TRL AND MRL

Point of view

by Dr. Fridolin Sommer, Lisa Buchenauer, Kilian Stich and Dr. Thomas Trautmann

At a glance

Innovation-driven industries are facing an ever lasting need to balance technological ambition with feasibility. While new technologies come with competitive advantages, their path from mere concept to scalable production is often characterized by uncertainty. Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) and Manufacturing Readiness Levels (MRL) offer proven frameworks to provide enhanced transparency across this path, showing whether a product is not only technically mature but also producible at scale.

However, maturity assessments come with their own challenges: Complex systems, unclear scope, subjectivity, and resource misalignments frequently undermine their added-value. Effective application requires more than standardized checklists. It demands business-driven approaches adjusted to organizational goals. When embedded into product development processes, TRL and MRL foster structured decisionmaking, sharpen resource allocations, and strengthen risk transparency, enabling companies to transform uncertainty into strategic clarity and long-term profit.

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