number of charging stations. The increasing number of private charging stations is having a positive effect – not least due to the intensive state subsidies. The disparity between urban conurbations and more rural regions, as well as the insufficient number of fast charging stations in the countryside, continues to be a disadvantage. There is a clear backlog demand for so-called charging hubs for heavy goods traffic along the most important long-distance transport routes. Incidentally, the same applies to the provision of hydrogen filling stations for truck traffic. Here, our neighbouring countries are several steps ahead of us. In which development fields do you see the greatest need for measures to further decarbonise our automotive transport sector? Armin Gehl: Besides the expansion of hydrogen technology, I see first and foremost the development of e-fuels. In any scenario for phasing out combustion technology, the fate of 1.2 billion existing vehicles worldwide and around 67 million in Germany with classic combustion engines remains open. To solve this problem, the development and widespread introduction of synthetic fuels is almost inevitable. We must succeed in producing sufficient quantities of synthetic fuels in an economically viable and climate-neutral manner. This would allow a large proportion of existing vehicles autoregion e.V. https://t1p.de/9zqv Contact https://t1p.de/xp0v8 Events https://t1p.de/v3se Press releases https://t1p.de/tr5k Summary Dekarbonisierung des Verkehrssektors – stimmt die Richtung? Interview mit Armin Gehl, Geschäftsführer des autoregion e.V., Saarbrücken Sind wir auf dem richtigen Weg hin zur Dekarbonisierung des Verkehrssektors oder erweisen sich die Versprechungen der Politik in der konkreten Umsetzung als zu ambitioniert? Hat man insbesondere bei alternativen Antriebsarten auf das richtige Pferd gesetzt oder laufen wir Gefahr, wichtige Entwicklungen und technologische Chancen zu verschlafen? Ein Diskurs über Möglichkeiten und konkrete poli- tische Weichenstellung als Beitrag zum Klimawandel im Verkehrssektor. Weiterlesen https://t1p.de/ldnjw to continue to be used with little retrofitting. The production of electric vehicles with environmentally harmful battery technology could be at least partially replaced by the production of vehicles with environmentally friendly, CO2-neutral combustion technology. This would also secure the high technological level of the internal combustion engine, which is important for international competition, including the jobs that depend on it for our automotive and supplier industry. The infrastructure issue would also appear in a completely different light. The existing filling station network would be available for synthetic fuels and the cost-intensive expansion of the charging infrastructure, especially in rural regions, could be at least partially dispensed with. To politically ignore all these advantages of e-fuels is simply foolish. In this context, how do you assess the recent decision by the EU Parliament to no longer allow combustion engines from 2035? Armin Gehl: The “end” for the combustion engine decided by the EU Parliament is an industrial policy disaster that could cost many jobs in the automotive supply industry in Saarland and the greater region. The unilateral commitment to the battery-powered electric engine is a mistake that recklessly gambles away our unique technological know-how in engine construction with unforeseeable consequences for jobs, industrial structures and our international competitiveness. This momentous decision would also mean the end of the development of climate-neutral, electricity-based fuels, which are urgently needed to supply the approximately 1.5 billion existing vehicles worldwide. I can only hope that the German government will take its commitment to openness to technology seriously and influence the further parliamentary process in Brussels accordingly. The war in Ukraine will – at least in the medium and long term – lead to a fundamental transformation of our energy supply systems. What consequences will this have for the decarbonisation of transport? Armin Gehl: The consequences of this conflict are currently very difficult to assess in terms of their concrete impact – also in view of the ongoing hostilities. Nevertheless, certain tendencies are certainly discernible. It can certainly be ruled out that there will be a renaissance of fossil fuels. The reduction of dependence on Russian energy supplies will lead to a significant expansion of renewable energies. This will increase the pressure for a faster decarbonisation of the transport sector. The transformation of the energy sector will continue to lead to a change in the price structure of the various energy sources among themselves and thus cast a different light on the economic viability of alternative forms of propulsion such as e-fuels and hydrogen. This will open up new opportunities and possibilities for alternative drive types. Mr Gehl, thank you for the interview. The interview was conducted by Dr Rudolf Müller, freelance journalist, Mainz. Share

