Forward-looking customers who are increasingly focusing on environmental aspects despite the growing need for mobility will determine the future of the automotive world. Engineers and technicians are therefore required to perform increasingly challenging tasks as the design of vehicles and their components must meet ever more complex requirements with sometimes conflicting objectives. The conflict in reconciling these expectations with the finite nature of fossil fuels and increasingly stricter legislation places great demands on the automotive industry and its suppliers. The Schaeffler Group has become an established problem solver within this coordinate system. With its brands LuK, INA and FAG, the Schaeffler Group has successfully worked as a value-adding partner to the automotive industry.
The Schaeffler Group develops and manufactures precision products worldwide for everything that moves – in machines, industrial plants and vehicles as well as in aviation and aerospace applications. The three brands LuK, INA and FAG are combined under the umbrella of this family-owned company based in Herzogenaurach. In the automotive manufacturing division, which generates the largest sales volume, the three company units jointly provide modules and systems for the entire drive train of passenger cars and commercial vehicles. They supply components for engines, chassis and transmissions to nearly all important automotive manufacturers and suppliers.
The Schaeffler Group benefits from synergies not only through the joint market presence of its three brands, but also through the comprehensive use of corporate functions. Operating on an international level is a key factor. The Schaeffler Group develops and produces for the specific local market and ensures customer proximity through a comprehensive network of manufacturing locations. The network of development centers, which drive forward-looking innovations, is also closely linked. The results are remarkable: The company files around 1,250 patent applications per year and ranks fifth among the most active patent applicants in 2008 according to an evaluation of the German Patent and Trademark Office.
A pillar of the Schaeffler Group’s success is its systematic R&D management. Another one is the creativity and innovative force of its employees. “Thinking outside the box” is not a catchphrase, it is a philosophy. New solutions are just as important now as they were when the company was first established and founder Georg Schaeffler developed the cage-guided needle roller bearing. It is a fact – which has also been confirmed by surveys – that innovative force is the foundation of a company’s success.
There is also broad agreement with regard to the assessment of the development potential of the automotive drive train. The greatest potentials for future combustion engines can be realized by optimizing the engine, transmission and chassis. They contribute to around two thirds of the entire potential for saving fuel and CO2.
Here, detailed innovations can also contribute to environmental and climate protection, and seemingly small solutions, which together enable significant increases in efficiency and reductions in fuel consumption, must be developed and pursued. As a development partner for its customers, the Schaeffler Group has the required foresight and expertise that can hardly be found in other companies. Current new products include the dual mass flywheel with centrifugal pendulum-type absorber which reduces vibrations on the transmission by up to 60 percent, the balancer shaft with rolling bearing supports which allows fuel savings of around one percent, and the four-row angular contact ball bearing (twin tandem) which could replace conventional tapered roller bearings and enables fuel savings of around 1.5 percent.
Based on comprehensive core expertise and a modular product concept that is divided into numerous fields of innovation, the Schaeffler Group also offers customized solutions that meet the specific requirements of automotive manufacturers. The future close collaboration with Continental will complement and expand the current product range of the Schaeffler Group with additional fields.
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