Innovations

Ideas for innovations are the raw materials of our engineers and technicians as they keep ThyssenKrupp fit for the world market. Our researchers have developed numerous new and significantly improved products and processes to make the Group even more competitive and give our customers a lead in their markets.

Major innovation efforts

Our competitiveness and the long-term success of the Company depend to a large degree on the innovativeness of our products, services and manufacturing processes. Even in a difficult fiscal 2008/2009 we invested significant effort and expense in innovations.

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Total innovation expense came to €735 million. We spent €284 million on basic research and development including capitalized development costs. The costs of customer-related development work amounted to €193 million, while €258 million was spent on technical quality assurance. The 13% year-on-year decline in innovation costs was mainly due to a reduction in customer-related development work, which decreased temporarily owing to the deterioration in the order situation. The costs of external development services were also stretched out over a longer period. But despite the necessary cost reductions we will continue to press ahead with our main research and development projects.

Trends and markets as innovation drivers

Global technological trends and the demanding requirements of the markets are the main drivers of our innovations. Key issues include environmental and climate protection and responsible use of finite resources and energy. For both ecological and economic reasons, our customers demand a lot of our researchers and developers.

Around 3,500 highly qualified employees, mainly with scientific, engineering or technical training, develop the innovations for our products and processes – focused on customers and always with an eye to future global trends. The skills of the employees of our various research and development centers complement each other in many different ways. Synergies between the individual areas of the Group are put to targeted and profitable use. Other important sources of innovations are close cooperation with our customers in development partnerships and a broad-based strategic R&D network including scientific institutions, universities and colleges.

Focus on eco-friendly products

ThyssenKrupp again carried out a wide range of research and development projects in the reporting year. As well as high customer benefit, one key aspect characterizes all our projects – using energy and resources efficiently and avoiding polluting emissions. This applies equally to products, services and processes.

35 InCar successes

Under the InCar project – a Groupwide research and development initiative for innovations in auto production – we developed 35 new solutions for the body, powertrain and chassis areas. Among the highlights is an innovative valve control system that significantly reduces fuel consumption. A newly developed two-stage damper system allows car drivers to choose between comfort-oriented or sporty suspension characteristics. The InCar system costs around 44% less than conventional continuously variable dampers.

The InCar developments also include an innovative front axle beam with integrated steering gear. In current cars, the steering gear is fitted in a separate housing bolted to the axle beam. The newly developed beam not only accommodates the steering gear but also meets all structural requirements. This reduces weight by 11% and part and manufacturing costs by 3% compared with a conventional axle beam. This project came second in this year's Innovation Contest.

The lightweight chassis concept LCK II developed under the InCar project demonstrates the potential of high-strength steels. In this concept the steel rear axle is just as strong and only 4% heavier than a comparable aluminum design but costs 50% less. An 11% weight reduction and improved crash performance at no extra cost is provided by the Advanced Door concept: Here, the InCar developers used a highly integrative door inner and a thin, light outer panel made of high-strength dual-phase steel. Almost all reinforcement parts are integrated in the door inner, meaning that several parts and joining operations are eliminated.

To take climate protection into account in the development of new automobiles we also had a CO₂ emissions analysis carried out for each new InCar solution. The comprehensive analysis included not just emissions during a car's use but also the greenhouse gases arising during production. Auto manufacturers who combine the best ecological innovations from the InCar project can reduce harmful CO₂ emissions by more than 17 g per kilometer, or around 5,500 kg over the full lifecycle of a vehicle. The analysis was carried out by an independent institute on the basis of the European standard ISO 14044 and was certified by TÜV.

Lighter, cheaper and functionally improved – InCar is a firmly customer-focused initiative delivering high-quality results that are at the same time friendly to the environment. Our OEM customers can integrate the modular solutions directly into production.

New materials and improved properties

We have developed a new electrical steel specially for electric motors in cars. The material permits higher performance and is tailored to the limited space conditions and the high speeds and temperatures of electric motors. It is thus suitable for both hybrid cars, in which the internal combustion engine is supported by an electric motor, and all-electric drives. Demand for the material is high: These drives require 2.8 kg to 5.6 kg of electrical steel per 10 kilowatts of drive power.

The DOC® Dortmunder OberflächenCentrum, one of the world's most capable development centers for steel surfaces, working together with Deutsche BP has developed a new coating that makes it easier for customers to shape steel materials in stamping dies. Applied directly to the coil, the coating reduces friction between die and steel in the stamping process, allowing currently necessary additional treatments in press shops to be eliminated.

Higher quality through dynamic process control

Our aim in the area of process innovations is to enhance equipment and manufacturing processes and set new industry standards. In the last fiscal year our materials center of excellence initiated a pilot project "Dynamic process control" designed to further improve the quality of our materials. For this, the various production steps in steelmaking are interlinked in such a way that any quality variations can be corrected in the next stage of the process. The entire operation is controlled by a central computer that receives constant information from the process computers.

Ideas for weight reduction

Increased use of tubular parts is seen as key to reducing automobile weight in the future. With T³ technology, our steel business has developed a process capable of manufacturing near-net-shape tubular profiles. Because these profiles have almost the same shape as the subsequent part, several process steps still necessary today can be eliminated in the future. This technology can now also be used with corresponding dies on conventional deep-drawing presses. The precision tubes are subsequently closed by laser welding.

Our concept of laser-welded tailored products is also being applied to heavy plate. Similar to the tailored blanks already in use in the auto industry, the new tailored plates consist of welded individual plates of different grade or thickness that are tailored from the outset to the different local stresses in the subsequent part. As a result, both part weight and manufacturing costs can be reduced. Tailored plates are being used in the construction of cranes, trucks and earthmoving and mining machinery.

