Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm takes a ride in the Tomcar at EDAG's Auburn Hills, Mich., facility.

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The automotive industry would be nothing without the technology used to bring new innovations to fruition. For industry leader EDAG – an engineering and development company headquartered in Germany with North American operations in Auburn Hills and Troy, Mich. – understanding goals and then applying the best technology to meet those goals have made the company stand out, President Volker Amelung says.

The company specializes in product engineering production and manufacturing systems for car case construction and vehicle assembly, which it manages through its product development, manufacturing, production and aerospace divisions.  The company caters to top auto manufacturers such as Daimler, BMW, Volkswagen Group and General Motors, as well as provides product engineering and builds manufacturing systems for Tier 1 suppliers.

In 1994, EDAG set up its North American operations in Troy with its subsidiary EDAG Inc. In January 2007, EDAG Inc. moved into new facilities in Auburn Hills, Mich. Today, about 330 employees work at the company’s Michigan operations. “We are part of a global strategy, and our four pillars are product engineering, manufacturing systems, production and aerospace,” Amelung says.

Internationally Competitive
EDAG’s consistent approach to engineering and product development across several geographic markets makes the company the preferred engineering and manufacturing systems provider in the auto industry.

The company began earning its reputation as a partner in the mobility industry back in the mid-1980s when it established a global network. Although its corporate headquarter is in Germany, the company has established more than 30 branch locations on five continents, and maintains a presence in all established markets. EDAG has sites in Brazil, North America, Malaysia, Australia, India, China, Japan and Mexico, in addition to Germany and Europe. China, India and Eastern Europe are the regions on which the company is particularly focused because they are home to top car manufacturers and a lot of new upcoming local OEMs.

“OEMs are reorganizing on a global scale, so that means some of the business and product development is going to Europe and Asia, and some of it gets away from us, but because we have the same capabilities, business just shifts a bit,” Amelung says.

According to Amelung, international expansion is more a product of offering good customer service to the global OEMs, rather than trying to benefit from lower taxes and cheap labor. He says most of its customers today prefer to have local capabilities when it comes to getting product and service. An international presence also allows the company to become aware of new requirements and trends in the auto industry, and then adjust its operations accordingly.

New Processes
EDAG is perhaps best known for innovation and continuously enhancing its existing applications. For example, in 2007, EDAG applied for 35 patents in the fields of vehicle development, production technology, plastics engineering and cabin interiors for the aircraft industry. It currently holds 130 patents and patent applications – a number which has more than doubled since 2005.

“We are working with high strength steel concepts within the steel industry to come up with good ideas of future body structures,” Amelung notes. “I think it goes in hand with developing a customer base that focuses on alternative power, vehicle integration and expertise.”

Product development is based on project management, concepts/advanced engineering, vehicle development, vehicle integration and electrics/electronics. In Michigan, the company operates around 340,000 square feet of facility space, which is dedicated to low-volume production, prototyping, design and specialty research projects, the company says.

In its manufacturing technology division, EDAG has developed several new technologies for application in the auto industry. One of these developments is the company’s roller hemming process. Roller hemming is a joining process developed by the company and used in the production of parts that are attached to the main vehicle frame such as doors, hatchback, a sun-roof opening or wheel arches.