34 exhibitors at the OWL joint stand

It's OWL presented new digital solutions for sustainable products, sustainable business processes and a sustainable working environment under the motto "Industry.Zero" in Hanover.

At the joint OWL stand, which is organized by OstWestfalenLippe GmbH, owl maschinenbau and it's OWL, 34 companies, research institutions and networks showcased solutions and experiences from the OWL region. The spectrum ranges from AI and machine learning to smart manufacturing, intelligent energy supply and circular value creation to networked mobility and the working world of the future. With the leading-edge cluster it's OWL - Intelligent Technical Systems East Westphalia-Lippe - the region is a pioneer in artificial intelligence and industrial transformation. The expertise and experience in the fields of AI are an important success factor for sustainable business. That is why it's OWL, as a competence network for Industry.Zero, has set itself the goal of developing East Westphalia-Lippe into a model region for sustainable value creation.

Sustainability and AI are key topics

The projects of the leading-edge cluster have already produced numerous solutions, which were presented to experts in Hanover. Sustainability was a central theme at the joint OWL stand. Under the label "Add Better", the technology company GEA presented solutions that are significantly more efficient and environmentally friendly than their predecessor product. In the it's OWL project "Climate-neutral Business in OWL", or Climate bOWL for short, GEA and other partners are developing an intelligent assistance system that helps companies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions along the value chain.

Metal process specialist Benteler presented how the company manufacturesCO2-reduced steels and steel tubes under the CliMore brand. Phoenix Contact, a manufacturer of connection technology, electronics and automation, presented a model for an "All Electric Society". This vision of the future describes a world in which energy from renewable resources is available in sufficient quantities and is affordable.

How AI can reshape the world of work to relieve the burden on employees was demonstrated by the Arbeitswelt.Plus competence center initiated by it's OWL. Together with IG Metall, companies and research institutions from East Westphalia-Lippe are developing specific applications in the competence center to improve working conditions and reduce the workload of employees using AI. The Delbrück-based bathroom specialist Bette, for example, is achieving this through intelligent production planning. Thanks to an AI solution, the company can predict peak loads in production for up to five hours with an accuracy of around 95%. Bette uses this knowledge to sustainably manage the utilization of machines and workstations in production. At Kannegiesser, the global market leader for laundry technology from Vlotho, an AI system takes over the sorting of dirty laundry thanks to the work in the competence center. This and other AI solutions could be experienced using an interactive Lego model at the trade fair stand.

In addition, the electronics and connection technology company Weidmüller, in collaboration with Fraunhofer IOSB-INA, the University of Paderborn and Eviden, a digital services company, presented an AI-based assistance system that was developed as part of a project by the competence center. The system aims to support employees at manual workstations in troubleshooting.

An interactive Lego model for the data-driven factory of the future was presented by "Datenfabrik.NRW" and showed how AI can help to make production sites in Germany more competitive. In what is currently the largest it's-OWL project, global market leaders Claas and Schmitz Cargobull are working together with NTT Data Business Solutions, Duvenbeck Kraftverkehr and Motion Miners as well as the Fraunhofer Institutes IEM, IML, IOSB-INA and IAIS on new methods and technologies for the companies' production. Thanks to AI, Claas can, for example, examine 500 production orders simultaneously for planning-relevant anomalies. This saves time in planning and avoids unnecessary set-up and scrapping costs. At Schmitz Cargobull, digital images of the production environment are created in the shortest possible time thanks to 3D scans and AI, which support the planning and optimization of a plant expansion.

The it's-OWL initiative Stratosfare showed how companies can benefit from start-ups. The companies Claas, Melitta, Miele and Wago rely on the venture client model and access to a global start-up network to drive innovation in their companies. The model is the easiest way for companies to enter into new collaborations with start-ups. Companies can become early customers (venture clients) of start-ups; they can easily benefit from the start-ups' technologies and thus improve their products, processes or business models.

New technologies for vocational training

Ost Westfalen Lippe GmbH showed how new technologies can be used to shape the vocational training of tomorrow. The projects Weiterbildung 4.OWL, 5G Lernorte OWL and MINT 4.OWL dealt with solutions for tailor-made further training, 5G learning scenarios and learning factories in training and the teaching of new technologies in mint promotion. Visitors were able to use the Next Learning Creator to develop their own individual training program, use augmented and virtual reality to maintain a 3D printer and immerse themselves in a 5G learning factory. Visitors to the fair were also able to construct a sustainable bridge using a 3D printing pen.