The history of Schaeffler at the Luckenwalde site began 35 years ago. This was remembered yesterday (from left to right): Jens Fiedler, Plant Manager; Klaus Cierocki, management of the engine systems division; Georg F. W. Schaeffler, family shareholder and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Schaeffler AG; Christian Shepherd, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and Federal Government Commissioner for the New L?nder; Elisabeth Herzog von der Heide, Mayor of Luckenwalde; Thomas Kralinski, plenipotentiary of the state of Brandenburg at the Federal Government, and Kornelia Wehlan, district councilor of the district Teltow-Fl?ming.

35 years ago, Dr. Georg Schaeffler contract for the production of tappets
Production with license technology starts before the wall opens
Schaeffler took over the factory in 1992
400 employees drive innovation

Christian Shete, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Economics and Federal Government Commissioner for the New L?nder, visited the Schaeffler location in Luckenwalde. It reminded us of the beginnings of the cooperation with Schaeffler: In November 1984, 35 years ago, Dr.-Ing. E. H. Georg Schaeffler with the foreign trade enterprise industrial plant import of the GDR a contract over the production of bucket tappets. These engine parts from the VEB W?lzlagerwerk Luckenwalde were intended to help ensure that the GDR car models "Trabant" and "Wartburg" will also be equipped with four-stroke engines in the future. The INA W?lzlager Schaeffler KG supplied some 70 systems and machines, and production began with its license technology in 1988.

Memory of the opening of the Wall and reunification
Georg F. W. Schaeffler, family shareholder and supervisory board chairman of Schaeffler AG, recalled the time when his father entered into business relations with the then GDR: "This laid the foundations for the transformation of the VEB rolling bearing plant Luckenwalde to the INA engine element plant. However, this path was by no means foreseeable at the time of signing. Without another world-historical event, the rolling bearing plant would probably not soon become part of the Schaeffler Group. For only almost to the day exactly five years after the signing of the license agreement fell in November 1989 the wall, which had shared the two German states for 28 years. And also this anniversary, the opening of the border between the GDR and the Federal Republic 30 years ago, we would like to celebrate with you today. "

Window opened to the western world
Christian Hirte, the Federal Government's Eastern Commissioner, thanked him for the initiative to celebrate 30 years of peaceful revolution in this context. With the signing of the agreement 35 years ago, Schaeffler has "opened a small window into the western world". In his speech to employees of the Schaeffler factory and invited guests, including former employees, Hirte said: "The history of your work is truly extraordinary and a lesson in the successful transformation of an East German company. This is a special achievement of the entire workforce. With the structural change in the automotive industry, we are again facing a transformation process. This time this does not affect a region of Germany, but meets suppliers and manufacturers worldwide. "

Greetings and award-winning innovations
The mayoress of Luckenwalde, Elisabeth Herzog von der Heide, called the story of the work in her welcome speech a "nachwendische success story with vorwendischen references". Thomas Kralinski, plenipotentiary of the federal state of Brandenburg at the federal level, was delighted that the Luckenwalde plant was honored this year as a "top training company" and that at present 14 young people are trained in the professions of toolmaker and industrial mechanic.

After the official part, we went on a tour of the factory. Here, the employees showed the development from the tappet production for the Trabant to today's high-precision components for engines. The training center demonstrated that modern education is more than just filing and drilling. Rather, today mechatronics and programming capabilities for home-made 3D printers or a brand new Corobot mark the way to Industry 4.0. At the last station, the winners of this year's Schaeffler Award once again presented the award-winning innovation, which optimized the simultaneous external diameter grinding of two related components in just one operation, setting a new benchmark.