World of work.plus
- World of work.plus
- 01.10.2020 - 30.09.2025
- Federal Ministry of Education and Research
- The future of work
- 972.000€
- Prof. Dr. Eckhard Koch
- Teresa Fritsch, Melanie Rudolph-Puls, Florian Wortmann
- it's OWL Clustermanagement GmbH, Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, Fraunhofer Institute for Mechatronics Design Technology, Fraunhofer IOSB Industrial Automation Division, Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences, Bielefeld University, Paderborn University, Atos Information Technology GmbH, Bette GmbH, Bosch Rexroth AG, Deutsche Ange- stellten-Akademie OWL, Dr. August Oetker Nahrungsmittel KG, Herbert Kannegiesser GmbH, itelligence AG, Lenze SE, Miele & Cie KG, WAGO Kontakttechnik GmbH & Co. August Oetker Nahrungsmittel KG, Herbert Kannegiesser GmbH, itelligence AG, Lenze SE, Miele & Cie. KG, WAGO Kontakttechnik GmbH & Co. KG, Weidmüller Interface GmbH & Co. KG, IG Metall Bezirksleitung NRW
Researching the use of AI in companies in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe region
Arbeitswelt.Plus project: AI in the working world of industrial SMEs
Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing our world forever. Voice recognition in cell phones is just one example of how artificial intelligence has already arrived in our everyday lives. The business world in particular is being captivated by the new technological possibilities. Algorithms determine and optimize organizational processes and allow an overall increase in productivity. Due to the increasing complexity and dynamism of the working world, there is also a need for medium-sized companies to introduce AI systems in order to remain successful in the long term.
- But what does this mean for society, for the company and for employees? How is the use of artificial intelligence changing our working world – today and tomorrow?
- How can companies use this type of technology profitably for companies and employees?
The competence center “AI in the working world of industrial SMEs” (Arbeitswelt.Plus), which was launched on 1 October 2020 as part of the it’s OWL cluster of excellence, is focusing on this topic. Five universities, including the FHDW, several companies and IG Metall are looking for answers to the questions surrounding the topic of AI in the world of work and are researching specific approaches to workplace design, employee training and change management in industrial SMEs.
The Competence Center Arbeitswelt.Plus is a joint research project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with 10.7 million euros (project volume 12.2 million euros) in the period from October 2020 to September 2025. In total, only two out of 47 applications were directly selected in the BMBF’s “Competence Center for Labor Research” tender. According to Prof. Dr.-Ing. Roman Dumitrescu, project coordinator at it’s OWL Clustermanagement GmbH, this is a “huge success for Ostwestfalen-Lippe”.
Arbeitswelt.Plus is coordinated by the leading-edge cluster it’s OWL and implemented jointly by the FHDW, Paderborn University, Bielefeld University, TH OWL, Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, Fraunhofer IEM and Fraunhofer IOSB-INA as well as the companies Atos, Bette, Bosch Rexroth, Deutsche Angestellten-Akademie OWL, Dr. Oetker, Kannegiesser, itelligence, Lenze, Miele, WAGO, Weidmüller and IG Metall.
The overall project is divided into four overarching work packages. In work package 1 (research), central topics of work research are examined in the context of AI applications. Eight lighthouse projects are to be carried out as part of work package 3 (AI application). The research results from work packages 1 and 3 will be processed in work package 2. The aim of work package 2 (SME-oriented service offerings) is to develop SME-oriented service offerings and then implement these as transfer projects for SMEs in work package 4 (transfer).
FHDW ensures the transfer of research to companies
The FHDW is characterized by its regional contacts and also promotes application-oriented research in this project. The aim is to transfer the research findings profitably into business practice. Specifically, the FHDW is involved in all four work packages. It is responsible for two work packages.
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Prof. Dr. Eckhard Koch coordinates the research activities of the FHDW. Three professors work in his team. The team is made up of the following members:
Prof. Dr. Angelika Röchter together with research assistant Katharina Freise, is responsible for the ergonomic support of the project – from change management to the design of a human-centered workplace (work package 1).
Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Nüßer together with research assistant Teresa Fritsch, is responsible for the conceptualization of knowledge and information offerings for SMEs and the interested public and accordingly promotes the transfer of practical experience (work packages 2 and 4).
Prof. Dr. Christian Ewering is working with Florian Wortmann on the major lighthouse project “ImpliKIt”, which is being implemented with various companies. The lighthouse projects (work package 3) in particular promise interesting findings for research and practice.
The ImpliKIt lighthouse project
With “ImpliKIt”, the FHDW is responsible for a lighthouse project that deals with the design of the working environment of medium-sized companies with AI-based knowledge management and decision support systems. The aim is to make the technology of AI usable for various companies and to accompany the conception, implementation and optimization in practice through research. However, the technology is not designed in isolation from practice, but is developed, implemented and optimized specifically for selected companies.
In practice, this could look like the following: In the future, AI-based predictions will be made about congestion in production in order to intervene in advance. AI-based decisions are used to change further process steps so that no congestion occurs. Peak workloads for employees could thus be avoided. Another idea is the integration of a voice assistant in controlling, which can be used to “warn” managers about changing figures in the car on the way to work in the morning, for example.
ImpliKIt is supported by the FHDW, FH Bielefeld, IG Metall and Bette GmbH & Co KG. In addition, ORDIX AG, Diamant Software GmbH, Konrad Reitz Ventilatoren GmbH & Co. KG and Spier GmbH & Co. Fahrzeugwerk KG are involved in the lighthouse project as industrial subcontractors.
Although the ImpliKIt lighthouse project is fundamentally in the field of business informatics, it is also viewed from an occupational science perspective. In this context, the human-centered perspective plays a major role. In order to be able to transfer the research findings profitably into corporate practice, acceptance of the new technology by employees plays a particularly important role. Aspects such as the involvement of employees in the analysis phase, the creation of transparency during implementation and employee skills training are therefore considered. The employee side is therefore considered and researched in all phases of the project.
Supported by:
This research and development project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in the program “Future of Work” program (funding code 02L19C117) and supervised by the Project Management Agency Karlsruhe (PTKA). The FHDW is responsible for the content of this publication.