First member in the new year: Veigel becomes part of Maschinenraum

Berlin / Öhringen

Veigel, Europe's leading manufacturer of dual controls for driving school cars and car equipment for the disabled, is becoming part of Maschinenraum. The alliance of around 40 Mittelstand Companies as well as university partners and other innovators is working together on the digital transformation of German SMEs. Veigel wants to use the exchange with other members of Maschinenraum to share ideas on how to deal with challenges in digitalization, innovation management as well as new business models.

Wilhelm Veigel founded the company in 1920 as a car repair shop and later worked part-time as a driving instructor - five years later, he developed a dual control for driving school cars for his own use. This invention is considered the birth of the company, which today employs around 100 people at Veigel Automotive in southern Germany, Veigel UK and Veigel North America in Detroit.

Autonomous driving as both a challenge and an opportunity

"With our work, we help people achieve mobility and ultimately a self-determined life. The topic of autonomous driving will bring many changes in this context. On the one hand, it is an opportunity to achieve mobility for truly everyone. On the other hand, it means for us that some of our technical solutions such as steering aids and pedals could become obsolete in the medium term. Our business model is changing accordingly and we see it as a real opportunity to reinvent ourselves. In doing so, we rely on the exchange in the engine room, where we want to both share our knowledge with others and learn from the challenges of others," says Managing Director Jann Hendrik Swyter.

"Veigel has recognized that now is exactly the right time to open up for cooperation and exchange with like-minded people. And that the challenges ahead can be solved more sustainably together. With Maschinenraum, we offer the ideal environment to forge alliances for the future," says Tobias Rappers, Managing Director of Maschinenraum.

About Maschinenraum:

Maschinenraum, a shared innovation ecosystem from Mittelstand for Mittelstand, unites German SMEs and family businesses to boldly shape the future. Already, around 40 family-owned companies - including Viessmann, Fiege Logistik, Dussmann Service and Paracelsus Kliniken - have joined Maschinenraum to jointly drive the digital and sustainable transformation of Mittelstand.

About Veigel:

Veigel GmbH + Co. KG is Europe's leading manufacturer of double controls for driving school cars and car equipment for the disabled. Today, around 100 employees work at Veigel Automotive in southern Germany, Veigel UK and Veigel North America in Detroit. The company with almost 100 years of tradition stands for high quality in service and performance. With its work, Veigel helps people achieve mobility and ultimately an autonomous and self-determined life. The company's products and services are always evolving to discover new possibilities where others see only limits.