10 Years R&D - Story of Success Wood Carinthian Competence Center (W3C)
Exactly ten years ago the Wood Carinthian Competence Center (W3C) was founded in St. Veit/Glan, as one of four locations of the “Kompetenzzentrum Holz GmbH” in Austria. Since then, an impressive chapter of successful research, development and innovation in Carinthia has been written. Because of close cooperation with numerous business partners from the wood material industry, a value of several hundred million euros were generated and based on the research results a significant number of high-quality jobs have been created in the past decade in Carinthia.
Vice governor Prettner: W3C an Example for Research and Development
To celebrate the 10th year Jubilee of W3C vice-governor Dr. Beate Prettner pointed out the particular importance of research and development at the Carinthian business location and in particular for the wood sector. “Wood is of enormous importance for the Carinthian economy, as this sector occupies a fifth of the total added value in our province”. This demonstrates the necessity of successful research and development, which W3C successfully fulfils.
Dr. Prettner mainly emphasized the close links between research, development and innovation with educational institutions, which the W3C operates proactively. "At W3C, the focus is also on process design and resource efficiency and therefore two main economic factors for success are edited here. The effort of the W3C team to share the existing process knowledge understandably, while motivating and integrating young people, is also exemplary educational work.
St.Veiter Mayor Mock: W3C sustainable Boost for the Economy
For Mayor Gerhard Mock, the W3C brings sustained impetus for economic development of the city and the entire region. "I supported the W3C idea from the beginning, because here research and development know-how was and still is built up." The extensive list of the developed products and innovations filled him as Mayor with great pride. Mock: "I am sure that the ten year story of success will continue in the future."
Schönegger: W3C saves high Quality Skills in Carinthia
On the part of the Carinthian “Betriebsansiedlungs- und Beteiligungsgesellschaft BABEG” CEO Mag. Hans Schönegger underlines the importance of W3C for the business and research location Carinthia. Several times in recent years the decisions for the 26 percent involvement and the provision of public funds have been worth from the perspective of the privince. "The W3C has been able to build high quality and competitive research and development expertise in an important segment of the Carinthian economy. Thereby, the innovational strength of local enterprises has been strongly supported and strengthened in international competition”.
Hultsch: Decentralization and Regionalism as a Success Principle
The advantages of the decentralized structure, having four regional locations of the “Kompetenzzentrum Holz GmbH”, are for CEO DI Boris Hultsch important for the win-win situations developed in the past. “Thereby the functioning connection to the other sites and universities are guaranteed as well as the necessary close cooperation and short lines of communication ensured. The W3C is a best practice example of how we can succeed by means of the principle of regionalism, to entangle business and academia extremely beneficially.“
Lammer: Numerous successful Projects
DI Herfried Lammer, Head of Projects and Services in the W3C, stated some project highlights of the past decade. The most recent example of the successful cooperation of the W3C with industry constitutes an extension investment of FunderMax in St. Veit which was recently presented to the public. "In the future there will be more refined surfaces prepared, based on a common research and development," said Lammer. Another award-winning innovation emerged from the cooperation with “Mondi Frantschach”: Fibromer®, a cellulose fiber reinforced polymer for injection molding, which is mainly used in the automobile and furniture industry.
About the “Kompetenzzentrum Holz GmbH (Wood K plus)”:
The “Kompetenzzentrum Holz GmbH” is a leading research establishment for wood and wood related renewable raw materials in Europe and it has four locations in Austria. One of these is the Wood Carinthian Competence Center (W3C) in St.Veit/Glan. The other three locations are in Linz, Lenzing and Tulln. In W3C 25 scientists focus on wood and paper surface technology, process design and resource efficiency. The province of Carinthia is through the BABEG a shareholder of the “Kompetenzzentrum Holz GmbH” with 26 percent.
TV-Beitrag Bezirks-TV St. Veit
Contact:
Mag. Axel Maier
Maiers Büro Agentur für Öffentlichkeitsarbeit GmbH.
Tel. 0699/12673252
a.maier@maiersbuero.at
Photo: Daniel Waschnig Photography
