The automotive industry is of major importance for Europe´s economy. 12.9 million Europeans - or 5.3% of the EU workforce - are employed in the sector6 and it generates 6.9% of EU Gross Domestic Product. Europe is a worldwide leader in the manufacturing of high quality, clean, silent and safe ICE vehicles. However, most of the technology developments concerning EV are occurring outside the EU, mainly in Japan (with 75% of the total patents relate to EV technology) and USA. European EV industry is highly dependent on external technology. Most of the high-tech components such as batteries and electronic controllers present in European EVs are not designed nor manufactured in EU. With MAXITHERM we will contribute to the future of the EU automotive industry, promoting that next generations of Electric Vehicles incorporate components that are designed and manufactured entirely in Europe. To ensure a leading position of Europe in the future, it is essential to invest now in research in EV technologies. The EU has stablished a set of initiatives within the “Action Plan CARS 2020” such as the European Green Vehicles Initiatives (EGVI), in order to promote research and innovation in EV technologies.
On the other hand, the European non-woven industry is suffering extensively from competition, particularly from Asia (China). Under this scenario we are aware that the EU non-woven industry, in order to maintain its place in a global market, needs to adapt its production and business model from large-volume-low-cost production to highly specialized and customized production of high added value products. Consequently, it is essential for us to invest and commit to innovation with the objective of maintaining profitability in the medium and long term
During project lifetime C.H. Müller and MaxiTex took the chance to introduce the project and the idea behind this project to a large number of companies in the automotive chain. Designated car producers who are planning to increase the number of EVs in the next year have discovered the high potential of this new heating system. It offers a lot of advantages compared with known heating systems on the market. Electromobility will be the future way of transportation. Companies involved in the supply chain (i.e. producer of raw materials, supplier of semi-finishes products) are going to participate in the success of those “giants”. We offer a unique material which is going to revolutionize the heating topic, not only in the automotive sector but also in many other industries. Homogeneous and energy saving heat dissipation is the solution for a lot of applications. This fact will have a great impact on the future business and sales of participating companies in the short as well as in the long term.
