Three More Years in Operation
The Mittelstand 4.0 Competence Centre Chemnitz, under the leadership of Chemnitz University of Technology, has received an extension through the year 2021
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Photo: Chemnitz University of Technology
Since August 2016, the Mittelstand 4.0 Competence Centre Chemnitz has brought forth more than 320 internal and external forums, theme days and workshops for more than 14,000 participants, and about 35 implementation and transfer projects for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In addition, they also offer various guides, practical examples, and videos and tools that are free to use on their betrieb-machen.de online portal. These help open up SMEs to the wide potential of economic, organisational and technological offerings available as a part of digitalisation and Industry 4.0. Here, the human being, as the central enabler of these new processes, is always the primary focus. “The positive feedback we have received from companies keeps us motivated to continue working at a high level. Basically, we have built the Competence Centre like a Start-up, from the ground up, and now we can build on a broad range of services, a wide variety of customers and a diverse network. However, we can only achieve impressive results such as these with a highly competent, motivated interdisciplinary team and numerous dedicated partners,” says the Manager of the Competence Centre, Dr. Hendrik Hopf.
In addition to Chemnitz University of Technology and its leading institutes and chairs that are taking part – such as the Institute for Management and Factory Systems from the Professorship of Factory Planning and Factory Management, the Professorship of Ergonomics and Innovation Management, and the Professorship for Private and Intellectual Property Law – more than 25 employees are distributed among project partners Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU, the ICM – Institute of Chemnitz Mechanical and Systems Engineering e.V., TTI Technology Transfer and Innovation Promotion Magdeburg GmbH and the Chemnitz Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In the initial funding phase, which ran until 2019, the TUCed An-Institute for Transfer and Continuing Education GmbH also played an important role as consortium partner of the Centre. The Centre is also supported by the Saxon Chambers of Commerce and Trade, as well as associations and sponsors from the business community.
“Based on previous activities and results, we were selected by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy to receive further funding of 3.7 million euros for the two-year period until July 2021. We are quite pleased, as this acknowledges our strong work and gives us the opportunity to continue offering a competent point of contact for innovation-minded SMEs. The companies will benefit from our expanded topics and formats, as well as the offerings of the Mittelstand-Digital network. These offerings include, for example, the practical utilisation of artificial intelligence, 5G and service robotics within production and work processes,” explains the spokesman for the Competence Centre, Prof. Dr. Ralph Riedel from the Institute for Management and Factory Systems at Chemnitz University of Technology.
Background: Mittelstand-Digital
The Mittelstand 4.0 Competence Centre Chemnitz is part of the funding initiative “Mittelstand 4.0 – Digital Production and Work Processes” by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy in Germany. More information: www.mittelstand-digital.de
Further information is available from Madeleine Dietrich, Mittelstand 4.0 Competence Centre Chemnitz / Chemnitz University of Technology. E-mail info@betrieb-machen.de, Phone + 49 (0) 371 531-19935.
(Translation: Jeffrey Karnitz)
Mario Steinebach
31.07.2019
