08/28/2006 Innovation ensures security and creates prosperity

Hanover, August 2006 – Innovations are the elixir of the economy. Without constant new orientation and optimisation, individual companies and the economy on the whole would come to a standstill. “All major empirical studies have shown that research and development play a key role in competitive ability, productivity, growth and employment,” emphasises the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Continental AG is facing this challenge by increasing R&D expenditure in 2005 by 12.5 per cent compared with the previous year. Worldwide, the company has more than 5,300 people working in research and development.

Hans-Jürgen Sauerwald, inventor of the CSEasy solid rubber tyre/wheel system.

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And yet companies can only nurture their own research if they find suitable staff. This is where the universities come in. The Association of German Engineers (VDI) has complained for years that not enough engineers are being educated. “Of all the vacant R&D positions at successful companies in 2005, fifty per cent were still unfilled at the end of the year,” says Dr. Willi Fuchs, VDI Director. The gap between the need for competent and versatile engineers and the ability of universities to provide that foundation is getting bigger and bigger. This is one of the key findings of the Global Engineering Excellence initiative (www.global-engineering-excellence.org), a cooperation between Continental AG and eight leading international universities, giving rise to the demand that not only the universities themselves, but also education policy and society, adapt to an ever-increasing globalisation of the economy and the need for intensive contact with companies who have worldwide operations.

Inventors like multi-talented Hans-Jürgen Sauerwald, test rig manager within the Industrial Tyres unit of Continental AG, do not simply drop out of the sky. Sauerwald invented CSEasy, a solid rubber tyre/wheel system that is easily fitted with the help of just an adapter, bolts and a torque wrench. Although a few personal characteristics like creativity and enjoyment in creating new ideas and solutions are important, the success of an invention also depends on having a thorough, cross-industry education and the backing of a good team. “A very good team and years of work were necessary in order to ultimately achieve what we have today”, says Sauerwald.