AI makes flexible automation economical

Production: What was more demanding during the conversion of the Erlangen equipment plant (GWE) while operations continued: technology or cultural change?

Stephan Schlauß: The question is deliberately not to be hierarchized in the Erlangen equipment plant: Technological transformation and cultural change were equally demanding, but above all inseparably intertwined with one another. Precisely because the plant in many cases ventured into technologically new territory, for example in the use of AI, software‑defined automation or digital twins, it simultaneously needed a culture that actively promotes a willingness to experiment, readiness to learn, and the courage to change. Conversely, the following applies: Many of these technological steps would not have been feasible without the accompanying cultural change. At the same time, the successful use of new technologies compels working methods, decision-making processes, and qualifications to be continuously further developed. Digitalization is therefore less a pure technology project than rather a socio‑technical transformation program in which 'People, Processes and Technology' work together.

Production: Does AI-supported, flexible automation now also make medium volumes economically automatable?

Stephan Schlauß: Yes, AI marks a decisive turning point here. Only through AI-based methods is it possible to equip automation with previously 'human' abilities such as perception, adaptability, or contextual understanding. This makes flexible automation solutions economical that are suitable not only for high quantities, but also for medium and increasingly even small volumes. In the GWE, this is exemplified in applications such as vision-guided robotics or AI-driven intralogistics, which can handle a variety of variants without rigid preprogramming. In parallel, end-to-end digitalization based on the digital twin considerably reduces engineering effort, for example through simulation, virtual commissioning, and automated data generation. This significantly shifts the economic threshold downward: automation becomes scalable for high-mix-/mid-volume environments, that is, a typical production profile such as in Erlangen with more than 1,000 product variants.

Production: At what point did you set the starting point for the factory conversion and how did you continue to drive the project forward?

Stephan Schlauß: The transformation of the Gerätewerk Erlangen is not a classic project with a defined beginning and end, but rather a continuous transformation across several stages of development. The starting point was the Lean Factory, which gradually developed further into the ‘Green Lean Digital Factory’ and is today being continued in the direction of an AAA+ factory (adaptable, autonomous, ai-powered factory). The guiding principle throughout was always a problem- and potential-driven approach: Starting from concrete challenges, the next transformation steps were derived in a targeted way, both technologically and organizationally. What is decisive is the holistic perspective: From product development through engineering all the way to the shop floor, all elements are viewed in an integrated way and coordinated with one another. The transformation takes place evolutionarily, but consistently, meaning that each stage of development builds on the previous one. In this way, no isolated leap in innovation emerges, but rather a resilient overall system that continues to develop continuously and at the same time remains stable during ongoing operations.