8 During Smart Manufacturing Week 2022, which took place from 8 to 10 June, the Luxembourg AutoMobility Cluster and the Market Intelligence department of Luxinnovation presented the first ever mapping of the automotive sector in Luxembourg. “The country has a long tradition in the automotive sector, especially through the development and production of components,” said Anthony Auert, manager of the Luxembourg AutoMobility Cluster. “This industry has undergone profound changes dictated by the speed of innovation, time-to-market, cost pressure and post-crisis recovery.” Having a comprehensive view of this ecosystem, its players and their profiles helps us to better understand its evolution and the challenges ahead. This is as true for long-established companies as it is for start-ups that are just beginning to develop. “To build this map, we considered companies active in road mobility. Other modes of transport by rail, air or water are not taken into account, nor are logistics companies,” explained Mohamed Toumi, Senior Market Intelligence Analyst at Luxinnovation. A well-supported transformation As a whole, the automotive sector represents some 700 companies. For 58% of them, automotive and mobility are the main activities, while for 27% it is only a secondary activity. The remainder – 101 companies – are identified as service providers supporting the emergence of more intelligent and sustainable mobility. “This is an interesting first conclusion,” comments Auert. “The automotive sector is facing profound changes, but with 101 change catalyst companies listed so far, the good news is that incumbent companies can count on a real force to support their transformation.” Data analytics and artificial intelligence Structurally, the automotive sector in Luxembourg is mainly composed of small companies with less than 50 employees. These companies are well established with an average of 17 years of activity in the Grand Duchy. Of the 700 companies, 47 are start-ups, more than half of which fall into the cate- gory of “disruptors”. “The startups that have emerged in recent years not only bring innovative solutions, for which digital plays a big role, but they also have an agile way of working that is a source of inspiration for the incumbent players,” Mr Auert notes. “By breaking down silos and promoting inter-company exchanges, the right conditions are in place to diversify and preserve an important sector of the economy.” Data analysis and artificial intelligence are the two fields most frequently covered by these start-ups developing solutions for the mobility of tomorrow. In this context of proven dynamism, not only in Luxembourg, but also within the Greater Region, where the Grand Duchy’s players have long-standing close collaborations with their Belgian, German and French counterparts, the future incubator hosted by the Automobility campus in Bissen will play an important role. It will promote collaborations at all levels, fostering partnerships with established automotive and mobility players and leveraging their research and development infrastructures. Luxembourg: a mature and dynamic automotive sector By Luxinnovation Luxinnovation, Luxembourg’s national innovation agency, published last June a detailed mapping of the companies active in the automotive and mobility ecosystem. The AutoMobility mapping can be consulted in the form of an interactive dashboard on www.luxinnovation.lu/resource-centre

9 PAE project http://pole-auto-europe.eu Luxinnovation https://t1p.de/74ls The Greater Region, a land of collaboration opportunities In the context of the Interreg Pôle Automobile Européen project of which Luxinnovation is a partner, a mapping of the automotive industry in the Greater Region has been carried out as well, soon to be available online. The approach is simpler than what was done by Luxinnovation for Luxembourg. In fact, it is a directory in the form of an interactive map which consolidates the clusters catalogue already available in the neighbouring regions. By clicking on a region, you will find the list of companies that have authorized the publication of general information about their activity. If your company is willing to gain more visibility by being visible on the interactive map, you are invited to get in touch with your regional contact: France Vincent CAREL v.carel@grandest.cci.fr Germany Georg Pohl georg.pohl@saar-consulting.de Luxembourg Anthony AUERT anthony.auert@luxinnovation.lu Wallonia Cendrine MARCHAL cendrine.marchal@technifutur.be Share Directory of the automotive companies in the Greater Region – Soon online on http://pole-auto-europe.de Presseforum Besuchen Sie unsere Presseseite www.oemundlieferant.de und lesen Sie aktuelle Branchen-News. Produkte – Märkte – Umwelt – Energie – IT – Industrie 4.0 – E-Mobilität OEM& LIEFERANT Netzwerk Automotive - Innovationen. Konzepte. Lösungen. Ausgabe 02/2021 Broschüren_cover_20210803_oem.indd 1 03.08.2021 01:09:38 OEM& LIEFERANT Netzwerk Automotive - Innovationen. Konzepte. Lösungen.

