HARTING Opens Center of Innovation in Rahden

The HARTING Technology Group recently opened its Center of Innovation in Rahden, which is also the company's seventh site in the region. The facility, which commenced operation this month, have a workforce of about 120.

"On a surface area of around 5,000m² we have created an atmosphere in which ideas can grow and innovations can be conceived," explained Philip Harting, Senior Vice President, Connectivity & Networks, HARTING Technology Group.

The departments due to take up their work in Rahden include "Industrial Communication and Power Networks (ICPN)", an integrated program which provides Ethernet network components, cabling and wiring across all company divisions. One especially impressive innovation created by this department is the "Fast Track Switching" technology, which was nominated in 2009 for the world's highest endowed technology prize, the Hermes Award. The "Norms and Standardization" department will also be moving into the Rahden facility. Here, staff are involved with national and international standardization committees in the development of norms and standards, as well as being responsible for registering and monitoring patents belonging to HARTING Technology Group itself. Staff from the marketing and product management department of the Device Connectivity division will also be working in Rahden. The job of these marketing experts is to ensure that HARTING picks up on market trends and demands and turns these into genuine innovations. They support product development and product launches on the German and the international markets.

At its Rahden site, HARTING will be promoting communication between staff from all departments. "HAR.bucks" is the name of the attractive new cafeteria. Providing a friendly, relaxed atmosphere geared towards stimulating creativity, it will also be used for occasional meetings. In this way HARTING continues to pursue its open communication concept already implemented in the training center HARTING (NAZHA). "Encouraging staff to share ideas is absolutely essential in a company facing up to such complex demands as we do. It is this collaboration across all departments that allows us to adopt a comprehensive approach, clearly making customers the central focus of our efforts. You can only think in entrepreneurial terms if you are aware of all aspects of the company," Margit Harting explained.

HARTING has also set benchmarks in terms of sustainability. Highly efficient, performance-controlled VRV inverter systems operating in relation to the outside temperature and solar radiation ensure that room temperature is always adjusted to the most healthy and pleasant levels. The conversion of the building took at least six months, while great importance was attached to having most of the work done by companies based in the region. After the official inauguration all staff of the HARTING Technology Group were cordially invited to attend an open day to visit the new premises.

HARTING