The two German companies Lufthansa Technik AG of Hamburg and Pepperl+Fuchs GmbH of Mannheim have founded an equally owned joint venture called 3D.aero GmbH. The aim of this new company is to research, develop and sell innovative automation solutions for the aviation industry.

Furthermore, it will work on solutions for the digitalization of workshops. Its headquarters are at the ZAL TechCenter in Hamburg-Finkenwerder, one of the largest and most modern aviation research centers in the world. This location will enable 3D.aero to network with other aviation companies.

Besides industrial workshop and factory automation solutions, 3D.aero will also offer the application of optical measuring devices, digital inspection and image processing applications and related consulting services. The company will operate as a modern start-up and have flat hierarchies, with the young team consisting mainly of Pepperl+Fuchs employees and graduates of the Institute for Aircraft Production Technology at Hamburg University of Technology.

"We are delighted to have won Pepperl+Fuchs, a leading manufacturer of electronic components and sensors for factory and process automation, as a partner. This will enable us to keep pursuing our Industry 4.0 strategy and use this know-how for our processes and products," says Bernhard Krueger-Sprengel, Senior Vice President Engine Services at Lufthansa Technik. While 3D.aero was founded as part of a concrete project at the Engine Services division, it will however serve all Lufthansa Technik divisions as well as other companies in the aviation industry.

For Pepperl+Fuchs, this is another milestone in its expansion strategy. "Thanks to this joint venture, we are now able to apply our long-term expertise in industrial automation in the aviation industry as well. So we are especially looking forward to our close collaboration with Lufthansa Technik," says Dr. Gunther Kegel, CEO of Pepperl+Fuchs.