New Flagship powered by KI.NRW: Minister Pinkwart launches »Datenfabrik.NRW« at Claas and Schmitz Cargobull

© Claas

Artificial intelligence for production and logistics

How does the production of the future supported by artificial intelligence look like? The project »Datenfabrik NRW« aims to pioneer and shape the digital transformation within a real production environment. The Minister of Economics and Digitization, Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart, presented a funding notification of almost 9.2 million euros from state funds for this purpose on October 26, 2021. KI.NRW will affiliate the data factory as a flagship project and accompany the work in terms of communication under the slogan »powered by KI.NRW«.

Minister Pinkwart: “The manufacturing industry is an essential economic factor in North Rhine-Westphalia. The Datenfabrik.NRW project is making an important contribution to ensure this in the future and that our economy is equipped for the digital transformation in the best possible way. I am pleased that we can concentrate the knowledge and experience of global market leaders and top research institutions in this project to make the manufacturing industry in our state fit for the future.”

The »NRW Data Factory« is a project of the excellence cluster it’s OWL, in which the companies CLAAS and Schmitz Cargobull together with NTT Data, Duvenbeck Kraftverkehr and MotionMiners as well as the Fraunhofer Institutes IEM, IML, IOSB-INA and IAIS are developing a model for a data-driven factory of the future. Based on the most innovative processes and by using artificial intelligence, the factory design, production, logistics and enterprise architecture of the user companies will be analyzed and transformed in pilot areas. In addition, a strategic action framework for change management and an IT infrastructure will be developed so that technology and knowledge transfer can find broad appeal beyond the borders of NRW.

Dr. Christian Temath, Managing Director of KI.NRW: “In this pioneer project AI systems are used directly in real-world environments of factory planning, production, logistics and enterprise architecture. The strong partners in NRW are thus demonstrating that AI is no longer a dream of the future but is already a genuine support for companies – a great example of how the transfer from research to application can succeed. We are therefore very pleased to include the data factory as a lighthouse project at KI.NRW.”

KI.NRW flagships are highly innovative and application-oriented AI projects funded by the state of NRW in individual and joint projects from various sectors, such as mobility, agriculture, production and health. In the Flagships, large companies, SMEs and startups work closely with universities and research institutions to solve socially relevant issues. Under the auspices of KI.NRW, those innovation-driving actors and competencies are networked, the funded projects are accompanied in terms of communication, and the AI location NRW is positioned at European level by marketing the results. The focus is on the enduring transfer and further utilization of the project results.