10 large product portfolio, and develops standardised software tools. The CISPA Helmholtz Centre for Information Security is a major national research institution within the Helmholtz Association. Here, international specialists research information security in all its facets. Together with the city, the industrial site “Alte Schmelz”, steeped in history, is being further developed into a state-of-the-art innovation campus for cyber security and data protection. The research group led by Prof. Dr. Ludger Santen, Head of the Department of Theoretical Physics at Saarland University, reconstructs trajectories from statistically representative data of mobile phone apps in order to create a sound planning basis for a sustainable reconstruction of the transport infrastructure that takes all forms of traffic into account. The project goal is to develop an innovative simulation and planning tool for urban transport planning. Optimal traffic flow and e-mobility for a clean environment In St. Ingbert, all parking meters have been abolished. Visitors coming to the city by car can park for a long time or up to two hours free of charge in over 1200 parking spaces. In 2020, twelve traf fic lights were equipped with priority switching, which St. Ingbert relies on sustainable transport concepts, innovative companies and citizen-friendly mobility By Dr. Ulli Meyer, Oberbürgermeister St. Ingbert The biosphere city in Saarland relies on a future-oriented mix of IT companies, science and citizen-friendly urban planning. The mobility of the future is being created here. The gateway to the biosphere – that is the inviting name of the town of St. Ingbert. The biosphere city has taken up the banner of a sustainably functioning urban-rural linkage. In plain language: St. Ingbert wants to be sustainable, but no one in the rural area can do without the car. The innovative St. Ingbert companies are building blocks and developers of the mobility of the future: Abat +, is a global developer of software for optimising business processes founded in 2009 in St. Ingbert. The company developed a tool to provide geocoding, routing, mapping and address verification in the system without integration effort. VOIT Automotive is a multinational system supplier to the automotive industry, manufacturing for some of the world’s largest OEMs & suppliers. Over 250 vehicle models and 45 brands incorporate VOIT technology. Almost 65% of the world’s leading car manufacturers trust VOIT Automotive. As the world’s leading provider of automation technology and technical education, the Festo Group is gearing its products and services towards the smart production of the future. In St. Ingber t, Festo develops digitalisation and automation solutions for industries such as automotive, drives digitalisation forward with an open automation architecture and a Image: © St. Ingbert Summary St. Ingbert setzt auf nachhaltige Verkehrs- konzepte, innovative Unternehmen und bürgerfreundliche Mobilität Die Biosphären-Stadt im Saarland setzt auf eine zukunftsorientierte Mischung aus IT-Unternehmen, Wissenschaft und bürgerfreundliche Stadtplanung. Hier entsteht die Mobilität der Zukunft. Das Tor zur Biosphäre – so der einladende Name der Stadt St. Ingbert. Die Biosphärenstadt hat sich eine nachhaltig funktionierende Stadt-Land-Verknüpfung auf die Fahne geschrieben. Im Klartext: St. Ingbert will nachhaltig sein, aber auf das Auto kann niemand im ländlichen Raum verzichten … Weiterlesen https://t1p.de/yq7pm St. Ingbert www.st-ingbert.de means that they are prioritised by satellite and mobile radio. This way, every bus is located online; as soon as it passes the traffic lights, they are switched to green. Delays in bus traffic are avoided without disrupting the flow of traffic. In addition, the latest generation of hybrid buses and a steadily growing number of charging stations ensure a sustainable change in transport. The examples from research, business and urban planning show how St. Ingbert is breaking new ground at the intersection of rural and urban challenges.

