The German vehicle industry and its suppliers are under increasing pressure. Layoffs and plant closures are symptoms of a profound change in the industry as it transitions from combustion engines to more sustainable alternative drive systems. At the same time, new vehicle concepts, such as electrically powered small and micro vehicles, are gaining in importance and creating additional pressure to innovate. This development poses significant challenges for established manufacturers and suppliers, requiring rapid but strategic adjustments along the entire value chain. What form should these take in order to remain competitive and innovative in a global market environment that is rapidly moving towards zero-emission mobility? Supporting the automotive industry and its suppliers in their digital transformation towards greener and more efficient production is the goal of a new real-world laboratory at PTZ Berlin. 

Prof. Dr. h. c. Dr.-Ing. Eckart Uhlmann, director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology IPK and of the Department of Machine Tools and Manufacturing Technology at the Institute for Machine Tools and Factory Management IWF at the Technical University of Berlin, officially opened the laboratory today at the start of the 4th network forum of the Regional Transformation Network for the Vehicle and Supplier Industry Berlin-Brandenburg (ReTraNetz-BB). "The ReTraNetz-BB real-world laboratory offers practical support and enables companies to successfully master the transformation. The network partners have clearly identified the key challenges facing the industry, including energy monitoring and the shortage of skilled workers. The laboratory thus provides an important basis for future research projects as well as for university teaching and the education and training of skilled workers," said Prof. Uhlmann.

The lab offers everything needed to achieve these goals: modern manufacturing and assembly technologies for developing innovative process chains, a test environment for validating and optimizing new technologies, and targeted knowledge transfer through practice-oriented training programs. The digital production assistant being researched in the lab could make a decisive contribution to overcoming the shortage of skilled workers. As a multilingual digital colleague, this assistance system can accompany skilled workers through their daily production routine, regardless of their level of education or language skills. In practice, it can be thought of as an application running on an edge device such as a tablet. It communicates with the worker via voice or text, providing real-time, data-driven information about work organization or processes, as well as specific step-by-step instructions for troubleshooting.

In order to ensure the long-term effectiveness and success of the transformation of the vehicle and supplier industry, it is essential that innovation efforts in this area are sustained. Interested companies can use the lab as a test environment for their own developments. A modular Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) infrastructure enables flexible integration of new technologies. Production support systems and comprehensive energy monitoring assist employees and help identify energy-saving potential.