“From Heidenheim to the rails of the world” – this is how Dr. Hubert Lienhard, Chairman of the Board of Voith AG, showcased the principle in his inauguration speech. He thanked the politicians in town and country for jointly creating the framework conditions for the 40-million-Euro investment project. “We have met with excellent conditions for the future development and production of leading-edge technology “Made in Germany” with some 230 highly qualified employees on 17000 square meters,” Lienhard continued.

“Experience with other investment projects has proven that it is possible to produce in Germany for the world market at competitive prices. This is why we are investing in Heidenheim. The prerequisite is that companies, in cooperation with politicians and trades unions, continue to work on structures that promote an investment climate. And this includes – alongside wage agreements that comply with the current economic situation – the rigorous pursuit of our educational policies in Germany, in order to ensure that we will always have enough skilled employees and engineers of the highest caliber.”

With its consistent policies for medium-size enterprises and a distinct prioritization of higher education and teaching in general, the state government is making an active contribution to Baden-Württemberg being able to offer excellent framework conditions for prosperity and employment, declared Minister President Stefan Mappus at the inauguration ceremony. With the new transmission plant, Voith is setting an encouraging signal for the future. “With this project, you are demonstrating that economic expansion, investment in potential value creation and new jobs are possible also in difficult times, and you stand up for Baden-Württemberg as a location,” Mappus emphasized.  Innovative spirit, quality awareness and a distinctive employment and corporate culture are the basis for the success of the company.

With its production principle, the new transmission plant in Heidenheim-Mergelstetten is currently unique in the world. For the conception, Voith has analyzed and processed references from other industries, for example automotive production, and transferred the experiences to the making of rail vehicle drive systems. The result is an efficient and competitive manufacturing site that excels by minimized lead times, as well as optimized work flows and customer-oriented processes.

Voith is setting standards in the markets paper, energy, mobility and service.  Founded in January 1867, with approximately 39,000 employees, a turnover of EURO 5.1 billion and over 280 locations world-wide, Voith is today one of Europe’s large family-owned companies.