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12 Digital formats extend the reach With its restart as a face-to-face trade fair this year, the IZB is also relying on adjustments to the concept. In Hall 1 the new IZB Software Marketplace is offering a platform for exhibitors in this segment, along with a live stage on which the latest trend topics will be presented by high-ranking speakers from Volkswagen, among others. In addition, selected suppliers will be presenting their product innovations on the IZB live stage. Live formats, such as trend talks, keynote speeches and pitches, will be streamed via a digital platform and remain available online to be called up in the media center after the trade fair. “With increasing networking of the vehicle, for example, ever-shorter innovation cycles in the software field need to be taken into consideration in the value-added chain. For these, as with all other new developments, the personal dialogue among all stakeholders is vital in establishing sustainably successful processes in procurement and manufacturing. It is precisely here where our IZB 2022 – Focus on Digitalisation and Electrification Registrations from around 900 exhibitors from 36 different countries The International Suppliers Fair (IZB) has made a name for itself as an international innovation and communication platform for automotive suppliers and OEMs. Nearly sold out, and with a modified concept, the trade fair is counting down to the event from 11th to 13th October 2022. Nearly 900 exhibitors from 36 different countries have confirmed their participation in the IZB and will be bringing with them innovations and world premieres. The ranks of exhibitors are increasingly represented by companies from the software and IT sector. The exhibiting companies make the most of the opportunity to present their products and services in an exhibition area covering a total of 40,000 m² and six halls. Tradition has it that the German Federal State of Lower Saxony, the Volkswagen Group and the city of Wolfsburg are the patrons of the IZB. “Digitalisation, electrification and autonomous driving are continuously advancing and remain the key trend topics in the industry. They are changing the product and thus also the manufacturing processes and supply chains. The IZB as a European-wide recognised trade fair for companies in the automotive supplier industry is shining a spotlight on these topics. The interest and the registration statistics demonstrate how strong and future-driven the industry is,” says Wendelin Göbel, Spokesperson of the Board of Wolfsburg AG, the organiser of the IZB. Read more https://t1p.de/92dfw IZB online www.izb-online.com Image: © Frank Bierstedt/Wolfsburg AG new formats come into play,” explains Josef Schulze Sutthoff, Head of the IZB. On the day prior to the trade fair, the Automotive Supplier Summit of IPM AG, also being staged in a hybrid format, will invite visitors to the CongressPark Wolfsburg. The management conference is dedicated to the automotive and supplier industry challenges of tomorrow … Summary IZB 2022 – Digitalisierung und Elektrifizierung im Fokus Eine internationale Innovations- und Kommunikationsplattform für Automobilzulieferer und OEMs, das ist die Internationale Zuliefererbörse (IZB). Nahezu ausgebucht und mit einem veränderten Konzept startet die Fachmesse in den Countdown bis zur Veranstaltung vom 11. bis zum 13. Oktober 2022. Fast 900 Aussteller aus 36 Nationen sind dafür angemeldet und haben zahlreiche Innovationen und Weltneuheiten im Gepäck. Zum Ausstellerkreis zählen … Weiterlesen https://t1p.de/l4avk Information on the IZB Venue: IZB Exhibition Grounds, Oebisfelder Strasse / Allerpark, 38448 Wolfsburg, Germany Opening hours: 11th - 13th October 2022, daily from 10am to 6pm Admission: 30 Euros for a trade visitor ticket; the ticket shop will be online from mid-August

Cebi offers extensive state-of-the-art testing services from advanced development to complete product qualification Cebi Luxembourg S.A. 30, rue J.F. Kennedy • L-7327 Steinsel T +352 33 20 71 - 859 testing.lu@cebi.com www.cebi.com/en/testing-services Electromagnetic Compatibility testing Thermal shocks and variations 3D printing Salt spray Material analysis Environmental testing Vibration testing

