Unternehmen & Trends - Ausgabe 1/2018

But the real challenge of knowledge net- works like this lies in their organization – knowledge and its players need to be managed if added value is to be created in a targeted way. FVA: Sharing drive technology FVA has a long tradition of successful shar- ing under the VDMA umbrella. The inde- pendent association has been managing IGF projects for fifty years now and has de- veloped into the world’s largest drive tech- nology innovation network over the decades. “We are proud of FVA’s position and of the fact that we have managed to impress so many companies and research institutions. The great involvement of industry experts and scientists within our network is proof of that,” Hartmut Rauen . As FVA Managing Director and VDMA Dep- uty Executive Director, Rauen is familiar with the challenges and occasional reservations that company representatives can have in shared projects with external research and with other market players. “Some companies are initially skeptical about collaborating with competitors on topics for research and contributing their own exper- tise and staff. But the research is conducted at universities and the groups of industry experts merely provide advice and support. The concept works,” explains Rauen. “Once they have experienced the collaboration and added value that the IGF brings, they are convinced that it works and are often very impressed.” The theme for the FVA’s anni- versary in 2017 was not hard to find: Sharing Drive Technology. The group currently includes more than 200 member companies, around 300 scientists from more than 100 research institutions, and over 2,000 industry experts. Together they form the FVA network and are all driven by the same thing: Drive technology. The following figures are impressive proof of this: ›  Approximately 1,700 research projects in 50 years ›  Investment volume of more than 230 million euros for the projects (90 million euros from FVA funding and 140 million euros from companies) ›  262 ongoing projects in 2017 In addition, the FVA’s working groups, con- gresses, seminars and workshops demon- strate how this network of the very best of drive technology works. “The FVA brings together people with an enormous amount of specialist knowledge, combining their expertise in a unique community. Of course, the focus is on outstanding technology, but what really makes the network work is the personal contact, working in project groups, and the dedication of everyone involved,” says Rauen. An example, perhaps So what about a concrete example of an FVA project? This is a difficult question for the FVA team to answer. After all, every project is a key part of the success so there is no obvious choice. “Among the many projects, of course, there are a few examples that clearly demonstrate the real-life relevance of cooperative industrial research in the field of drive technology, even for those without technical backgrounds,” says Rauen em- phatically, hinting at the example of wind energy. Harnessing wind power is a key aspect in the transition to alternative energies and there are great expectations on increasingly efficient systems. To achieve the best pos- sible designs, the drive train of multi-mega- watt wind energy systems needs to be re- searched under real-life conditions – at huge effort and expense. The result was the FVA-Gondel project at RWTH Aachen University’s Center for Wind Power Drives (CWD), which conducts sim- ulations under the most realistic conditions possible in order to discover how to exploit wind power more effectively. In this way, the FVA’s joint project, with a total volume of just under 6 million euros, is making a vital contribution to making the transition to alternative energies a success. Looking to the future New inspiration and exciting topics for IGF and the FVA are emerging all the time. Elec- trification and digitalization are sure to have a big impact on drive technology in the fu- ture, while the increasing options for con- necting intelligent components are increas- ing potential for new system approaches and business models. Predictive maintenance is a well-known ex- ample here. Another interesting field is the role of intelligent drive technology in auton- omous, driverless transport systems, be it for people or materials, cars or agricultural machinery. Things will move quickly here, and research and development will need to keep pace. “The idea of cooperative industrial research may not have been around in Benjamin Franklin’s day, but a very appropriate quote is attributed to him: ‘An investment in knowl- edge pays the best interest.’ We at FVA could not disagree,” says Rauen with con- viction. ■ Unternehmen & Trends  71 Bernard Rensinghoff Head of PR & Communication Digital BusinessCard Forschungsvereinigung Antriebstechnik e.V. (FVA) http://fva-net.de Website FVA knowledge for operative use The role of FVA GmbH www.fva-service.de/ de/home i s to proactively put FVA knowledge to practical use. To do this, it develops modern software solutions and calculation and simula- tion platforms for drive technology. The portfolio also includes professional service, support and organizing expert seminars and congresses. Qua- lity and customer orientation are key focuses – as documented by certification in accordance with DIN EN ISO 9001:2015. Bernard Rensinghoff Image: © FVA