Schaeffler, the leading global technology company for automotive, aerospace and industry, introduced their vision for the future at the Asia Pacific Conference (APK) 2018 in what is dubbed as Agenda 4 plus One.
Over the past few years, Schaeffler has applied its core engineering competence to expand its role as a mobility and digitalization solutions provider. 鈥淢obility is traditionally one of the most important drivers for welfare, and digitalization the most important one for progress,鈥� stated Klaus Rosenfeld, CEO of Schaffler AG, at a press conference held at the APK 2018 in Jakarta, in November. 鈥淲e at Schaeffler want to contribute in that development both with our intelligent, digitally enabled products and our comprehensive systems know-how. That is the basis for our future program 鈥楢genda 4 plus One鈥�.鈥�
Asia Pacific developing as innovation and manufacturing hub
Asia Pacific plays a key role in this transformation. Schaeffler has been present in the region for over five decades and the company has established a wide and diverse footprint with over 18,500 employees across 17 manufacturing facilities and seven R&D centers connected to the global network.
鈥淲ith 30 % contribution to the global turnover of Schaeffler, Asia Pacific makes a major contribution in enhancing the local value-added for our customers in the automotive, industrial and automotive aftermarket divisions,鈥� Mr. Rosenfeld explained.
Over the past two years, Schaeffler has made consistent, strategic investments of more than 350 million euros to enhance manufacturing and engineering competence in Asia Pacific. These include the expansion of R&D facilities in Japan, China, India and Singapore; building new Greenfield manufacturing hubs in China, Vietnam and Thailand; as well as the expansion of five existing production facilities across the region.
The best examples of the growing influence Schaeffler operations have in Asia Pacific are the recent milestones achieved in the region. As the company makes a decisive contribution to electric mobility solutions for the future, the world鈥檚 first P2 hybrid module was put in production at its automotive production hub in Taicang, China.
Schaeffler has also enhanced research partnerships with universities and technical institutes in Asia Pacific, including the establishment of the first two Schaeffler Hubs for Advanced Research (SHARE) outside Germany. The first one was set up in Singapore at Nanyang Technological University in 2017, followed by SHARE at South West Jiatong University in China.
鈥淲e are a global player that operates with a strong local presence. This enables us to leverage our expertise and partner with customers to address the challenges of an increasingly complex and disruptive future. Here in Asia Pacific and around the world, Schaeffler aims to think out of the box, adapt to megatrends and constantly push the envelope to offer innovative, excellent & reliable solutions for the mobility of tomorrow,鈥� Rosenfeld said.