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Manufacturing is leaving Earth: what was once science fiction is becoming a strategic field for the future. Falling launch costs and new space industry players are enabling production and services under conditions that are impossible on Earth—from in-orbit maintenance to novel manufacturing processes in microgravity. This issue highlights opportunities, business models, and technological hurdles on the path to value chains in space.

Production in space, of semiconductors for example, offers many advantages for companies. At the same time, high transport costs mean that careful consideration must be given to the production materials being transported. The use of Kalman filters enables (real-time) control from Earth, making space production a cost-efficient option. Machine learning could make it a viable approach even for highly complex production systems.

Learning and skill-enhancing work designs are essential for new work and organizational concepts such as “learning organizations” and “Industry 4.0.” Developing and applying criteria for promoting learning and skills development in digitally transformed work environments enables more effective and efficient work processes, makes work more people-centered, and the AI-based future of work more manageable. Digitalization is also introducing work-integrated learning formats such as online communities, learning platforms, and digital cognitive assistance systems that already meet many of these criteria. In the future, designing work environments that promote learning and skills development will become a central task of corporate training and personnel and organizational development.

Weightless production—just science fiction or already reality? Thanks to new space technologies, the first production processes are now emerging in space that enable materials and structures to be created that are virtually impossible to manufacture on Earth. From ultra-pure fibers to 3D printing of organs, weightlessness is opening up completely new perspectives for industries—and bringing space manufacturing closer to the present than many people think.

European companies are investing heavily in AI. But many AI projects remain stuck in the pilot phase. The fault does not lie with the systems, but no one can explain their results. “The algorithm said so” is not a basis for costly decisions. Backwell Tech’s AI is both smart and transparent. This is how AI can give you a competitive advantage.

Electric trucks (e-trucks) play an important role in reducing CO₂ emissions especially on short distances in pre and post-carriage in combined road-rail freight transport (CT). Using the example of a CT terminal, this article highlights the logistical and energy challenges involved in using e-trucks to establish suitable charging infrastructures and ensuring a reliable power supply.

Due to its weightlessness, space offers enormous opportunities for production. The unique conditions of microgravity, for example, can simplify the development of organs and tissues from the body's own stem cells, allowing therapies to be developed in a more targeted manner. Even though many independent initiatives are currently emerging to explore this and other potential applications, their success is not a foregone conclusion.

Demographic change, skills shortages, and stagnating productivity are threatening the competitiveness of German industry. At the same time, AI and digital assistance systems are opening up new opportunities: they make work more efficient and support skilled workers. But while they have long been part of everyday life, their potential in industry remains largely untapped—this is where this issue comes in with innovative concepts.