Federal President Joachim Gauck created a lot of media hype in OWL. Among other things, he visited the leading-edge cluster "it's OWL", in which the Lemgo-based Fraunhofer IOSB-INA and the Institute for Industrial Information Technology (inIT) of the OWL University of Applied Sciences as well as the Centrum Industrial IT (CIIT) are significantly involved, in order to inform himself about the future topic Industry 4.0. He was not only interested in the technology, but also in possible jobs in the working world 4.0.
"Since April 2016, the path to the smart factory has led through East Westphalia-Lippe - and now the Federal President knows that, too," said Dr. Oliver Herrmann, President of OWL University of Applied Sciences. For one day, Joachim Gauck visited companies and partners of the technology network "Intelligent Technical Systems OstwestfalenLippe (it's OWL)" and was impressed by the region's performance strength and future viability. The delegation from OWL also included Dr. Herrmann and Professor Dr. Jürgen Jasperneite, heads of Fraunhofer IOSB-INA and inIT. OWL University of Applied Sciences, with its established institutes and research focuses as well as SmartFactoryOWL, a unique research factory at the Lemgo campus, is one of the main pillars in the Leading-Edge Cluster and is characterized by its research strength and high level of expertise in the field of industrial automation and Industrie 4.0 technologies. "In the SmartFactoryOWL in particular, we also want to counteract reservations about Industrie 4.0 through close cooperation with companies in the region," says university president Dr. Oliver Herrmann. The Future Factory, with a total investment of 10 million euros, was opened in April 2016 on the initiative of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and the OWL University of Applied Sciences. As a real production environment and demonstration platform, it is an outstanding learning environment for professors and students. However, with its approximately 2,000 square meters, it also offers space for medium-sized companies to test their Industrie 4.0 technologies and develop them further together with the researchers at the Lemgo campus. "We have made it our mission not only to be a pioneer in the field of Industry 4.0, but also to bring these technologies to companies," says Professor Jasperneite.