digitalization

Industrial companies in Germany face demographic change and stagnating productivity in an increasingly complex world. Manual assembly remains essential for complex, low-volume products, yet productivity and quality lag due to human variability. This paper introduces a concept and demonstrator for an empathic assembly assistance system that merges a human digital twin and AI-based screwdriver data analytics within a modular architecture. Tightening anomalies are classified, linked to inferred worker states and translated into information and recommendations.

In the era of Industry 4.0, many industrial companies are facing major transformations. In the process of digitalization, factory management is adopting new technologies such as cognitive assistance systems, which has led to changes in work processes. Regarding assembly in the metal and electrical industries, it is unclear to what extent this development has promoted work-integrated learning. Therefore, the topic of this paper is a qualitative analysis that explores employees' perceptions of the learning opportunities and risks presented by cognitive assistance systems. Results: Not all assembly employees benefit equally from these new developments.

Current developments in digitalization and data economy, especially multilateral data sharing platforms, offer the potential to accelerate the implementation of circular economy practices in the manufacturing industry. This article systematically examines the extent to which digitalization could serve as a catalyst for circular economy in the procurement of such companies. As a basis for the following research, eight experts from five leading global manufacturers and suppliers in the automotive and aviation industries were interviewed. This article demonstrates practical hypotheses for the sustainable design of supply chains and proposes two specific use cases for circular economy practices that can proactively counteract the use of resources.

The EU Strategy for sustainable and circular textiles aims to reduce the industry’s environmental impact while at the same time increasing its competitiveness. In this transition towards circularity, firms in the highly fragmented textile value chains need solutions that help overcome barriers and provide support. This paper presents digital solutions that are particularly suited for SMEs and that have been developed with public funding. It aims at encouraging SMEs, not only from the textile industry, to specify their individual transition paths towards circularity and to use digitalization to foster implementation.

Although the concept of double transformation is being intensely discussed in companies, the practical implementation in operational structures often remains unclear. This article sheds light on how digital technologies and environmental sustainability strategies can be developed either synergistically, antagonistically or independently of each other. In addition, it discusses the different experiences of employees in different industries and the varying progress in the introduction of digital and ecological measures. To this end, it will discuss existing research findings and practical examples that pave the way for the successful integration of both transformation processes in companies.