Stockdorf/Stuttgart – July 17, 2019 – At the sixth EXPO Day of the innovation platform Startup Autobahn on July 16, 2019 in Stuttgart, Webasto together with several start-ups presented innovative projects in the field of Smart Production and Enterprise 2.0. «Since the mobility industry is changing rapidly, cooperation with others today is more important for companies than ever before. For us, the exchange in the Startup Autobahn network is very valuable. It helps us to expand further our leading position as an innovative global systems partner to the automotive industry. Working together with the young tech companies is an element of our innovation strategy,» explains Matthias Arleth, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board, Webasto SE, and responsible for technology topics at the Webasto Group.
Webasto has been an anchor partner of Startup Autobahn, the German branch of the US Plug and Play Tech Center, since end of 2017. The innovation platform connects start-ups and established industry companies from mobility and digitization sectors. In June 2019, Webasto received the Plug and Play Corporate Innovation Award at the Summer Summit in Silicon Valley, California, for its strong dedication in the network. To date, Webasto has initiated 37 pilot projects with start-ups. Approximately one third of the solutions are in implementation, five are already in use. The collaboration with start-ups from the network provides Webasto with impulses for further development in the product area and for the optimization of production processes. This includes the core business with roof and heating systems as well as the new electric mobility offering.