Platform Members

Research & Technology Organization from Italy

CRF (Centro Ricerche Fiat SCpA) was established in 1978 in Orbassano (Turin). Today CRF is the principal focal point for the research and innovation activities of FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles), with the mission to: • develop and transfer innovative powertrains, vehicle systems and features, materials, processes and methodologies together with innovation expertise in order to improve the competitiveness of FCA products; • represent FCA in European collaborative research programs, joining pre-competitive projects and promoting networking actions; • support FCA in the protection and enhancement of intellectual property. With a workforce of approximately 900 full-time professionals, CRF develops research and innovation along the three principal axes of sustainability: - Environmental Sustainability, which encompasses all aspects relating to energy efficiency as well as to the reduction of the impact on the environment over the entire lifecycle of the vehicle; - Social Sustainability, focusing on the safety of transportation systems through the development of active, passive, preventive and cooperative solutions while addressing the mobility of all users irrespective of their specific needs; - Economically sustainable competitiveness, oriented towards viable innovation, i.e., improving the performance and functionality of new vehicles in a cost-effective manner while reducing the time-to-market of research results. The wide range of activities conducted at CRF require strategic competences, not only in the field of automotive engineering, but also in the fields of manufacturing, advanced materials, ICT and electronics. For these activities, diverse state-of-the-art laboratories and extensive test facilities are available, including advanced engine & vehicle testing facilities, EMC chambers and a dynamic driving simulator with immersive virtual reality. Through the cooperation with a pan-European and increasingly global network of more than 1700 partners from industry and academia, CRF is also involved in many collaborative research projects at the national and European level in partnership with all the key public and private stakeholders concerned with sustainable mobility, targeting specifically the industrial exploitation of research. CRF participates with a leading role in the European “Green Vehicle Initiative” and “Factories of the Future”, the Public Private Partnerships conceived by the European Commission in 2009 to focus public and private research on issues of direct and significant relevance to the Europe with regard to the competitiveness of industry and employment. Within this context, CRF is actively involved in key European Technology Platforms including: ERTRAC (road transport), EPOSS (smart systems), EUMAT (materials), MANUFUTURE (manufacturing), each of which has proved to be particularly effective at bringing together key stakeholders within an integrated approach to research and innovation. CRF also supports the Joint Technology Initiative ECSEL (Electronic Components and Systems for European Leadership). The Intellectual Property developed by CRF includes a total of over 2500 patents, both granted and pending, protecting around 600 inventions. Over recent years the technology-driver role of CRF has enabled the industrialization and commercialization of a significant number of distinctive and highly innovative products for FCA including, in the powertrains area: the Diesel Common Rail system (UNIJET and MultiJet), the MULTIAIR system with the TwinAir engine, the CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) and the DDCT (Dual Dry Clutch Transmission) technologies; and in the vehicles area: energy saving air-conditioning systems, the Blue&MeTM connectivity product, Driving Advisor and Magic Parking driver-assistance systems and the ECODriveTM eco-navigation solutions.

Research & Technology Organization from Germany

Fraunhofer LBF in Darmstadt is one of the most traditional institutes of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. Over 75 years ago, the former “Laboratory for Structural Durability LBF” shaped a completely new area of research that even back then was already economically significant and, up to today, has lost none of its topicality and pertinence. Particularly in the last decade, the institute developed its competence center both in breadth and depth on the basis of experimental structural durability with a great deal of innovation force and high degree of dynamics. Additional market segments beyond the traditional vehicle and mechanical engineering branches of industry were opened up. More than 550 scientists, engineers, technicians, administrators and experts from diverse disciplines bring their know-how into interdisciplinary project work and services that extends beyond the boundaries of each subject matter to the advantage of customers and partners. They take up future-oriented topics, develop them to product and process innovations in close cooperation with their customers and thus set new trends. The Fraunhofer LBF teams offer services along the entire valueadded chain starting with the material and its processing up to the finished component, the complex system, its qualification with regard to safety and reliability, and performance from product design to verification. Particularly in the area of plastics, the institute provides support at an early stage of the value added chain with polymer synthesis and in-depth material characterization. Comprehensive material and energy-efficient solutions are developed in the areas of vibration technology, lightweight construction, reliability and polymer technology – tailored to the individual needs of each customer. Fraunhofer LBF reaches a number of different markets with its characteristic, wide-reaching competence and service portfolio, particularly in rail transport technology, ship building, aviation, mechanical and plant engineering, energy technology, building industry, medical technology and the chemical industry.

Research Group from Germany

The Research Group of System Reliability, Adaptive Structures, and Machine Acoustics SAM (German: Systemzuverlässigkeit, Adaptronik und Maschinenakustik) was founded at TU Darmstadt in 2001 under the name “System Reliability in Mechanical Engineering” by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Hanselka. Its goals are to develop principles, methods, and processes for the evaluation of the reliability of complex systems. These themes are also a relatively new area of research on a global scale. In particular, active systems designed especially for the control of vibrations are developed and assessed. The expertise of the Research Group SAM regarding quieter products was further increased in the year 2005 with the integration of the traditional “Machine Acoustics” research group, which is now reflected in the name of the Research Group itself. Since January 1, 2016 Prof. Dr.-Ing.Tobias Melz has been Head of the Research Group, from October 2013 to 2015 the Research Group was already under his provisional direction.

Research Institute from Germany

Under the direction of Professor Dr.-Ing. Walter Rohmert (1963 – 1995) and Professor Dr.-Ing. Kurt Landau (1995 – 2005) emerges one of the leading institutes for ergonomics in Germany. The institute (IAD) as part of the department of mechanical engineering of Darmstadt University of Technology enjoys a worldwide established reputation. One of its main characteristics is their broad subject orientation. Thank to this diversity and our experience for more than 50 years, the institute could always react appropriate to new problems, and influence entrepreneurial and social development through relevant research topics. The claim of IAD to be a “universal institute” will continue with Professor Dr.-Ing. Ralph Bruder as head of the institute since January 1, 2006. The multidisciplinary and international character of the institute warrants for the quality of research. Member of IAD qualify with their degrees in engineering, occupational medicine, psychology, economics, and ergonomics.