When he took the Chair of Machine Tools and Manufacturing Engineering and became Head of the Institut für Werkzeugmaschinen und Fertigungstechnik (IWF) at the Technical University of Braunschweig in 1988, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Engelbert Westkämper had the goal to add new accents to the institute's traditional fields of research: manufacturing strategies, manufacturing logistics, CIM and quality assurance.

This led him to start an own business: In 1991, he founded IAP - Institut für Angewandte Produktionstechnologie GmbH, a consulting company being completely independent from university. His idea was to have a team of young, highly motivated engineers developing specific customer solutions at the interface of science and industry and doing a PhD at the end similarly as they would have done at university. The primary objective was not a rapidly prospering enterprise with according profit maximization but to provide progressive industrial research through creative project work.

Success proved him right: The corporate concept was accepted; the customers – at the beginning mainly railcar, automotive and electronics manufacturers – were convinced by the consulting services of IAP GmbH.

In 1995, Professor Westkämper was appointed as Managing Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA) in Stuttgart and Head of the Institut für Industrielle Fertigung und Fabrikbetrieb (IFF) at the University of Stuttgart. This meant that, henceforth, senior staff members of IAP GmbH took over the company's operational management. New customers were gained and the line of business was being extended to the commercial vehicle and aircraft industry. In 2002, another two partners joined IAP GmbH: Dipl.-Ing. Clemens Aulich and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Uwe Dombrowski. This expansion implicated further changes: In 2003, Professor Westkämper assigned the management of IAP GmbH to Professor Dombrowski. New goals were set, the company's profile of competence was sharpened, internal structures and professionalism were improved and the outside image had a complete makeover. Today, Professor Dombrowski is taking on the management of IAP GmbH together with Dipl.-Ing. Dipl.-Wirtsch.-Ing. Malte Medo, who is responsible for the operational business.

Now, after 19 years, IAP GmbH is a well established consulting company among its own kind. Not least, a significant increase in turnover and the number of employees are evidence of the company's development. But: IAP's basic concept of turning creativity and the fresh eyes of young engineers into successful innovative project work has not changed, and the PhD as the ultimate goal still plays a major role.

Presently, IAP GmbH counts 23 permanent employees and a number of free lancers and student assistants from the fields of engineering, IT, economics and technical language. In addition, IAP has access to a vital network of specialists in Germany and abroad, e.g. in the field of design/construction of industrial facilities, eco-management or software engineering. This permits to flexibly extend the range of skills if required and to achieve the best possible results for the customer also in the case of very specific challenges. And, since IAP GmbH still regards itself as a mediator between engineering science and industrial practice there is a close on-going cooperation with different institutes and research groups of the Technical University of Braunschweig.

In other words: IAP GmbH is and will also be in future a reliable and competent partner of the manufacturing industry in terms of innovative technical and management consulting services.