Founded in 2015, the association develops digitalization solutions specifically for the requirements of medium-sized manufacturing companies. At the Smart Electronic Factory in Limburg a. d. Lahn, digital production scenarios are tested under real conditions, validated and put into practice. Its members are companies, universities and research institutions that work together to support SMEs on their path to digital transformation.

Voices from the association

"For medium-sized manufacturing companies, it is crucial that digital technologies do not remain in the laboratory, but are tested in practice and directly applicable," emphasizes Gerd Ohl, Managing Director of Limtronik GmbH and founding member of the association. "At SEF, we test solutions under real conditions and develop concrete concepts that support companies with digitalization - whether in production or in cross-cutting topics such as ESG and PCF."

"Our most recent member survey on the use of artificial intelligence shows that many SMEs are still at the beginning here," adds Prof. Dr. Gerrit Sames from the Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen (THM), also a founding member. "We are therefore developing use cases that focus on the 'low hanging fruit', i.e. realistically implementable applications with recognizable benefits. It is crucial that digitalization remains measurable and brings economic benefits."

"We want to highlight successful practical examples that manufacturing companies can use as a guide," says Ulrike Peter, Managing Director of punctum pr-agentur GmbH, which has provided communications support for the association since it was founded. "The exchange within the association offers valuable orientation and shows how digital technologies can be pragmatically integrated into production and organizational processes."

Uwe Jörk, Head of Consulting & Project Management at PC Tutor, will bring new impetus to the committee.

"Automation and AI-supported tools can significantly simplify processes in production and administration," says Jörk. "At SEF, we want to motivate SMEs to simply try out new technologies and see how they can noticeably reduce workloads and boost productivity."

Strategic priorities

The board election took place as part of the steering committee at Limtronik GmbH in Limburg. In addition to the new election, the focus was on current projects, workshops on digitalization topics and the introduction of new members - including APC-TEC and LIKS. Particular attention was paid to the topics of automation, flexible manufacturing and digital process optimization with AI - key fields of action for the member companies.

"With the new Executive Board and the different areas of expertise, we are in an excellent position. Digitalization and Industry 4.0 remain our core tasks - together with our members, we will continue to consistently drive these topics forward," says Christina Hild, Managing Director of SEF Smart Electronic Factory e.V.

Source: SEF Smart Electronic Factory e.V.