From
vision
to
innovation
ElringKlinger is powering the transformation toward climate-neutral mobility - with components and systems for battery and fuel-cell technologies and with innovative lightweighting solutions. Guided by a commitment to continuous improvement and close customer collaboration, the company has been advancing forward-looking approaches that help pave the way toward a low-emission future.
Driving technological change
At ElringKlinger, innovation is not something that has come about by chance. Rather, it is the product of a clear strategic focus combined with an in-depth understanding of technology and the courage to look at things from new angles. While the strategic ideas that drive innovation are coordinated centrally, solutions also emerge where they will need to have an impact later on, i.e., close to the relevant application, customer, or market.
This is no accident: Those committed to solving their customers’ challenges need both a reliable compass and highly skilled, specialized teams who know the path like the back of their hand. And this is what sets ElringKlinger apart. Its expertise is deep-rooted, it has mastered its core skills with aplomb, and it is truly passionate about technology - something that is not lost on its customers either. Many of them seek out ElringKlinger specifically in order to devise bespoke solutions in a spirit of partnership: not just a concept but a product that will prove its worth in practice, can be integrated into existing systems, and will work reliably when ramped up to industrial scale.
How broadly this strength of innovation is entrenched across the company is demonstrated on a daily basis, with adaptations and new developments just as likely in the company’s long-standing areas of business as they are in the field of E‑Mobility or the Engineered Plastics segment. As a tech-oriented company with a high degree of implementation depth, ElringKlinger takes a determined approach to translating existing know-how into new applications - a principle that is reflected most notably in numerous products developed for the electromobility sector. These illustrate how deeply ingrained expertise provides the basis for new solutions that are actively helping to shape the technological transformation.
From the drawing board to series manufacture
What makes ElringKlinger unique is its ability to spark and steer innovation along the entire vertical value chain. This end-to-end approach starts with selecting and formulating suitable materials and continues with the technical design and structuring of all the necessary processes, right through to production and, finally, industrial-scale manufacturing. Rather than a mere sequence of discrete process steps, however, ElringKlinger understands “end-to-end” as a continuous, tightly knit value chain, with development, production, testing, and industrialization all dovetailing systematically to enable innovations to grow under real-life conditions right from the outset.
Adopting this holistic view ensures that, instead of new developments failing to move beyond the drawing board, state-of-the-art solutions are devised that can be put into practice right away.
The close links between all the various steps mean that challenges are spotted early and optimization measures integrated without delay. This allows products to mature in a realistic environment from day one, giving them the robustness, efficiency, and practical relevance they will need for use at an industrial level.
In terms of research and development work, this approach means that, rather than springing up in isolation, new solutions are the product of a whole array of skills. These range from an in-depth knowledge of materials and production processes through to extensive experience when it comes to readying products for industrial-scale manufacture. Each of these disciplines has a major hand in ensuring that innovations are not only technically feasible but are also good value for money, compatible with reliable processes, and available over the long term. This enables ElringKlinger not simply to come up with new technologies but to translate them into viable, sustainable value-added processes as well. And therein lies one of the company’s main strengths, because innovation cannot unleash its full power unless and until it has left the “invention” stage behind and is working reliably in its industrial setting.
“Reconnecting the dots” - the mechanics behind the progress
As important as ideas, patents, and concepts might be, in industry the power of innovation makes the crucial difference where a vision is transformed into a product fit for series manufacture. And this is precisely what ElringKlinger is focusing on, because even the very best technology will only give you a competitive edge if it can be produced reliably, scaled up, and placed successfully on the market.
Sometimes, the next leap in innovation is not a radical new start but an astute transfer; in other words, progress is often made when existing skills are applied to a new context. It is this principle in particular that shapes the work done by ElringKlinger’s research and development teams. The company spent many decades developing products designed specifically for combustion engines, especially in gasket technology. This period honed the company’s keen understanding of materials, gasket technologies, thermal management, complex manufacturing processes, and the most stringent robustness and quality requirements.
It was on this basis that these skills were transferred to e‑mobility applications in a targeted manner: Metal/elastomer gasket systems for battery storage systems and electric drive unit (EDU) housings required to withstand heavy loads ensure reliable sealing at low sealing pressures and offset large tolerances. In addition, MetaloSeal™ provides electrically conductive coatings to meet electromagnetic shielding (electromagnetic compatibility) requirements in EDU and battery applications, while TopSeal™ and ElroForm™ covers provide the basis for fewer components, lower bolting forces, and smaller installation spaces - thus making installation easier and improving system behavior. Thus tried-and-tested gasket technology is turned into an enabler for high-voltage systems.
Meanwhile, MetaloBond™ - ElringKlinger’s rotor/stator technology - demonstrates how ElringKlinger is taking its materials and process expertise and applying it to new spheres of application: Its best-in-class sealing performance between the layers of sheet metal improves cooling while also ensuring complete temperature resistance. In strategic terms, this is a prime example of how core skills are being scaled up in fields of the future to facilitate series production.
With its cell contacting systems, ElringKlinger is furnishing compelling proof of its end-to-end value creation, from the first spark of innovation through to industrial-scale manufacture. The systems integrate voltage and temperature sensors plus, if need be, the CSC electronics. They also have a modular design to handle various cell types, making them highly scalable. They are being ramped up for series production at the battery hubs in Neuffen, Germany and Easley, South Carolina, which bring together development, quality and project management, and product and manufacturing engineering all under one roof. One major landmark has been the ability to secure high-volume orders for the series manufacture of battery components. The healthy order book and the steady expansion of both sites underline the strategic importance of cell contacting systems with regard to the ElringKlinger Group’s overall agenda.
This mission could be described as “reconnecting the dots,” meaning the ability to connect apparently disparate technologies and using tried-and-tested techniques to find powerful answers to new challenges. The end result: innovations that not only draw on what has come before but also play an active part in shaping technological change.
» Our crucial success factor is the expertise that pervades our entire product creation process: Our products get in-house support every step of the way, from the initial idea right through to development and series production «
Looking ahead: innovation as a mindset
At ElringKlinger, therefore, innovation means more than merely developing individual products. Rather, it is a mindset: being willing to constantly scrutinize what is already there, hone your skills, and translate new market requirements into solutions at an early stage. Whether it is through transfer principles like “reconnecting the dots,” application-oriented development in the business units, or an unerring focus on readying products for industrial-scale manufacture, it is the combination of these elements that underpins the company’s prowess as an innovator.
And this capacity to innovate stems from a unique blend of technological depth, systemic thinking, and the desire to partner with customers and create solutions that do not just work properly today but will also be setting standards in the future.
