From left to right: Managing Director Gehring Silvio Krüger, Oliver Plumandon, Michael Petschi (Gehring), Anja Krätschmer, Nora Schüttpelz, Rasa Rudzkyte, Rikarda Plenz, Niklas Nienaß, Nelly Koenig, Nora Sefa, Laurens Schmid (Gehring) and CEO Gehring Bernd Nage
New products for new markets: this is what Gehring Technologies is focusing on. “Since 2018, there have been various technologies that Gehring has been investing in to drive the transformation of our company into new business areas,” explains CEO Bernd Nagel. “This has enabled us to reduce our dependence on mechanical engineering for internal combustion engines in the global automotive industry, which was originally around 70 to 80 percent,” he says. “Against the background that transformation means change and also growth potential, the company is meanwhile continuing to look for skilled workers.
The background to his statement: European parliamentarians from the Committee on Regional Policy, chaired by Younous Omarjee (France), visited the company’s headquarters. During the discussions and the tour of the technical center, the visitors were interested in the current developments at the medium-sized company, which has been part of the family-run Nagel Group since December 2020. They also wanted to get an idea of the future structural support needs of this supply industry. Finally, according to an EU resolution, the sale of new passenger cars with internal combustion engines is to be discontinued from 2035. The industrial companies concerned will therefore have to either develop new offerings for future forms of “green” auto-mobility or grow into other lines of business by then in order for this transformation process to succeed in the market. Niklas Nienaß, Member of the European Parliament, commented: “We must succeed in the transformation in all regions of Europe – Baden-Württemberg can certainly serve as a model in this regard.”
Three topics particularly interested the EU parliamentarians: Which production sectors are most affected by structural change? How does a digital and green transformation of production take place? What need does this create for training employees so that they do not become unemployed in the future?
Managing Director Silvio Krüger reported in this regard that at Gehring it is above all the main honing technology that is most affected by structural change and that in the future it will be largely eliminated in the area of combustion engines in the EU. Other special technologies for metalworking around the automotive industry were also affected, he said. “In cooperation with our customers, we have therefore already been looking for new business areas since 2018,” says the industrial engineering graduate. “That means the same customers, but a changed market environment. But we offer these complete solutions with new technologies.”
Gehring also got into e-mobility in 2018. Since then, the company has developed extensive technology for series production for electric motors, since 2021 in close cooperation with WAFIOS, the Reutlingen-based special machinery manufacturer for the wire and tube processing industry. Together they are relying on the brand-new hairpin assembly technology for the construction of modern electric motors. Krüger to the
EU parliamentarians: “Our joint project ‘production lines for electromobility’ has so far received several individual orders, and in 2022 it will even receive its first order for series production.” Large investments had to be made over many years to build it.”
The same applies in the personnel area: “We are currently looking for additional specialists to help us further expand this new market segment with its associated complex technology,” emphasized the 46-year-old. His conclusion: “Our company is undergoing a transformation that is already showing its first major successes. We have a huge need for creative and committed employees who can get stuck in to successfully build on what we’ve achieved so far.”
However, the Gehring managing director also sees hurdles that require political support. “Innovations require rapid implementation in the marketplace to be successful as a business,” Krüger told members of the European Parliament’s Regional Policy Committee. “As an industry, we therefore need a framework that shows us which technological innovations are helpful for societal development before large investments go to waste.” This legal framework also supports the motivation and further training of employees. “They want to know if their job is sustainable. If so, they are willing to learn new skills and, in their own interest, support corporate goals as well as the climate-friendly transformation of society as a whole.”
The visit of the delegation from Brussels to Gehring was arranged by the Ministry of State and Economics of Baden-Württemberg. Their staff accompanied the parliamentary group from France, Bulgaria, Spain and Germany. In addition to Gehring, they also visited Bosch and Mahle, among others. The political background of the state ministries: To demonstrate the importance of subsidies for medium-sized companies to develop application-oriented technologies and products in order to remain marketable.
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