Automotive

The Neckar-Alb region is located in the middle of the 'land of the automobile' -  Baden-Württemberg. Around 200 companies and 26,000 employees work along the automotive value chain in Neckar-Alb. Hardly any other region in Europe has as many engineers and technicians as Baden-Württemberg. The automotive and automation industries, which have their roots here, benefit from this to a particularly large extent. The Neckar-Alb region was once home to prominent automotive engineers. Gottlieb Daimler in particular left his mark on the region. The young engineer worked as a design engineer in the Bruderhaus workshops in Reutlingen. During his time in Neckar-Alb, Daimler met his future partner Wilhelm Maybach

Global competition, ever-shorter product cycles, and the development of new technologies present major challenges to today’s automotive industry. In the Neckar-Alb region, the competitiveness of local companies is strengthened by partnerships within the automotive cluster, where car manufacturers and automotive suppliers spur each other on to become better and better. As an ideal automotive site, the Neckar-Alb region also profits from close cooperation with other local clusters, especially in the areas of technical textiles and mechanical engineering.

But that’s not all: The industry has also shown it can think outside of the box by creating the statewide network "automotive bw", comprising eight regional automotive networks. The Reutlingen Chamber of Industry and Commerce’s automotive network represent the Neckar-Alb region within this network. Under this common umbrella organization, automotive companies and suppliers are able to build relationships across the state, with each member making a concentrated effort to work with each other more closely.

The region also supplements the industry with plenty of young talent: In addition to company-based training, the University of Reutlingen and Albstadt-Sigmaringen University both play a vital role is this process, offering degrees in mechanical engineering, mechatronics, transportation interior design, and systems engineering. Furthermore, the Neckar-Alb region profits from the nearby University of Stuttgart and its degrees in design, production, and automobile technology.

Many famous automotive inventors called the Neckar-Alb region home, perhaps the most influential of which being the great Gottlieb Daimler. As a young engineer, Daimler worked as a designer in the Reutlinger Bruderhaus Werkstätten and went on to meet his future partner, Wilhelm Maybach, during his time in the region.

Thanks to the region’s various research institutions and universities, automotive suppliers like Bosch, Elring-Klinger, Automotive Lighting, Eissmann, Zeltwanger or Schiller need look no further than the area surrounding Reutlingen, Tübingen, and Zollernalb for highly qualified professionals and a friendly environment for innovation. A close proximity to automobile giants like Daimler, Porsche, and Audi makes the "Inventors’ Region" Neckar-Alb an all-round attractive high-tech location.

Automotive suppliers such as Bosch, ElringKlinger, Automotive Lighting, Eissmann Automotive, Zeltwanger or Schiller Automation find highly qualified specialists and a fertile innovation environment in the Neckar-Alb region around Reutlingen, Tübingen and Zollernalb thanks to research facilities and universities. The close proximity of the car companies Daimler, Porsche and Audi makes the "Tüftler-Region" Neckar-Alb an all-around attractive high-tech location.

The Neckar-Alb region also provides for the next generation in the industry: In addition to in-company training, Reutlingen University and the
Albstadt-Sigmaringen University play an enormous role. They offer degree programs in mechanical engineering, mechatronics, transportation interior design and systems engineering. In addition, the Neckar-Alb region benefits from its proximity to the University of Stuttgart with its courses in design, production and automotive engineering.