KTM has opened a new R&D Centre in Rosenheim, Germany. The new site benefits from its close proximity to a local higher education institution and the resulting pool of experts. This was important criteria when selecting the location of the site, which will concentrate on electronics development in the motorcycle segment.
On July 5, 2017, the official opening ceremony for KTM’s new R&D Centre took place in Rosenheim. The site’s focus is on electronics development in the motorcycle segment – from ideas to preliminary development, prototype design and the implementation of new processes right through to innovative concepts. Systems that facilitate digital connectivity between the rider and motorcycle and following on from that, interconnected vehicles for long-term accident prevention (“Connected motorcycles”) are developed there.
“As a premium manufacturer in the motorcycle segment, we place particular emphasis on the area of research & development. New products and the constant implementation of technical innovations enable us to meet the high expectations of our customers and open up new markets on a long-term basis,” says Philipp Habsburg, head of the KTM Research & Development department. “In 2016, KTM AG invested around 110 million euros in model development and the infrastructure of the Mattighofen and Munderfing sites and thus further strengthened and expanded the Austrian location. With the opening of the new KTM R&D Centre in Rosenheim, we are continuing this trend in Germany.”
The new KTM R&D Centre covers an area of 438 m2 and can accommodate up to 30 employees. It is part of the KTM R&D department in Mattighofen and also reports to this site. “The idea of opening a new site came to us around two years ago,” says site manager Klaus Krumpholz. “We have taken on 7 members of staff already and I am looking forward to expanding the Rosenheim site.”
An average of 487 members of staff are employed at the R&D department in Mattighofen and this number is always growing. The staff recruited for the Rosenheim site make up a completely new team. An important criteria in selecting Rosenheim was the existence of a local higher education institution and the resulting availability of competent development engineers in the region. The KTM R&D Centre in Rosenheim has the best possible chance of recruiting additional experts and driving further growth.