14 Mr. Hermanns, a few weeks ago, you celebrated your company’s tenth anniversary. Your long-term customers, mainly from the automotive industry and related sectors, nevertheless see you as a youngster. Having begun as a start-up company, you are now far beyond the founding stage. Where does your company stand today, and what are your take-aways looking back on your company’s evolution and history? fleXstructures – Leading the way in innovative and ground-breaking product design Interview with Oliver Hermanns, Managing Director of fleXstructures GmbH, Kaiserslautern and Daniel Dengel, Technical Sales, fleXstructures GmbH Ten years of successful industrial design history: fleXstructures GmbH, based in Kaiserslautern, Germany, has become an internationally recognized innovation partner unlike any other start-up company in the German industrial landscape. And not only for the automotive industry. Thanks to its pioneering products and services, primarily in the digital design and validation of wiring systems and hose systems, the company’s growth trajectory is now firmly established. Graphics: © fleXstructures GmbH/Geometry models courtesy of Caresoft Global Oliver Hermanns: Looking back over the past ten years, we can legitimately claim that while we didn’t get everything right, we nonetheless did get a lot of things right. In particular, our initial focus on the automotive industry proved to be a stroke of luck. Simply because the increasingly rapid changes and evolution in car designs and models means that the automotive industry is a big driver in innovation, which in turn means its suppliers also need to Wiring system application cases – IPS Cable Simulation Dr. Rudolf Müller Oliver Hermanns Daniel Dengel be innovative. Our products and services serve a niche market that is of major significance for the automotive industry precisely because of its cost intensity. What are the main reasons for your success? Oliver Hermanns: One of the main reasons is certainly the fact that we still hold a unique position in the global market with our products. None of our competitors is able to offer comparable products and services with the level of quality that we do. We have achieved this market position not least through intensive interdisciplinary cooperation between physicists, mathematicians, mechanical engineers, and computer scientists. This has resulted in the development of a product like IPS Cable Simulation, which makes it possible to digitally design and validate complex flexible components such as wire harnesses, cables, and hoses in a physically accurate and user-friendly manner in real time.

15 From today’s perspective, how would you assess the business and political conditions that influenced the rise of your company? Oliver Hermanns: As far as financing opportunities for start-ups are concerned, the German and also the European capital market is still difficult to access. Venture capital is available, but German investors and banks are much more risk-averse than investors in the U.S. capital market. Looking at the attitude of politicians toward start-ups, however, a positive shift in mentality can be observed. They increasingly recognize the importance of start-ups for establishing Germany as a business hub and launched targeted incentive measures that we also benefit from. In addition, start-ups are mainly developing into medium-sized companies, which are known for their focus on innovation and thus contribute to developing our industrial infrastructure and creating jobs. Recently you’ve focused mainly on the digital design and validation of wiring systems and hose systems for the automotive industry. Is this still your core business or has your product range expanded? What expansions are you planning? Oliver Hermanns: Focusing on 3D design and validation of wiring systems and hose systems is still our core business. However, we are currently expanding our business model to include a more process-oriented application. We want to serve the entire value chain with our products, from original design through development, testing, production, to sales and after-sales. What opportunities do you see arising from the 3D software-based human model IPS IMMA that you have developed? Daniel Dengel: Our view is that there is still a very high proportion of human work in machine-human interaction, especially in assembly and production. The question is, can people perform a task at all later on down the assembly line, and what are the ergonomic effects on them? Our digital human model IPS IMMA can provide the answers to these questions. It gives customers the possibility to not only simulate the design and installation of cable harnesses but also to extend the simulation to virtually all components. By digitally checking these tasks early in the product development process, valuable insights can be gained and the number of prototypes reduced. This directly saves development time and costs. Question: Your current customer base is the automotive industry. Will this change in the future and if so, into which industry sectors do you plan to expand? Oliver Hermanns: Given the significantly expanding range of applications for our NDE 4.0 – Fraunhofer IZFP! info@izfp.fraunhofer.de www.izfp.fraunhofer.de SENSOR AND DATA SYSTEMS FOR SAFETY, SUSTAINABILITY, AND EFFICIENCY NDE 4.0 and Cognitive Sensor Systems – The Future of NDT of tomorrow!

