Developing New Materials Together Across 9,000 Kilometers
For three years, ECOMAT, the City of Bremen, and the City of Kobe in Japan have been jointly driving material and process development forward - a partnership that is already demonstrating both scientific and economic success. While the collaboration has primarily focused on hydrogen technology thus far, other technological fields, such as 3D printing, are gaining significant momentum through this cooperation.
Imagine an artificial island on Japans south-eastern coast, in the Kansai metropolitan region with its cities Osaka and Kyoto. In this heavy industrialized area reside companies like Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Kobe Steel, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. It is also the home of the Kobe Material Testing Laboratory (KMTL), one of Japan’s largest independent material testing labs.
Recently, the laboratory acquired a facility for material testing under hydrogen atmospheres. Its capabilities include Slow Strain Rate Tests (SSRT), creep tests, fatigue testing, and crack propagation analysis.
These procedures are central to the development of new materials in aerospace, automotive engineering, and other sectors where hydrogen is set to play a key role. They also complement the expertise of the Cryo Lab at the Bremen ECOMAT, which has been testing metals and fiber-reinforced plastics for tensile, compressive, and strain behavior at temperatures down to -253°C for the past year.
KMTL and ECOMAT Exchange Development Expertise
This synergy is one of the reasons the Bremen-based research center agreed to a collaboration with KMTL in 2025 via a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) - establishing a partnership spanning over 9,000 kilometers.
"We want to exchange new approaches and technologies, jointly develop test procedures, and advance material characterization," explains Dr. Hubertus Lohner, Chairman of the technology platform ECOMAT e.V., regarding the objectives.
Signing of the MoU in Kobe
How do the Japanese City of Kobe and Bremen Collaborate?
The cooperation with KMTL is neither the first nor the only connection between the Hanseatic city and Japan, specifically the City of Kobe. The cross-border cooperation began back in 2022 when representatives from both cities visited each other and explored common ground during online events.
"Kobe and Bremen are similar; both are maritime cities with a significant share of their respective countries' port and logistics volume. They both possess heavy industry, high technology, and significant research facilities, are actively involved in hydrogen, and are home to major Airbus sites," notes Lohner.
Milestones of the Collaboration So Far:
- 2022: Joint online workshop
- 2023: Booth at the Paris Air Show
- 2023: Bremen delegation visits Kobe
- 2023: Kobe delegation visits Bremen
- 2024: Bremen delegation visits Kobe
- 2024: Booth at ILA Berlin: Signing of an MoU between the City of Kobe and ECOMAT
- 2024: Networking Event for Bremen and Kobe Companies at ECOMAT
- 2025: ECOMAT delegation visits Kobe
- 2025: Signing of MoU between KMTL and ECOMAT
Bringing the Strategy to Life
Much has happened over the past three years. "This 'getting to know' process was important to understand the respective working methods and explore opportunities on political, institutional, and industrial levels," Lohner explains.
During these meetings, a joint strategy with the City of Kobe crystallized, resulting in the launch of a 5-year project with shared goals and measures. Additionally, further contacts were developed with the neighboring cities of Osaka and Kyoto, which, together with Kobe, form the Kansai metropolitan region.
Further Planned Projects:
- Kobe University: Pilot project for the development of new coatings and the launch of a student exchange program starting in 2026.
- Kyoto University: Joint workshops and potential participation in the student exchange program.
- Yamaguchi University: Planned participation in the student exchange program.
- Industrial Technology Center of Fukui Prefecture: Joint workshops.
A japanese delegation visits ECOMAT in 2022
Bremen Industry Also on Board
Alongside scientific collaboration, the inclusion of industrial partners is a central component of this German-Japanese cooperation. It is already evident that this intercontinental partnership is generating concrete economic momentum.
Examples from Recent Collaboration:
- Kobe International Industrial Fair 2025: ECOMAT trade fair appearance as part of the Northern German HY-5 hydrogen strategy - establishing contact with over 500 companies.
- Corporate Visits: Visits to Yamamoto Electrics, ShinMaywa, HyTouch Kobe, Airbus Helicopter Japan, and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, which laid the foundation for cooperative projects.
- MoU: Agreement signed between KMTL and ECOMAT.
- Business Relations: Establishment of business ties between ECOMAT partner WeserCAD and a company in Osaka in the field of 3D printing.
"We are at the beginning of an evolving collaboration that moves both sides forward. A particular memory for me is that the Deputy Mayor of Kobe explicitly mentioned ECOMAT as the only international entity in his opening speech at the Kobe International Industrial Fair 2025. This shows: We are perceived there as an important partner," shares Hubertus Lohner.
Looking to the future, he believes these approaches can be expanded even further. "We have many shared topics that we haven't touched yet but which offer potential. I am thinking of areas such as thermoplastics and composite materials, 3D printing, fire protection, as well as maintenance and repair in aircraft construction. We already have strong competencies here in Bremen at ECOMAT and among our partners, which also are industrial focal points in the Kansai region."
Hubertus Lohner is happy to support companies and institutions interested in closer cooperation with Japanese industrial firms and institutes at any time:
Hubertus Lohner
ECOMAT Board of Directors
Board of Ecomat e.V.
+49 (0)421 538 5826
hubertus.lohner@airbus.com
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