ThyssenKrupp AG is a new member of the initiative "Partners for Innovation". The company is supporting the innovation initiative with its capabilities in the areas of steel, capital goods and services. At the next partners' meeting on April 18, 2005 the Executive Board Chairman of ThyssenKrupp AG, Prof. Dr. Ekkehard Schulz, will be introducing the new impulse group "Material Innovation".

Whether buildings or automobiles, household articles or food packaging, office utensils or leisure-time equipment - materials are everywhere. Innovations change and improve the properties of metal, glass, plastics, ceramics, rubber and composite materials. They open up diverse opportunities in sectors such as autos, aerospace and medical engineering. The chemical, energy supply, IT, communications, building and power generation sectors also benefit from advanced materials. "Research and development into new materials is a key engine of the German economy," says Prof. Dr. Ekkehard Schulz, Executive Board Chairman of ThyssenKrupp AG, who set up the impulse group. "With a view to international competitiveness and securing jobs, the impulse group aims to underline and strengthen the significance of material innovations."

The impulse group aims to combine cross-material capabilities and promote national and international knowledge sharing between research and industry. This also involves training future leaders. Small and medium size enterprises are to be involved in the development processes. It is also planned to organize sector- and material-specific events to inform developers, suppliers and customers.

ThyssenKrupp has been investing successfully in product innovations for decades. "New Steel Body" (NSB) is the name of a concept for steel car bodies recently developed by the company. The NSB weighs a quarter less than conventional models without sacrificing safety. Another innovation is the TWIN elevator: two independent elevator cabs in one shaft not only save energy but get passengers to their destination faster.

The "Partners for Innovation" initiative is an amalgamation of businesses, associations, institutions and government. Together the partners want to create a new climate for innovation in Germany. Since March 2004, more than 130 companies, organized in, to date, 14 specialist groups, have been developing concrete projects to move Germany forward.

For more information on the initiative and its partners, go to www.innovationen-fuer-deutschland.de/presse.