16 fleXstructures www.flexstructures.de products, we will also expand beyond the automotive sector. There are challenges in designing flexible components correctly in other production or product areas also, such as agricultural and construction machinery, trucks & buses, rail vehicles, appliances, and medical technology. However, given the current transformation process in the automotive industry, forced by the need to decarbonize the transport sector, we will continue to focus on this area. We can support the automotive industry in developing new drive variants in the battery-electric sector or fuel cells and e-fuels with our products, and contribute significantly to shortening product development times. Question: What are the key factors currently influencing you and what would determine success for the further expansion of your business model? Oliver Hermanns: The expansion of software-as-a-service and cloud services will be essential for the company’s continued success. With databases and automation options available online, we want to make life even easier for the customer and actively shape some of the core challenges in digitalization, namely integration and automation. In addition, the availability of skilled workers is of critical importance to us. Through the implementation of several research projects, we have built up considerable know-how potential among our staff. However, this will not be sufficient to cope with future growth. We will need to recruit employees, in particular globally, to ensure a high-quality presence at our foreign sites. In doing so, we will rely on our positive corporate culture and spirit of cooperation and collaboration. Working at fleXstructures should be fun, and to this end, we make sure that all of our employees have a pleasant and collaborative working environment. Mr. Hermanns, Mr. Dengel, thank you for the interview. The interview was conducted by Dr Rudolf Müller, freelance journalist, Mainz. Seat application – wiring harness design Automotive wiring system Summary fleXstructures – Erfolg in Innovation und zukunftweisendem Produktdesign Interview mit Oliver Hermanns, Geschäftsführer der fleXstructures GmbH, Kaiserslautern und Daniel Dengel, Technischer Vertrieb, fleXstructures GmbH Zehn Jahre erfolgreiche Industriegeschichte – wie kaum ein zweites Startup-Unternehmen in der deutschen Industrielandschaft hat sich die fleXstructers GmbH aus Kaiserslautern zu einem international geachteten Innovationspartner nicht nur der Automobilindustrie entwickelt. Mit ihren wegweisenden Produkten und … Weiterlesen https://t1p.de/yt5kz Share Physics-based design of a generator cable https://t1p.de/5ky3j Validation of high voltage cables https://t1p.de/qah57 Assembly validation using digital human model (IPS IMMA) https://t1p.de/f827h

18 Advertisement IB-Lenhardt AG offers testing services at the highest level in its accredited radio laboratory. From pretests and testing in the laboratory to certification in Europe, USA, Canada and Japan and worldwide radio approvals in over 200 countries around the world... IB-Lenhardt AG Headquarters, St. Ingbert, Germany IB-Lenhardt AG is the world’s recognized technological leader in global market access for smart wireless products. Since 2011, we have been passionate about technology and put our heart and soul into what we do. For us, the customer is always at the center of our endeavors. We rely on motivated, experienced employees who advise our customers comprehensively and accompany them through the projects from start to finish. And beyond. Based on our in-house developed IT system TAMSys® — a tool for individual project monitoring and project management — we create reliable, transparent, speedy and economically sane solutions for the global market access of smart radio products — simple, available worldwide. To keep up with the constant evolution of communications technology, we invest heavily in the training and development of our employees. Through training and seminars, we ensure continuous improvement in quality and efficiency. With this clear company structure and our steady process optimizations, we areable tooffer our customerssupport and advice at attractive prices, further strengthening our market position. We maintain and expand our portfolio by always providing a level of service that not only meets, but may well even exceed our customer’s demands and vision. Our internationally accredited laboratory offers testing services on an a global level according to the highest quality standards. Our testing and lab facilities can cover all areas: ■ Radio Testing ■ EMC Testing ■ Safety Testing In close cooperation with our subsidiaries and partners we can offer fastThe close interaction between the laboratory and the certification body thus offers fast and effective processing of all certification projects. Global Market Access Following certification, we take care