Mechanical Engineering & Automotive

Strong in Mainfranken

The Mainfranken niche “Mechanical Engineering & Automotive” is the most concentrated economic sector in Mainfranken. The percentage of employees in mechanical engineering and automotive production is double the national average. And there are other characteristics of a cluster for this sector: there is great cooperation between institutions of higher education and businesses, especially when it comes to research and development, workforce training and continuing education. The sector "Mechanical Engineering & Automotive” includes several federally designated areas of expected future growth. They are automation and production techniques, new mobility/automotive, and aviation and space travel.

Many of the research facilities and networks in Mainfranken are essential to Mainfranken’s strong position. They include the College of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt, the Zentrum für Telematik (ZfT), as well as a number of successful manufacturing companies, including large, global ones and many hidden champions. Many of them are suppliers of systems and components for the automotive factories. The rolling and ball bearing manufacturers in and around Schweinfurt have enjoyed a great national reputation for decades.

Aside from these more classical products, Mainfranken also leads when it comes to e-mobility, electronic control systems, CAR HMI, or vehicle chassis components. In 2017, 54,100 people or almost on sixth of all employees worked in mechanical engineering and vehicle production. Both areas are going through dynamic changes, and they interface with each other as well as other successful business sectors. Companies and scientific institutions are involved heavily in research and development, such as in adaptive robotics, automated production systems, and remote maintenance of machinery.