Identifying potential

Technological advancements are occurring at an ever-faster pace, the pressure to innovate is high — and often, a multitude of ideas that seem promising at first glance compete with one another. However, just because something is new does not mean it will succeed, as not every innovation is suitable for every competitive environment. This makes it all the more important for companies in the high-tech sector to identify innovative technologies early on and realistically assess their potential.

Ten years advanced development in Dresden

More than ten years ago, Thomas expanded its Herdorf team with an advanced eningeering office in Dresden. This cross-location advanced angineering team monitors the research and technology landscape, analyzes trends, and recommends which technical possibilities Thomas should explore. Based on the product strategy, they identify and prepare the necessary technologies long before they are incorporated into specific products.
“Innovation must not be left to chance,” explains Matthias Krug, Director of Advanced Engineering & Simulation at Thomas. “On the contrary: only by evaluating the opportunities and risks of new technologies early and systematically does the company have a sound basis for its innovation decisions. This prevents misguided investments, and Thomas can enter the development phase in a timely manner for products whose feasibility has been proven.”

Maximize opportunities, minimize risks

However, the job of early-stage development doesn’t end with simply assessing opportunities and risks or conducting feasibility studies. Our colleagues also develop initial approaches and ideas for future products — ranging from rough concepts and functional prototypes to technical designs. To do this, they bring together experts from various company divisions at the Herdorf site and work closely with Strategy, Product Management, Research, and suppliers. This ensures that new ideas are discussed and developed in the right context from the very beginning.

An active partner in research

Integration into the research community is of great importance to the work of the early-stage development team. In total, the team maintains ties with nine universities — and in many cases, their affiliated research institutes — as well as three associations. In some cases, Thomas is even involved as a partner in pioneering, government-funded projects focused on the future.
From the very beginning, the advanced development team has worked closely with TU Dresden, which is located near the office. Together, they conduct basic research on raw materials with magnetic properties that could be incorporated into future prototypes of off-highway and mobility solutions. Another key objective is to improve our understanding of the system: what efficiency gains do Thomas products achieve within the customer’s system? The advanced development team is also involved in projects with the Construction Future Lab (CFLab), an independent, non-profit research and development institution founded in 2022 by TU Dresden that, together with industry partners, focuses on digitalization and automation in the construction industry — keyword “Construction 4.0”. The current “Fluid 4.0” project was presented at this year’s International Fluid Technology Colloquium (IFK) in Aachen, where the Maha Institute at Purdue University also presented the results of its collaboration with Thomas. Furthermore, the Maha Fluid Power Conference will take place in September 2026, at which Thomas will give a presentation and have its own booth.
In collaboration with the Maha Institute, the advanced development department places particular emphasis on pump development. Finally, there is a long-standing partnership with the Dresden University of Applied Sciences in the field of electric motor drives.

Extensive list of partners

This list could go on and on. Other collaborations include, for example, a partnership with Auto Mobil Forschung Dresden GmbH (AMFD) in the field of chassis systems and with RWTH Aachen University in the field of off-highway and industrial hydraulics. Furthermore, the company is a member of the Fluid Technology Research Fund and the Construction Machinery & Building Materials Equipment Research Association (Forschungsvereinigung Baumaschinen & Baustoffanlagen e.V.) of the German Engineering Federation (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau e.V.) and regularly participates in technical symposia, conferences, and project-related working groups.