AI5Production: digitalization solutions for Austria's manufacturing companies

AI5Production supports Austrian manufacturing companies with up to 2,999 employees with their digitalization and offers a comprehensive range of services. As part of the European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH) initiative, AI5Production acts as a central point of contact to make companies fit for the challenges of digital transformation. Services include access to research infrastructure and expertise to support digital transformation efforts, as well as assistance in securing funding for investments.

In close cooperation with the hub's partners, companies develop individual research and development approaches. AI5Production provides access to infrastructure for tests, measurements and test series as well as the development of new products and processes. This offering is complemented by a diverse training programme that includes courses, webinars and workshops on relevant topics relating to digitalization and Industry 5.0.

The project consortium includes 16 Austrian companies and both university and non-university research institutions based in Vienna and Upper Austria. Project coordination is managed by the Pilot Factory Industry 4.0 at TU Wien. Alongside TU Wien, University of Vienna, and JKU, other partners include AIT, Profactor, as well as several competence centers and industry partners.

The AIT Austrian Institute of Technology offers bundled expertise from five Centers.

Christian Bechinie, Center for Technology Experience, emphasizes the human-centric focus: “People should always be at the heart of technology development and innovation. This is precisely why it is important to support SMEs in terms of Industry 5.0 - sustainable, resilient, human-centered – and human-centered AI on their path to digital transformation in the best possible way and, above all, from a user-centric technology experience perspective.”

Mario Drobics, Center for Digital Safety & Security, underlines the importance of key digital topics such as artificial intelligence and cyber security: “AI5Production enables us to support SMEs in the central aspects of digitalization – from AI and data ecosystems to cyber security – and thus lay the foundation for new business models in companies.”

The Center for Energy, under the coordination of Gerhard Zucker, is focusing on the sustainable digitalization of the built environment: “As part of the DRIVE-THRU test-before-invest programme, the Center for Energy is contributing its expertise in the field of digital resilience and sustainability for the built environment. By developing an open database for technical building equipment (TBE), we are supporting the optimization of digital data consistency in TBE and contributing to the standardization and long-term digitalization of the industry.”

The LKR Leichtmetallkompetenzzentrum Ranshofen as part of the Center for Transport Technologies also contributes its expertise in the field of metal processing, as Gerald Prantl explains: “As part of Test-before-Invest projects, the LKR specifically uses the opportunity to establish contacts with companies from various areas of metal processing and support them in their digitalization projects. This enables the LKR to gain valuable insights into the daily challenges faced by its partners and at the same time to contribute and further develop its expertise in the research field of digitalization. AI5Production also provides the LKR with an important basis for initiating exciting follow-up projects.”