Background, present and future

1801 – The multi-purpose grinding machine for the production of glasses was invented in Rathenow; 1867 – Mass production of paper plates started in Luckenwalde; Since 1900 – The construction of Schwartzkopff locomotives in Wildau; 1904 – The invention of the Thermos®; 1931 – Mass production begins of the Hellschreiber, the first everyday fax machine; 1935 – The construction of the Opel plant, 2008 – The tsunami early warning system for Indonesia; 2010 – The opening of Rolls-Royce’s state-of-the-art Mechanical Test Operations Center (MTOC). Brandenburg’s industry is as innovative as it is rich in tradition.
Between 1950 and 1990, EKO Stahl GmbH employed 6,000 people – today ArcelorMittal Eisenhüttenstadt is a state-of-the-art integrated steel mill with high-tech facilities. As early as 1725, the Lauchhammer factory – since 1948 TAKRAF GmbH – was founded. This company’s services range from producing traffic structures to constructing cranes and even the world’s largest bucket wheel excavator. TAKRAF has been a globally recognised brand since 1964. Today, the modern production facility belongs to the Italian Tenova Group.
Erkner – Cradle of the Plastic Age: In 1909, as the result of a collaboration with Leo Hendrik Baekeland and after his patents at Rütgerswerke, the first of the duroplasts, Bakelite®, was made from tar phenol and formaldehyde in Erkner near Berlin. For a long time, Bakelite was the epitome of plastic before the wide range of plastics available today. Today, phenol resin is being produced at the historic site as a matrix for many lightweight components on state-of-the-art facilities under the name Prefere Resins (formerly Dynea).
Industry has always made a vital contribution to growth, jobs and prosperity. The development of economic sectors such as services, logistics or ICT is closely linked to the growth dynamics of industry.

Globally operating companies invest in Brandenburg. Examples: Proseat, a Canadian manufacturer of seating components, built a new production facility in Schwarzheide. In Wittenberge, MV Pipe Technologies was able to acquire a metalworking company that manufactures fire protection systems. The Dutch company Tulip Cocoa invested in new processing capacities in Velten and Fehrbellin to produce cocoa products to supply the confectionery industry. The Polish company BOD has set up a new production site for galvanised small parts for the automotive industry in Prenzlau.

Furthermore, Brandenburg companies expand extensively.
Some examples:
- LEIPA GEORG LEINFELDER GMBH in Schwedt/Oder (production of corrugated packaging)
- Hamburger Rieger GmbH in Spremberg (production of corrugated packaging)
- BASF AG Schwarzheide (construction of own compounding plant)
- Swiss Krono GmbH in Heiligengrabe (production of floor laminates)

The “ProIndustrie” action plan of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy provides important approaches to the frequently mentioned and discussed Industry 4.0.

BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg is running the “Innovation Center Modern Industry Brandenburg” project. It focuses on the development of a future-oriented and innovative industrial structure with special attention to SME needs, the development and production of intelligent products and production units in regional commerce, and the transformation of value chains and industrial service structures into internationally competitive offerings.

This offer is supplemented by the Mittelstand 4.0 Competence Center in Cottbus, which supports small and medium-sized enterprises in Brandenburg as they face the challenges of increasing changes in the world of work and the resulting and necessary qualification measures.