In the year of its 125th anniversary, the German Mechanical and Plant Engineering Association (VDMA) – Europe's largest industrial association with around 3,200 members – is opening its Startup Machine: a new grouping designed to bring startups and mechanical engineering companies together and support them in joint projects.
Matchmaking with mechanical engineering relevance
In addition, the association is committed to identifying and validating startups whose work on important future topics such as augmented reality, machine learning, or blockchain can advance mechanical engineering in Germany – matchmaking with relevance to mechanical engineering is the goal.
"Associations are service providers for their members, and with the help of the Startup Machine, we want to unlock our industry's potential opportunities to successfully shape technological change. Startups, especially in the areas of digitalization, Industry 4.0, or the electrification of vehicle drives, can be enriching with their innovations, but also with their working methods. In turn, we want to open the door to our industry for startup companies, where they can directly find out whether their ideas and projects are truly suitable for our market."
explained Hartmut Rauen, Deputy Managing Director of the VDMA. The association will support the new network of industry and startups through activities such as hackathons, matchmaking, skunkwork, and digital innovation journeys. The Startup Machine is part of the VDMA Competence Center Future Business.