of worldwide radio approval. Benefit from our many years of experience in the field of Global Market Access and our worldwide network of partners and agents as well as our contacts and relationships with the responsible authorities and local test laboratories in the respective countries. IB-Lenhardt AG Portfolio ■ Laboratory services: Radio, EMC, Safety ■ Worldwide certification of radio products ■ High level of quality (ISO 9001:2015) ■ Complete handling for our customers (from planning and testing in the laboratory to worldwide final certification and labeling) ■ Personal contact person and focused project handling by our experienced and friendly project managers IB-Lenhardt AG – Your Partner for Product Tests and World-wide Certification. TCB (USA) Notified Body (EU) FCB (Canada) RCB (Japan) tracked certifications for the following countries and regions: Summary Weiterlesen https://t1p.de/rljgu

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24 Regulatory tests and certifications in the areas of Electromagnetic Compatibility, Radio, Environmental Simulation, Electrical Safety, Acoustics, Medical Device Testing, Battery Safety and Payment & Digital Identity lay the foundation for a successful product launch. In the Automotive industry, product reliability and risk management are playing an important role. CTC advanced GmbH is aware of this responsibility and supports customers by:  E MC- and electrical safety tests  E nvironmental simulation tests  Safety tests of high-performance li-ion batteries  R adio tests in all frequency ranges – from distance radar to 5G and “connected car” applications  Implementation of customer-specific requirements In addition to comprehensive EMC and radio tests, the services in the automotive sector are particularly focused on vehicle subassemblies. They comply with regulatory requirements or are tailored to the individual requirements of the automotive industry. CTC advanced GmbH is designated by the Federal Motor Vehicle Authority (Kraftfahrtbundesamt (KBA)) as technical CTC advanced GmbH CTC advanced GmbH, based in Saarbruecken/Saarland and currently employing almost 200 people, is an internationally operating and independent test laboratory for products from almost all industries – from A for automotive to P for payment systems and to Z for Zigbee applications. Image: © JLStock/shutterstock.com service for the following UN ECE regulations: ECE-R10 (EMC), ECE-R100 (electric vehicles in general) and ECE R-136 (motorcycles with electric drive). The Luxembourg SNCH (Société Nationale de Certification et d’Homologation) has designated CTC advanced GmbH for ECE-R10 (EMC). Since 2019, CTC has been conducting environmental simulation and battery tests (e.g. Abuse tests and UNTT 38.3), as well as electrical safety tests in a process-optimized test hall built specifically for this purpose on the company premises. Special shakers delivering forces up to 300 kN allow customers to be served even more comprehensively. CTC advanced has further expanded its testing capabilities for the automotive industry with a test facility for Abuse and Propagation tests on large batteries, which is virtually unique in Europe. By using a high-security bunker in an external property with a connection to the infrastructure of a vehicle test site, it is also possible to carry out tests that, due to their characteristics, can only be realized in a virtually explosion-proof environment. This facility impresses by the fact that tests, some of which are critical, can be carried out safely on particularly large batteries (>100 kWh). This test facility is intended in particular for the following test cases:  Propagation  Short circuit  Crush test Further customer-specific tests can also be carried out on request! With our team of experts in the field of International Type Approval, who are in direct contact with authorities worldwide, we can carry out international certification for your product safely and swiftly. CTC advanced GmbH provides qualified and reliable support for you and your product from the development phase to market launch. CTC advanced Consulting – Testing – Certification Summary CTC advanced GmbH Die CTC advanced GmbH mit Sitz in Saarbrücken/Saarland und der- zeit fast 200 Mitarbeitern ist ein international tätiges und unab- hängiges Testlabor für Produkte aus nahezu allen Branchen – von A wie Automobilindustrie bis Z wie Zahlungssysteme. Mit Regulatorischen Prüfungen und Zertifizierungen in den Bereichen Elektromagnetische Verträglichkeit, Funk, Umweltsimulation, elektrische Sicherheit, Akustik, Medizintechnik, Batteriesicherheit sowie Payment & Digital Identity wird der Grundstein für einen erfolgreichen Produktstart gelegt. Für die Automobilindustrie spielen Produktzuverlässigkeit und Risikomanagement eine wichtige Rolle … Weiterlesen https://t1p.de/e3qv Share

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