unternehmen & trends DIGITAL 1/2021

and organizations who join our team for specific tasks of the enterprise. In this context, they can do their PhD, for ex- ample, and return to their company later on, with the knowledge and expertise they have gained with us. So they can act as multipliers in their own organiza- tion. This means that “embedded scien- tists” are actually an approach to further qualifying talented staff from industry who have a large potential by working with us. We do not want to remain in the academic ivory tower and design mod- els that might be of interest for industry. Rather, the Karlsruhe Research Factory is supposed to be a development and test environment where we cooperate with large and small enterprises to work on actual and important issues for new production processes, enabling compa- nies to launch and market their products quickly. The projects we currently have often show us that new products have to be developed simultaneously, while new processes have to be engineered in parallel. This does not only include the process of producing the new product; it sometimes also refers to the processes that lead to innovation. In addition, we constantly try to find new ways to make meaningful use of all the data generated by machine learning or AI. After all, we provide added value to our customers, taking the form of new, modified busi- ness models. This is making excessive demands on some companies, the ev- ery-day life of which is shaped by their dai ly routine. This is why we need a development and test environment in the form of a smart factory, to escape our daily work and find some distance. A number of enterprises have a kind of immune system against innovation. Of- ten, this has to be the case because the ongoing development and produc- tion requires process stability. So it is a rather big challenge to say – okay, we want to start something new, we have a new idea for a product and this is why we need new processes. In this case, it is good to do this cooperatively in an environment that also inspires you. In Lemgo, in the region of Ostwestfalen/ Lippe, we already have a Smart Factory OWL, in which we have gathered positive experience in this respect. There, we find a number of industrial partners who develop ideas together and exchange their experience with their projects. This mere exchange is often enough to trigger innovation. The major point is that, together, the enterprise partners develop ideas they would not have had alone, most likely. We need this test en- vironment to create actual processes. Sometimes, the enterprises do not have any room in their own halls to establish a process transparently and to test it. In that case, it is simply ideal to have a test environment where you can do this. Obviously, you have gathered positive experience with the concept of embed- ded scientists. What are your require- ments for the potential “embedded sci- entist”? Who among the teammembers of an enterprise is particularly suited for this program? Sauer: Usually, embedded scientists are employees of an enterprise who have been working there for a few years and who also have, on a small scale, been in charge of special tasks and projects and now want to take another step in their development. The enterprises propose the employment as an embedded sci- entist as a step for further qualification. These men or women then remain on the payroll of their employer. They work, in part, in the smart factory, where they co- operate with our teams investigating an issue they bring up themselves. At the same time, they continue working in their own company. Alternatively, it is also possible that enterprises have an issue but there is nobody in their own compa- ny who could work on it. This is where we benefit from the neighborhood of the university. We find someone among the PhD students or other researchers to ad- dress the issue. They are then located in our Research Factory, with connection to the enterprise. So when can your smart factory take up operation? What is your ongoing time schedule? Sauer: We assume that the building will be handed over to us as users in April 2021. Right now, we are on schedule. In- side the factory, we have defined test ar- eas of eight by eight meters. These areas can be occupied by enterprises setting up their demonstrators, new processes, machinery and equipment. We can con- nect various research areas in a series to model complete processes and later on we can test new processes. What kind of enterprises can use the Research Factory? Are there any re- strictions with respect to the size of the enterprise or the sector of industry? Sauer: In the Karlsruhe area, there is a very vivid ecosystem of partners with whom we have been cooperating for a long time now. They range from start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises from the region to multi-national groups. Karlsruhe is an ideal location for informa- tion technology for manufacturers. In this city, there are various very renowned re- search institutes in the field of IT. So the smart factory adds another component to the existing cooperation with all these partners. It is not a laboratory; rather, it is a real-life factory including the entire infrastructure needed to set up machin- ery and equipment quickly. We have our own data center for the factory so we can process the generated data quickly. We are connected to the Steinbuch Center for Computing of the KIT. We thus have the complete infrastructure required for modern manufacturing. In addition, our factory has an open, bright and transpar- ent infrastructure, which ensures a pleas- ant working atmosphere. So whom can enterprises contact to ex- press their interest in working with the Smart Factory? Sauer: Interested companies can con- tact me directly or one of the involved institutions. The Karlsruhe Research Factory does not have any legal person- ality is not a legal entity itself. Rather, it is a joint initiative of the three participating institutes. What is your relationship with the Smart Electronic Factory (SEF) association? Sauer: To us, the SEF is very important because we are already cooperating with small and medium-sized enterpris- es within the framework of the SEF and are doing joint research projects. This is a source of information for us to find out what problems and challenges small and medium-sized companies are facing and what competences are needed to be able to solve these issues together. The SEF is an important partner within the network of those enterprises that cannot develop the required competences in the more than complex area of Industrie 4.0 on their own. Enterprises simply cannot do this on their own. Dr. Sauer, thank you very much for the interview and the insight into the Karls- ruhe Research Factory. Source: Vogel IT-Medien Gmb Dr.-Ing.Olaf Sauer https://t1p.de/ng2m Embedded Scientists in der Forschungsfabrik https://t1p.de/jzl7 34