DGAP-News: Progress-Werk Oberkirch AG: Transport Minister Winfried Hermann visits PWO

Press Release

Transport Minister Winfried Hermann visits PWO

Oberkirch, September 4, 2018 - The Transport Minister Winfried Hermann from Baden-Württemberg and member of the German Green Party (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen), together with Thomas Marwein (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen), member of Parliament from Offenburg and of the Parliament's Transport and Science Committee, were presented innovative steel formation solutions at PWO for the mobility of tomorrow. Cost-optimized lightweight construction, digitization and sustainability in the production process are the topics that sit at the heart of PWO when it comes to making a contribution to reaching the climate protection targets of the Paris Climate Accord.

As CEO Dr. Volker Simon explains: "Based on our extensive expertise in how steel behaves at the limits of forming, we have developed production processes that enable us to economically manufacture ever-lighter products. We allow material to flow exactly where it is needed and reduce it elsewhere. And we manufacture innovative hybrid parts that combine especially lightweight, high-strength steel and aluminum."

PWO is squarely focused on the digitization of its manufacturing processes so that it is able to create a digital shadow of the entire production step-by-step, allowing it to collect a wealth of data along the entire production process. PWO's evaluation with modern algorithms makes it possible to increase production efficiency and reduce material consumption while, at the same time, reducing energy requirements, emissions, wastewater and waste per unit produced.

Winfried Hermann was impressed: "We need more efficient vehicles for climate protection. In terms of production, the automotive industry can become even more environmentally friendly with the help of digitization and through the conscious use of resources. Using PWO as an example, it is easy to see how the requirements for climate-friendly production and future-oriented jobs can be reconciled."

Progress-Werk Oberkirch AG
The Management Board

PWO company profile
PWO is a partner to the global automotive industry for the development and production of advanced metal components and subsystems using lightweight construction. The Group has developed a unique knowledge in the forming and joining of metals over the course of its almost 100-year history since it was founded in 1919. With our expertise in cost-efficient lightweight construction, we contribute to environmentally friendly driving and greater distances.

All of the Group's more than 1,000 products contribute to automotive comfort and safety. More than 90 percent of revenue is independent of the vehicle's type of drivetrain. Approximately 3,400 employees on three continents at five production sites and four assembly plants ensure the highest level of delivery reliability and quality.