MTU Friedrichshafen: Founding Member of Marine Electronics Workshop of the Future

• Marine Software Engineering Cluster of Excellence in Malta (MARSEC-XL)
• Fusion of Industry and Research

Friedrichshafen, 22 January 2008. Tognum subsidiary MTU Friedrichshafen has become a founding member of MARSEC-XL, the ‘Marine Software Engineering Cluster of Excellence’. MARSEC-XL represents a fusion of industrial and research interests aimed at promoting the application and networking of marine electronics and software on yachts. MARSEC-XL is based on the Mediterranean island of Malta. As a major port of call for superyachts and a rapidly developing focus for the yacht business, this location offers excellent conditions for R&D, and technology transfer as well as further education and training.

The driving force behind the project is provided by five representatives from industry together with partners from the public sector. MTU Friedrichshafen is the only engine manufacturer in the Cluster of Excellence and is able to contribute vast expertise in the fields of marine automation and complete propulsion plants. The Fraunhofer Institute for Experimental Software Engineering will also be involved in the area of software research which is receiving EU support.

mtu Vice President for Application Engineering, Christian Beiner, will represent the company as a MARSEC-XL committee member: “As a leading force in diesel engine technology as well as in the fields of complex propulsion systems and ship automation, this cluster of innovation gives us a major advantage. It enables us to transform new ideas for propulsion systems into marketable products much more quickly. We are committing ourselves to this project at an early stage so that we can fill the lucrative niches in this market which offers great scope for development.”

Working closely with yacht builders, manufacturers of other marine components and external know-how partners makes it possible to identify customers’ needs directly, to trial trends in technology and to test prototypes faster in order to get them into the marketplace. Initial projects are already defined.

mtu - with its long history in engine manufacturing and focus on systems engineering - currently offers the most comprehensive and sophisticated product range in the sector. By joining MARSEC-XL as a Founding Member, mtu is emphasizing its position on the forefront of technological progress and innovation in the yachting industry. As Founding Industry Mem-ber of MARSEC-XL, mtu will initially focus on automation in marine applications, including software systems integration and standardization.

The MARSEC-XL Foundation (Marine Software Engineering Cluster of Excellence) sets out to shape the digital future of the yachting industry through the formal application of marine systems and software engineering. It has identified a lacuna in the marine systems and software engineering aspects of yacht building, where the on-board information, communication and telecommunication systems have so far been insufficiently harmonized with the yachts’ electronics systems. The mission of MARSEC-XL is to provide an unbroken sustainable innovation chain encompassing a range of activities from applied research, education and training to business operations and technology transfer. The organization’s vision is to promote Malta as a neutral ground where leading brands in the yacht market can work collaboratively.


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mtu

Together with Detroit Diesel, mtu is the core brand of Tognum.

MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH supplies diesel engines and complete drive systems for ships, heavy land and rail vehicles, industrial applications and decentralized power generation plants. Covering diesel engines from 20 kW to 9,100 kW and gas turbines, the range of products is one of the most modern and wide-ranging in the sector. And to control and monitor its engines and drive plants, the company develops and manufactures its own custom-tailored electronic systems.

Sales of the Tognum Group amounted to EUR 2.5 billion in 2006. Today, the Group employs more than 8,000 personnel worldwide. It maintains a global sales and distribution network including 16 subsidiaries, more than 130 distribution partners and 1,100 authorized dealers.