Cluster Automotive
Where do components for automobiles all over the world come from? Who supplies the first-grade parts that make German autos so popular? And where is innovation the name of the game that gets the automobile industry on the road?
Granted, the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region cannot boast auto assembly lines; on the other hand, scarcely an auto would run without components produced in the region. Engines, ball bearings, electronic equipment, driver support systems or on-theroad entertainment: world-class leading automobile products are made possible by suppliers based in the Metropolitan Region.
More than 500 firms in the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region produce components for automobile manufacturers the world over. The "Cluster Automotivle" incorporates mainly the fields of electronics, gear technology, the construction of engines and chassis, and plastics and metal processing. This branch of industry is of considerable importance for the economic vitality of Nuremberg and the surrounding region. Today, the lion's share of innovative developments that make German autos undisputed stars in the world market goes to the component suppliers. Not only the big names like Brose, Bosch, ContiTemic, Delphi, Diehl, Honsel, INA Schaeffler, LEONI, Federal Mogul and MAN make up this robust branch of industry, but also a host of smaller companies.
Flexibility, quality and inventiveness are the hallmarks of local firms, whether large corporations or small-scale think tanks.
It is, therefore, not surprising that research and development occupy first place in the companies' strategy: the development and production of innovative gear systems and automobile components like diesel engines manufactured by MAN or the production of components, modules and systems as Federal Mogul does at its own technology center in Nuremberg for the manufacture of pistons. Innovative development in the region in the field of automobiles includes new materials for Formula One racing cars, key parts for novel communication networks, or antilock braking and airbag systems for the international automobile industry.
It is not only the local industrial development departments that make driving an auto safer and more comfortable: the research institutions of the City of Nuremberg and the region as a whole do their part. Around 600 employees, for example, based in Nuremberg, Erlangen and Fürth, work in various teams for the Fraunhofer Institutes for Integrated Gear Systems (IIS) and Integrated Systems and Circuit Component Technology (IISB), researching into technical and economic innovation. A special highlight in the Metropolitan Region is, however, the outstanding cooperation between universities, colleges and companies.
Nuremberg and the region are thus confident that they will continue to get a large share of a growing automobile market. Experts predict that it is indeed the development sectors chassis and gear technology, energy-efficient systems and electronics that will make great strides ahead with large growth potential. In the end, it is not only know-how that counts, but quality. This is generated by qualified personnel and smoothly running production processes and it is exactly that the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region can offer with its industrial and transportation engineering locations.
