Prof. Dr. Barth
Hannover, April 2, 1995
Daimler-Benz warned against a "return to the old days" in Germany's factories at the start of the Hannover Trade Fair. Speaking at a press conference, Prof. Dr. Gerhard Barth, Director of the F3 Research Department of Daimler-Benz AG, stated that "not nearly enough has been done to prepare ourselves for the demands of intense international competition." This is reflected in the fact that high-tech makes up only 16% of German products compared to 43% in the USA, and 27% in Japan. "We have to change corporate structures, open new markets, and produce faster, more economically, and closer to market requirements," he said.Daimler-Benz is preparing for the future. According to Barth, the globalization of markets and production must inevitably be followed by the globalization of research. In line with this philosophy, Daimler-Benz announced in Shanghai last fall that it would cooperate with the Chinese Academy of Sciences on research in the field of microelectronics. Daimler-Benz has established technology branches in the U.S.A., Japan, and the C.I.S. In addition, agreements on cooperative research ventures have been reached with many world-class institutes in countries such as the U.S.A., Canada, Japan, and South Africa.
Prof. Dr. Barth said that Daimler-Benz researchers today compete with the best research institutes in the world and added: "We are not doing this to enhance our reputation - it's more a matter of pure economic necessity." Last year, Daimler-Benz began an "innovation offensive" in research, in the context of which all research projects were reviewed. As a result, a number of projects have now been abandoned in favor of new projects.
Daimler-Benz is particularly keen on finding ways of making the transfer from research to product faster, more effective, and more comprehensive. To this end, the company has developed a series of new management methods which directly involve each member of staff as an important element in the process of transferring knowledge.
Daimler-Benz is also committed to the efficient use of state-of-the-art information technology, which "will play an increasingly important role in promoting efficient production and sales." For example, Daimler-Benz was the first large German user to join an initiative for object-oriented software development, which permits software to be developed more quickly whilst reducing programming expenses. Every year, Daimler-Benz develops its own software at a cost of approximately DM 3 billion. Using this new technology, the cost is expected to be reduced by at least 10%, representing a saving of approximately DM 300 million per year.
Daimler-Benz is only presenting current research projects at the trade fair. On display is the fuel cell, which, thanks to its efficiency and environmental compatibility, could become the energy source and propulsion system of the future. The VITA II research vehicle is also on view. Equipped with "electronic sight," VITA II is capable of driving completely autonomously. Another subject of great attention is the "Vario Research Car," which can be transformed from a convertible to a sedan, or from a pick-up to a station wagon in just a few simple steps. Other fascinating examples of technology in action on display include a "non-contact energy transmission system" developed by Daimler-Benz researchers, a radar system capable of highly precise distance measurement, and the latest advances in automatic speech recognition. For those interested in stepping outside reality, there are demonstrations showing how prototypes can be simulated on screen using virtual reality and virtual prototyping.
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© 1995 Daimler-Benz