Prof. Ludger Frerichs retires

With effect from 1 October 2026, Prof. Dr. Ludger Frerichs (67), Professor and Head of the Institute for Mobile Machinery and Commercial Vehicles (IMN) at Technische Universität Braunschweig, is retiring. According to the institute, the succession process is currently underway, and the post is expected to be filled in 2027.

Prof. Dr. Ludger Frerichs. Photo credits: IMN/TU Braunschweig

Before Prof. Frerichs was appointed to the Professorship of Mechanical Engineering in Braunschweig in 2012, he spent 22 years working in industry: 18 years at CLAAS in Harsewinkel, most recently as Head of Pre-Development, and then four years at STILL in Hamburg as Head of Development. He had previously studied Mechanical Engineering in Osnabrück and Braunschweig and obtained his doctorate in Hohenheim. He is well known within the industry not least for his voluntary work. For instance, he served as Chairman of the Max Eyth Society for Agricultural Engineering within the VDI and, through the manufacturers’ associations VDMA and CEMA, founded the European initiative MANUFURTURE-AET, which has successfully promoted agricultural engineering topics in EU research programmes since 2007.

In Braunschweig, he also took on the role of editor-in-chief of the ‘Jahrbuch Agrartechnik’ (Agricultural Engineering Yearbook). Highly regarded even beyond the industry, the yearbook is published annually as a free online resource featuring contributions from around 25 authors. In addition, Frerichs is involved in a wide range of activities: as an author of expert reports for the DFG and other funding bodies; as a reviewer for journals; as chair of the VDI conference ‘Drive Systems in Mobile Machinery’; and as a member of a working group commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Home Affairs (BMLEH) to develop measures for the transition to renewable drive energies.

In his research and development work, Prof. Frerichs has always adopted a holistic, systemic approach, enabling him to delve deeper into the necessary areas through this perspective. This is also reflected in his widely published work on process simulation, process control and process analysis using the DEM, on both practical and visionary drive solutions, and on the complex automation of mobile machinery and commercial vehicles.

Prof. Frerichs has received numerous awards for his work, including from the International Commission of Agricultural Engineers (CIGR) and the European association EurAgEng. He is an honorary professor at the Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Sciences in Gödöllő, Hungary, where he was also awarded the Bánházi Gyula Memorial Medal. In 2026, he was elected to the Albrecht Thaer Society in recognition of his services.