VOL. 54 ISSUE 27 JULY 11, 2017 P33
KTM OPENS NEW R&D CENTER
K
TM AG has opened a new
R&D Center in Rosenheim,
Germany, which as of now, is
the workplace of new employ-
ees. The new site benefits from
its close proximity to a local
higher education institution and
the resulting pool of experts.
This was an important criterion
for selecting the location of
the site, which will concentrate
above all on electronics de-
velopment in the motorcycle
segment.
On July 5, 2017, the official
opening ceremony for KTM's
new R&D Center took place in
Rosenheim. The site's focus is
on electronics development in
the motorcycle segment – from
ideas to preliminary develop-
ment, prototype design and the
implementation of new process-
es right through to innovative
concepts. Systems that facilitate
digital connectivity between the
rider and motorcycle, and follow-
ing on from that, interconnected
vehicles for long-term accident
prevention ("Connected motor-
cycles") 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 in-
novations enable us to meet the
high expectations of our custom-
ers 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 Mattig-
hofen and Munderfing sites and
thus further strengthened and
expanded the Austrian location.
With the opening of the new
KTM R&D Center in Rosenheim,
we are continuing this trend in
Germany."
The new KTM R&D can
accommodate up to 30 em-
ployees. It is part of the KTM
R&D department in Mattighofen
and also reports to that site.
"The idea of opening a new site
came to us around two years
ago," says site manager Klaus
Krumpholz. "We have taken on
seven members of staff already
and I am looking forward to ex-
panding 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 selection criterion for
Rosenheim was the existence of
a local higher education institu-
tion and the resulting availabil-
ity of competent development
engineers in the region. The
KTM R&D Center in Rosenheim
therefore has the best possible
chance of recruiting additional
experts and driving further
growth. CN
DESALLE STAYS WITH KAWASAKI
C
lement Desalle isn't going anywhere soon after
re-upping his contract with the Monster Energy
Kawasaki Racing Team for the FIM MX World Cham-
pionship. The Belgian, who is currently second in
the MXGP class, will remain with the team through
the 2019 season.
"It's good to sign so early in the season, as at
some stage you start thinking about your future, but
now I can focus entirely on each race and each GP
to get the best results for all of us," said Desalle. CN
Clement Desalle will remain with Kawasaki through 2018.
PHOTOGRAPHY
COURTESY
MONSTER
ENERGY
