This event was all about brilliant ideas. And as a matter of fact there was a wealth of such ideas to be found at Schaeffler's seventh "Forum of Inspiration" in Herzogenaurach. Around 50 booths enticed interested employees to learn about current projects and developments in the Automotive and Industrial divisions as well as in the corporate R&D facilities and the Regions of the Schaeffler world. The employees then selected the best idea in the "Arena of Inspiration" - Professor Dr.-Ing. Peter Gutzmer, Chief Technology Officer of Schaeffler AG, presented the Inspiration Award.
"The Forum of Inspiration offers each employee an excellent opportunity to discuss new ideas, products and developments and to apply them to other business areas and products. In this way, participants can learn and benefit from each other. The technological leadership of a company begins in the mind of each and every one of its employees," emphasized Professor Gutzmer.
The participants used the event to exchange views on new manufacturing processes, future work methods or solutions for the mobility for tomorrow - prompted by questions such as: What will the workplace of the future look like? Is the fuel cell system a suitable alternative drive concept?
Thinking outside the box is the motto when it comes to tackling technical challenges and setting the innovation process in motion.
A culture of innovation is a daily reality at Schaeffler. Innovation requires not only creative people but also a culture that makes it possible to raise and efficiently use the existing potential. Schaeffler's Innovation Management/New Business Fields department, which organized the event, therefore seeks to promote creative freedom in combination with clearly structured processes. The number of registered patents also demonstrates just how innovative Schaeffler is: With 2,100 registered new patents in 2013, the company ranks second in the official patent statistics of the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA) (previous year: 4th place). And with around 6,000 R&D employees worldwide and R&D expenses averaging about five percent of revenues, Schaeffler is at the forefront of comparable industrial companies. As a forward-thinking company, Schaeffler analyzes relevant trends at an early stage so it can play a part in shaping their further development through innovative research and development work, thus ensuring sustainable corporate success.
Attracting approximately 800 employees, this year's Forum of Inspiration was once again a complete success. The fact that Chief Executive Officer Klaus Rosenfeld, Chief Operating Officer Oliver Jung and CEO Automotive Prof. Dr. Peter Pleus were among the attendees demonstrates the great significance of the event.
This is also very much to the delight of Lars Deppe, Director Innovation Management/ New Business Field Development. "Our annual marketplace of ideas promotes the regular exchange of knowledge and experience. Here we see how our employees set about their tasks with passion and creative enthusiasm and how they find solutions together across departmental borders. You can actually feel the same spirit of invention and the will to succeed that emanated from the company's founders, Dr. Wilhelm and Dr. Georg Schaeffler, and which are still inherent in our corporate philosophy today," Mr. Deppe said.
Finding inspiration, learning from each other, discussing insights with colleagues and drawing benefit from all this - the concept is paying off: The award-winning idea of 2013 has already met with initial interest in the production area. There are plans to use the acoustic quality assurance method, presented by two employees from Bühl last year, for inspecting retaining elements in the production line for agricultural machinery clutches at Schaeffler's location in Sheffield, U.K.
"The Forum of Inspiration offers each employee an excellent opportunity to discuss new ideas, products and developments and to apply them to other business areas and products. In this way, participants can learn and benefit from each other. The technological leadership of a company begins in the mind of each and every one of its employees," emphasized Professor Gutzmer.
The participants used the event to exchange views on new manufacturing processes, future work methods or solutions for the mobility for tomorrow - prompted by questions such as: What will the workplace of the future look like? Is the fuel cell system a suitable alternative drive concept?
Thinking outside the box is the motto when it comes to tackling technical challenges and setting the innovation process in motion.
A culture of innovation is a daily reality at Schaeffler. Innovation requires not only creative people but also a culture that makes it possible to raise and efficiently use the existing potential. Schaeffler's Innovation Management/New Business Fields department, which organized the event, therefore seeks to promote creative freedom in combination with clearly structured processes. The number of registered patents also demonstrates just how innovative Schaeffler is: With 2,100 registered new patents in 2013, the company ranks second in the official patent statistics of the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA) (previous year: 4th place). And with around 6,000 R&D employees worldwide and R&D expenses averaging about five percent of revenues, Schaeffler is at the forefront of comparable industrial companies. As a forward-thinking company, Schaeffler analyzes relevant trends at an early stage so it can play a part in shaping their further development through innovative research and development work, thus ensuring sustainable corporate success.
Attracting approximately 800 employees, this year's Forum of Inspiration was once again a complete success. The fact that Chief Executive Officer Klaus Rosenfeld, Chief Operating Officer Oliver Jung and CEO Automotive Prof. Dr. Peter Pleus were among the attendees demonstrates the great significance of the event.
This is also very much to the delight of Lars Deppe, Director Innovation Management/ New Business Field Development. "Our annual marketplace of ideas promotes the regular exchange of knowledge and experience. Here we see how our employees set about their tasks with passion and creative enthusiasm and how they find solutions together across departmental borders. You can actually feel the same spirit of invention and the will to succeed that emanated from the company's founders, Dr. Wilhelm and Dr. Georg Schaeffler, and which are still inherent in our corporate philosophy today," Mr. Deppe said.
Finding inspiration, learning from each other, discussing insights with colleagues and drawing benefit from all this - the concept is paying off: The award-winning idea of 2013 has already met with initial interest in the production area. There are plans to use the acoustic quality assurance method, presented by two employees from Bühl last year, for inspecting retaining elements in the production line for agricultural machinery clutches at Schaeffler's location in Sheffield, U.K.
