Scientists at the University of Siegen are developing a new type of production cell for sheet metal components for vehicles. With the help of artificial intelligence and flexible manufacturing processes, special car body parts are to be produced profitably in small series.
Individualisation is a social megatrend that does not stop at the car industry: More and more vehicle models are available, more and more elements can be changed. From countless interior details to engine specifications and transmission type, customers can now customise their new car. Thousands of combinations are available for each model. This has a massive impact on production: suppliers have to produce components in many more variants than they did a few years ago – at the same time, the required quantities are falling. But how can companies still produce profitably in the face of these demands? Scientists at the University of Siegen are developing a new type of production cell for car body components: With the help of artificial intelligence and flexible manufacturing processes, individualised sheet metal components are to be produced profitably in it.
On 14.02 2023, an international conference was held to mark the start of the Fusion project. For this purpose, all project partners met from 11:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the “Haus der Siegerländer Wirtschaft”, to exchange ideas in discussions and workshops about the opportunities and challenges within the individual subprojects of the project.
Since February 2023, Enzo Frenker-Hackfort and Robert Fischbach are supporting the Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) research group led by Prof. Dr. Ludwig at the University of Siegen.
Our RegioQuest research project is entering the final stretch. Now it’s time to put the finishing touches on the project and ensure its long-term success. In addition to the planned school workshops at the end of March, we would like to invite companies from the South Westphalia region to inform themselves about the current status of the research project, to place job offers, quests and events, and to engage in a friendly exchange about the research project.
For more information on workshop dates, format and registration, please visit the following link: Register Now
We warmly welcome Shubham Shinde to our Cyber Physical Systems team. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from Savitribai Phule Pune University and has worked as a Software Developer. In October 2022 he joined the Masters’s program in Computer Science at the University of Siegen. Shubham is a passionate developer and really enjoys designing and developing interfaces for the web. We are very happy that he is supporting our projects in 2023.
The partners of the Future Center for AI NRW presented the results of one and a half years of consulting and qualification practice on 28 November 2022 at the symposium “Shaping transformation together and qualifying employees” in Düsseldorf. Successful practical examples and success factors for digitalisation in SMEs were presented.
The two labour market experts Fabian Langenbruch (BMAS) and State Secretary Matthias Heidmeier (MAGS) reported on changes in the world of work and on support services offered by the federal and state governments to secure skilled labour in the context of the corporate digital and ecological transformation, especially of SMEs in NRW.
For the first consortium meeting of the research project BIMPUT, the consortium leaders, project partners and some associated partners met with “Projektträger Karlsruhe” (PTKA – Project Management Agency Karlsruhe) in a relaxed atmosphere on December the 6th after a little more than one year of project runtime. Appropriately for St. Nicholas, coffee and cake were served while Kevin Krings, as a research associate of the Chair of Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) and the “Institut für Wirtschaftsinformatik” (IWI – Institute of Information Systems) at the University of Siegen, led through the meeting.
Since the beginning of December, the CPS is supported by our new research assistant Sahil Anand. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electronics and telecommunications engineering and a diploma in network security. While completing his master’s degree in computer science at the University of Siegen, Sahil will contribute to our projects from the technical side as a frontend developer. We welcome him warmly to the team!
The European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH) South Westphalia was launched on 01 November 2022. We are pleased to take over the project coordination of the project within the framework of the “Digital Europe” programme.
The goal of the European Digital Innovation Hubs is the transfer of digital technology research to marketable applications. The focus here is on the areas of artificial intelligence, cyber security and the development of deeper digitization competences.
South Westphalia is characterized by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Among them are more than 150 so-called “hidden champions”, i.e. companies that are among the European and global market leaders in niche markets.
The strategic orientation of EU policy and the dual objective of making Europe greener and more digital pose challenges for the rather traditional industry in South Westphalia.
The focus is therefore on providing the best possible support for SMEs in South Westphalia in coping with digitization. For this reason, the strongly European-oriented EDIH represents a particular benefit for the South Westphalian economy with its high export rate. The economic success of SMEs in South Westphalia is based on the know-how of the employees, which has grown over decades. The transformation can therefore only succeed in a relationship of social partnership. Employees should be closely involved in the development of new concepts and receive training.
The EDIH Südwestfalen consists of a strong association of experienced partners. In addition to the South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences and the Ruhr University Bochum, the Gesellschaft zur Wirtschafts- und Strukturförderung im Märkischen Kreis mbH, the gemeinnützige Gesellschaft für digitalisierte und nachhaltige Zusammenarbeit mbH (DNZ) from Siegen, as well as the HAGEN.WIRTSCHAFTSENTWICKLUNG GmbH are also involved as partners.
On 15.10.22, Kaycie Chute joined our team as well. Kaycie acquired her bachelor’s degree in industrial design in Philadelphia. Afterwards she worked in a makerspace that aimed to give young people access to technology and design. This work inspired her to move to Germany and start her HCI Master in Siegen. In her free time she practices the martial art Muay Thai. We warmly welcome Kaycie to the team and are happy that she supports our projects with her expertise!
