The Technology and Innovation Centre (TIZ) in Grieskirchen, Austria, is one of the most modern component test centres in Europe. On 11 January, 2022, Markus Achleitner, Regional Minister for the Economy, together with the three stakeholders and the Managing Director of the centre attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the third expansion phase. The agricultural machinery manufacturer PÖTTINGER is one of the stakeholders along with the Municipalities of Grieskirchen, St. Georgen, Tollet and the Business Upper Austria agency. This phase sees more space being created: TIZ 3 is a new building with about 1,800 m2 of workshop space and approx. 500 m2 of office space for an investment of around EUR 6.3 million. Completion of TIZ 3 is scheduled for December 2022.

Markus Baldinger, PÖTTINGER Managing Director for Research, Development and Digitisation, said: The TIZ Technology and Innovation centre is the heart of the PÖTTINGER quality assurance system. For more than 18 years now, machines have been tested here for their quality and suitability for field conditions. This is where research, development and testing come face to face. The testing centre is one of the most modern in the agricultural industry worldwide and has an excellent reputation. These tests save time and money: up to 75 percent compared to testing in the field. Within a relatively short period, machines can be subjected to a lifetime's worth of stress and strain. A workload test on the component testbed that is completed in a couple of months replicates field testing that for large machines would normally extend to 30,000 hectares and take longer than 5 years." PÖTTINGER machines are designed to deliver the best working results. To achieve that, the technology needs to work perfectly. In addition, the centre can provide other international customers from the aerospace, mechanical engineering and electromobility industries with the extended range of professional services.