Special Report

By: Yvonne Klöpping

When you think of Hessen, the first thing that probably comes to mind is banking metropolis Frankfurt, the largest financial centre in continental Europe. The renowned Apfelwein (apple wine) may rank high on some lists, but let’s not go there. In addition to its role in the global economy, the city on the Main River, or Mainhattan, as it is sometimes called, is also considered the “apothecary of the world.” Höchst’s industrial park in Frankfurt is one of three European hubs for the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. Large German industrial associations such as the Chemical Industry Association, the Association for German Machine and Equipment Building and the Electrotechnical, Electronic and Information Technology Association are based in Frankfurt.

 

The med-tech industry also has a large footprint in the Rhine-Main area. As a matter of fact, medical technology is one of Hessen’s most important industrial sectors, employing approximately 20,000 people and generating an annual turnover of about €4 billion. According to Hessisches Wirtschaftsministerium (Hessen’s Department of Trade and Industry), close to 900 medical technology companies operate in the central German state.

 

It is also worth noting that Hessen is number one—in Germany and in Europe—when it comes to nanotechnology. With about 150 companies of all sizes active in nanotechnology, Hessen has earned the title of leading nanotech hub in Europe. The potential synergy with the med-tech sector is considerable.

 

According to Hessen’s Wirtschaftsministerium, approximately 40 companies and universities currently engage in nanotech applications specific to the medical arena. The department also was able to identify more than 20 med-tech and pharmaceutical companies that either have R&D projects in the works or products in the marketplace that incorporate nanotechnology. They include large companies such as Fresenius Medical Care and B. Braun as well as medium-sized firms and start-ups like Cinvention and Biomet Deutschland GmbH. The first products with nanotechnology components introduced by companies in Hessen include materials for bone replacement from Heraeus Kulzer and membrane filters for dialysis from Fresenius.

 

Many thriving family businesses have long roots in Hessen, such as industry giant Heraeus (Hanau; www.wc-heraeus.com). “The Rhine-Main area is also known as Materials Valley,” says Matthias Frericks, Sales Manager at W.C. Heraeus GmbH Medical Components Division. “Materials technology has a longstanding tradition in Hessen. Before Frankfurt became widely known as a financial hub, it was the centre of chemistry.”

 

Made in Germany

 

In Hanau, near Frankfurt, in 1851, pharmacist and chemist Wilhelm Carl Heraeus took over his father’s pharmacy, setting the stage for what would become the precious metals and technology group Heraeus. Platinum was in demand at the time, but the extremely hard metal posed a major challenge for goldsmiths, as it had to be forged in a white-hot state. Having worked with local goldsmiths, W.C. Heraeus was familiar with the problem and keen to take on the challenge. After many attempts, he was able to melt two kilograms of platinum in an oxyhydrogen gas flame. The first German platinum melting house was born.

 

“Hanau was known for the art of its goldsmiths as far back as the 16th century,” says Frericks. Since the founding of Heraeus more than 155 years ago, W.C. Heraeus and his successors have successfully experimented with platinum, finding one innovative application after another. The company is family owned to this day. Its depth of experience and long history with precious metals and alloys have helped to make Heraeus an expert in the field of medical device component development and manufacturing.

 

Educating for Success

 

Another example of a truly local company that has captured international market share is developer of vision inspection systems Vitronic (Wiesbaden; www.vitronic.de). “We are dyed-in-the-wool Germans,” says Bärbel Weinert, Marketing and PR. “We literally live the idea of ‘Made in Germany.’” Starting out 25 years ago in a garage, the company has grown into an international supplier of industrial image processing technology. The company’s success can be attributed in large measure to the availability of an educated workforce in the Rhine-Main area, according to Weinert.

 

“We are lucky to have an abundance of highly skilled labour in the region,” says Weinert. “One of the advantages of being located here is the number of universities that offer valuable technical programmes.” TU Darmstadt (Technical University, Darmstadt) offers a degree in image editing, for example. Vitronic actively collaborates with TU Darmstadt and many local schools.

 

“To further the understanding and build interest in technology, we supply local high schools with construction kits for robotics,” Weinert explains. Continuing its support of local students in 2009, Vitronic sponsored the Technology category in the Leonardo School Awards that took place in June 2009. Approximately 1000 students participated in the competition. Vitronic Vice President Birgitt Stein awarded the top three prizes and praised the young scientists for their motivation and imagination.

 

Heraeus’ Frericks agrees that professionals are easy to find in the Rhine-Main area and that the higher education infrastructure provides an appropriate education for engineers. “The universities in the region, such as TU Darmstadt in the South and FH Gießen (University of Applied Sciences) in the North, provide a pool of fresh ideas,” he says. “Many of our engineers come from those institutions.”

 

Hessen's Nanotech Initiative

 

In 2005, Hessen’s Department of Trade and Industry started the Hessen-Nanotech initiative (www.hessen-nanotech.de) to bundle and coordinate Hessen’s nanotech activities and materials-based technologies. The goal of the initiative is to strengthen Hessen’s competencies in the nanotechnology sector and in related technologies like materials and surface technology, microsystems and optics. As part of its activities, the group regularly organises seminars and conferences to further its mission. One upcoming event with a focus on health and medical applications is the 6. Nanotechnologieforum Hessen (6th Nanotechnology Forum). The expert conference will take place in Hanau, near Frankfurt, on 26 November 2009 (www.hessen-nanotech.de/nanoforum).