Focus on sustainable product innovations
MP Julian Pahlke and Nicole Henkel, the Green Party candidate for the state parliament in constituency 87, have now visited the Friedeburg-based M&D Group with its M&D Composite and M&D Aircraft Construction divisions.
Managing Directors Tim Markwald and Gregor Müller provided information about the possibilities for reducing CO² emissions through the use of lightweight composite materials, for example in the areas of energy generation, mobility by road, rail and air, and in agriculture.
‘Lightweight construction is a key technology for saving resources and energy,’ said Markwald.
energy,’ said Markwald. Since 1995, his company has continuously expanded its expertise in the processing of glass fibre (GRP) and carbon fibre composites (CFRP). ‘Our expertise in aircraft construction is also the basis for our current industrial applications in many sectors,’ said Markwald. Lightweight construction, precise shaping, stability and efficiency are particularly important in gliding. ‘We can transfer this to many other applications’.
In addition to GRP and CFRP, bio-based raw materials will also be used in the future. ‘We are currently developing materials made from flax and hemp, which we can also give solid forms using bio-based resins,’ said Müller. These raw materials could also be grown by farmers in the region.
Specific development projects and products that the visitors learnt about during the factory tour included a lightweight vehicle frame for agricultural machinery, corrosion-free components for hydroelectric power plants, parts for wind turbines, a small wind turbine and the planning approach for an electrically powered short-haul aircraft.
‘We are also making our own production increasingly sustainable,’ said Müller. Following measures to save energy, for example by optimising the compressed air systems or switching to LED lighting, the next step is to generate energy independently using photovoltaics and, if possible, a hydrogen storage solution. ‘We can then also use the hydrogen to heat the paint shop, which is currently still fuelled by natural gas,’ says Müller. ‘Our goal is to achieve completely CO²-neutral production here at the site by 2026,’ added Markwald.
‘There is a lot of potential for innovation in medium-sized companies like ours,’ says Markwald. However, these companies cannot realise larger development projects from their cash flow. ‘That's why we expressly welcome the existing state funding programmes for technical innovation projects,’ says Markwald. In many cases, however, decisions take too long. ‘This can lead to decisive competitive disadvantages.’
Julian Pahlke, a member of the German parliament from Leer, was impressed by the tour of the company: ‘Many of M&D's approaches are technologically and politically promising and, in my opinion, worthy of funding’. Pahlke pledged to support innovative companies like M+D in Berlin. This also includes speeding up bureaucratic decision-making processes, he said.
‘Many of the projects on show fit in perfectly with the times,’ said Nicole Henkel. The M&D portfolio demonstrates a broad range of expertise in the region. ‘We have seen exemplary sustainability projects here,’ said the state parliament candidate.
 (from left) MdB Julian Pahlke and state parliament candidate Nicole Henkel visited M&D managing directors Gregor Müller and Tim Markwald to find out more about small wind turbines like the one in the foreground. |
 M&D Flugzeugbau also integrates so-called homecoming aids into gliders - in this case a battery-electric propeller drive. In the picture (from left): M&D Managing Director Tim Markwald, state parliament candidate Nicole Henkel and MdB Julian Pahlke. |
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M&D Flugzeugbau
Tim Markwald
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