New blanks made of stainless and dual-phase steel

In a joint development project involving several areas of the Group our researchers and developers succeeded in firmly joining blanks of stainless steel and dual-phase steel by means of laser welding. The extremely narrow weld withstands both subsequent forming and the stresses occurring for example in a collision. In a further step the development team is currently working on Tailored Strips, made of steels of different chemical composition, for the production of weight-, stress- and cost-optimized vehicle parts.

Europe's biggest cast ingot

The installation of a new manipulator in conjunction with the new VOD furnace at ThyssenKrupp Acciai Speciali Terni widened the product range at the Terni site to include particularly large and heavy forgings. In November 2008, after long preparations, the plant produced Europe's biggest-ever cast ingot, weighing 500 tons. The new technology came third in the ThyssenKrupp Innovation Contest – recognition of the special know-how of the forging plant, which mainly produces generators and low-pressure shafts for the energy sector.

StaR Process® – new, highly productive method of propylene manufacture

Propylene is mainly used in the production of various plastics, e.g. for packaging, auto parts, technical fibers and consumer goods. It is traditionally recovered as a by-product of ethylene and fuel production. However, as demand for the gas is growing faster than demand for ethylene, propylene needs to be manufactured specifically. For this, our process engineers have developed the STAR Process®, which came first in this year's ThyssenKrupp Innovation Contest. The in-demand propylene is recovered from cheap and abundant propane by dehydrogenation. The first plant of this type will be handed over to an Egyptian customer in spring 2010.

Fuel cell for surface ships

Highly efficient fuel cells could soon be used in conjunction with clean energy sources such as gas, hydrogen or diesel made from biomass to supply eco-friendly power for ships. Following the success of fuel cell technology in the latest generation of submarines, fuel cells of different output classes are being tested on surface vessels under the "National innovation program for hydrogen and fuel cell technology", supported by the German transport ministry. Our naval engineers are engaged in integrating the fuel cell into the ship's architecture. Thanks to the fuel cell and suitable fuels such as sulfur-free diesel, certain emissions can be avoided completely; carbon dioxide emissions are reduced by 25%.

Bearings for highly efficient wind turbines

The trend in wind turbines is towards pivoting rotor blades that continuously adapt to wind conditions as the rotor turns and thus optimize the overall efficiency of the turbine. For these innovative wind turbines we are developing blade adjustment bearings capable of meeting the increased requirements.

Sustainability and quality in elevator construction

Thanks to an innovation strategy geared to long-term success Elevator has built a strong market position in terms of technology and quality. We have now received an order for the hundredth TWIN elevator worldwide, to be installed in a new hotel in Frankfurt am Main. With its technological precision and efficiency TWIN has become a global success story. More and more building owners and architects are turning to the technology, offered exclusively by ThyssenKrupp Elevator. In the TWIN system two elevator cabs travel independently one above the other in the same shaft, taking up much less space while at the same time increasing capacity and convenience.

Enhanced synergy machine room-less elevator

As well as the successful TWIN system, Elevator has other technological highlights to offer that enhance ride comfort for passengers and make planning easier for building owners and architects. One of them is the synergy elevator. For the two biggest construction projects in Egypt – two urban developments near Cairo – we are supplying a total of 584 synergy elevators. This is the second major contract for the two development projects following an initial order for 364 of these high-tech units. For the European market we offer a particularly efficient version that operates at a speed of up to 1.6 meters per second. The previous standard for machine room-less elevators was 1.0 meter per second.

Elevator energy consumption reduced

In addition to component standardization, our innovation efforts in the elevator field are focused on new technologies and sustainable concepts for the environment. LED lighting, light-off function when elevators are not in use, intelligent destination selection control, energy-saving mode for controls – many features can be retrofitted without difficulty.

Our development engineers support building owners across the world in designing "green" buildings. For example on the North American market our equipment meets all the criteria for LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) by the US Green Building Council. In the last fiscal year alone we supplied 38 energy-saving elevators for the Great American Tower in Cincinnati/Ohio as well as five escalators and elevators for the Wachovia First Street Office Tower in Charlotte/North Carolina. Both buildings received the coveted LEED certification.

Innovative developments in the services portfolio

The focus of innovation in our services business is on improving processes and developing new service offerings for our customers.

We have developed new applications in particular in the civil engineering field. For example, the construction of wind farms requires secure foundations for the wind turbines. The stresses are enormous: The steel rotor of an offshore wind turbine weighs around 1,000 tons, it has to absorb the wind energy of an area the size of one-and-a-half soccer fields, and the rotor turns at a speed of up to 320 km per hour at the tips. For these reasons we use a special high-frequency vibrator to construct the deep foundations; it delivers outstanding results in providing secure anchoring of the towers both on land and under difficult weather conditions offshore.

Another innovative service offering is the modernization of conventional power plants. We increase power plant efficiency and at the same time reduce pollutant emissions, particularly CO₂. Thanks to a new modular retrofitting concept that combines all our existing know-how we can now meet custom requirements with one standardized concept. Modernization times are significantly shortened and both capital and operating costs are reduced. Above all, however, the service results in higher energy efficiency and lower emissions. This project won the Group's special award for environmental innovation this year.

Further information on content in this section

• Technological capabilities
• Speech of Chairman Dr.-Ing. Ekkehard D. Schulz from minute 6:40 (Recording Annual Press Conference on November 27, 2009, German only)