New materials, Automotive supplying

Hof welcomes Industrial production

Hof has always been an attractive location for classic industrial production away from overpriced metropolitan areas. The history of the city of Hof reflects this affinity to industry and industrial strength. Expertise in industrial production and materials has been developed over many years. Businesses in and around Hof have become cutting-edge manufacturers and some have even become global market leaders in their respective production sectors. In the process, different materials are combined. Examples for that are, above all, the textile (technical textiles) and plastics industry.

Ideal conditions

Both existing companies and new investors count on specific advantages in Hof:

  • industry-savvy skilled workers
  • low-cost sites
  • good infrastructural and logistical location 
  • state support 
  • on-site, high-performance partners in the field of logistics and industry-orientated services
  • traditionally cultivated design and material expertise
  • partners in technology and development of new and composite materials

The field of new innovative materials/composite materials is constantly developed on this basis. Networks have developed, the Hochschule Hof with its engineer program and labs is expanding, the project innovation center Kekutex with its material expertise in the areas of ceramics, synthetic materials and textiles or the Automobiltechnikum Bayern (automotive engineering center) with its test and inspection facilities offer many opportunities for companies.

Why Automotives in Hof

Hof is situated in the geographic center of the most important big south and Middle German and Czech final assembly plants of automobile manufacturers. The core competences logistics and industrial production as well as the provided transport infrastructure make Hof an ideal investment location for automobile supplier companies. Motorways and railways link Hof directly to the final assembly plants supported by high-performance local logistics companies. Hof is a great alternative for automobile suppliers due to additional advantages:

  • low-cost sites and state support

  • numerous institutions in the fields of science, research and development

  • expertise in industrial production/materials expertise

A variety of the Hof region's suppliers in the fields of textiles, synthetic materials and electrical engineering already utilize these regional locational advantages and have established interesting networks (http://www.ofracar.de).

Automotive Supplier Park and Technikum (technical center)

In 2003, the available potentials in this field have prompted the Free State of Bavaria and the region of High Franconia to launch the project automotive supplier park Pole-Position with Automobiltechnikum Bayern (automotive engineering center).located at the edge of town together.

The automotive industry is said to be Germany's leading industry of the next decade as well. Although the increasing requirements of the automobile industry regarding the supply industry lead to more in-house and joint development as well as closer co-operations.

In collaboration with the Bavarian Ministry for Economy, Infrastructure, Transport and Technology, the idea arose to support these co-operations and technology requirements, in particular for small and medium-sized companies. A unique automotive competence center for the medium-sized automobile supply industry with the components supplier park and Technikum in Franconia was created.

The further "add-on" and actual unique selling point is provided by the Automobiltechnikum Bavaria. Supplier park and Technikum are considered a unit.

The Automobiltechnikum as core of the supplier park offers testing systems for automobile supplier companies. This and the connection to leading Bavarian research centers and colleges of automobile engineering facilitate the performing of own research and development work which also is driven by the formation of co-operations. Thus a basis is created which helps medium-sized suppliers to boost technical progress in the automotive industry independently.