The cross-faculty / trans-faculty semester excursion of the Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences and Mechanical Engineering offered a broad spectrum across all departments.
Once again this year, we organized a joint semester excursion with the students of the Bachelor's degree courses "Ecology and Environmental Protection", "Green Engineering", the Diploma and KIA degree courses "Mechanical Engineering" and the Master's programme "Integrated Management Systems". This time with a broad perspective across all departments, from production-integrated environmental protection, energy and quality management to high-precision mechanical and plant engineering.
Over the course of three days, we visited exciting companies that are directly or indirectly connected in the value creation cycle. The basic materials industry, for example, supplies steel to companies in the mechanical engineering sector, where it is further processed or refined. Mechanical engineering develops and manufactures production systems, tools and technical components for food and animal feed production, for example, or for precision engineering companies such as medical technology. Manufacturing companies form the heart of the value creation network. With their specific requirements for materials, machines and processes, they drive innovation along the entire chain. At the same time, they provide important impetus for more efficient and sustainable processes - for example through optimized production processes, recycling of residual materials or reduced energy consumption. In this way, they have a significant impact on both their suppliers and downstream applications. As a location and infrastructure platform for manufacturing companies, industrial parks take on important tasks such as energy supply, waste management and logistics.
All areas benefit indirectly from the innovations of others. For example, better steel quality can lead to higher lightweight construction quotas in mechanical engineering, which means that plants and production technology are designed to be more energy and resource efficient overall.
ESF Elbe-Stahlwerke Feralpi, whose rolling mill, which opened in spring 2025 and is equipped with an innovative inductive furnace system, can process steel directly after casting, making it particularly climate-friendly to produce - a true pioneer for green steel in Germany.(Feralpi STAHL | Feralpi Stahl).
The Zeitz Chemical and Industrial Park(Industriepark Zeitz), which supports companies and projects that focus on sustainable, circular and "green" chemistry and bundles the appropriate projects and infrastructure at one location.
The start-up FRED & FELIA(FRED & FELIA - premium wet food for dogs & cats), which develops high-quality, healthy and vegan pet food for dogs and cats - from carefully selected raw materials and production processes to packaging and marketing strategies.
Maschinenbau Leicht GmbH(Home), a contract manufacturer of machine tools, which produces medium-sized to very large precision parts, assemblies and complex machines and gave us an insight into tool preparation, production, assembly and the company's high quality requirements.
Our students were given questions about each company that were linked to the learning objectives of the respective course and were discussed together during the bus rides between the stops. The insights gained from this impressively demonstrated how closely technical and ecological issues are linked and how much an interdisciplinary approach broadens, deepens and enriches the perspectives of all subject areas.
Against this background, we look forward to further strengthening this cooperation in teaching, research and transfer in the future and to developing and living it together in our new faculty and in interdisciplinary degree programs in line with our university development concept 2030+.
