This year’s annual conference of the Mobility & Logistics Cluster on October 26, 2022, was entirely dedicated to the theme “Transformation in the Automotive Industry.”
With approximately 350,000 employees, the Bavarian automotive industry is a key sector for employment, growth, and innovation. The transformation in the automotive industry presents many companies with major challenges that pose a substantial threat: Can these challenges be overcome using their own resources and capabilities? Are potential risks and opportunities being recognized? The transformation in the automotive and supplier industries has already begun in Regensburg.
These and other questions were first discussed during the nearly one-hour panel discussion, moderated by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Volker Bräutigam of the Würzburg-Schweinfurt University of Applied Sciences. Prof. Dr. Georg Stephan Barfuß, Head of the Department of Economy, Science, and Finance and full-time city council member for the City of Regensburg; Armin Hackner, Network Manager for Economic Development at IFG Ingolstadt; Dr. Manuel Kallweit, Head of the Economic Intelligence & Economics Department at the VDA (German Association of the Automotive Industry); and Dr. Georg Schwab, Managing Director of AVL Software and Functions GmbH, provided key insights to the discussion.
The subsequent pitches piqued the interest of the nearly 70 participants at the trade show, which took place during the break alongside exhibitors Bayern Innovativ GmbH, Dallmeier electronic GmbH, OptWare GmbH, S&K Solution GmbH, Projekt transform.r, Urban Mobility Innovations.
The three presentations following the break delved even deeper into the topic. In his presentation, Dr. Thomas Frey of AVL Software & Functions GmbH demonstrated how a development service provider is addressing the transformation. Prof. Dr. Karsten Weber of OTH Regensburg then outlined scenarios for the transformation toward greater sustainability.
In conclusion, Gerhard Eichner of DE software & control GmbH, presented smart assistance and information systems as the foundation for technological transformation in the automotive sector.
The event was part of the German federal government's transformation networks. The Regensburg-based project transform.r supports companies in navigating structural change in the automotive industry.