10. Mai 2021
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Industrializing the Industry 4.0

Shaping the Digital Future of Laboratories

Hydrogen Economy as Enabler for the European Green Deal

During the last years, companies around the world have been making progress on implementing Industry 4.0 – what has only been a concept not even a decade ago is now becoming reality.
Digitalization is a key factor for laboratories to achieve efficient processes and to offer new products. In a partnership with NEDGEX, the INC Invention Center has developed the software solution LabV and is now entering the pilot phase.
The political course for an area-wide use of hydrogen in tomorrow´s energy supply and mobility has been set and appropriate funding has been initiated. How can you participate in the Hydrogen economy?
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Industry 4.0 – The Industrial Game Changer ?

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Supporters in business, research and politics like to refer to Industry 4.0 as the fourth industrial revolution. In reference to previous industrial milestones, the term describes the digitalization of production facilities with the integration of modern IT systems and the use of AI applications. Industry 4.0 is intended to enable companies to take account of advancing challenges such as mass customization or increases in efficiency. The digitization of production is based on the pillars of networking, information transparency, technical assistance, and decentralized decision-making.

We currently see various implementations of Industry 4.0 all around the world. Basically these are pilot projects that are used to gain experiences with this new kind of technology, and approved under conditions to significantly have a positive economic impact. Disillusionment and frustration set in at many points where the predicted ROIs do not materialize. The prototypically demonstrated solution is often not rolled out across the board because the associated costs (e.g., investment in an appropriate IT infrastructure) exceed the benefits that were still available in the pilot solution.

For the long-term transformation to an Industry 4.0 company, pilot projects are still necessary in order to gather relevant experience, validate the benefits and build up competencies in the company. Following this pilot phase, however, a holistic strategic approach is required in order to identify and, if necessary, define the necessary capabilities of the entire company in perspective as well. Industry 4.0 creates the most added value where information from the entire value chain can be integrated. In most cases, the approaches identified in the pilots will only show their full value once the necessary infrastructure has been established across the board. From our experience, there are already numerous positive examples of this strategic introduction of Industry 4.0. By the way, the strategic introduction should not be confused with a focus on a few providers – the dynamics of Industry 4.0 thrive on the interoperability of small solutions such as industrial apps via standardized interfaces.
The derivation of a sensible strategy for the introduction of Industry 4.0 should take these aspects into account, as well as the fact that the technical possibilities can develop significantly within a short period of time – in order to allow the requirements to grow along with them, farsightedness and experience are therefore necessary in order to also successfully pursue the transformation process in the long term.

The INC Invention Center is your proven expert and companion along the entire transformation process. Worldwide, our engineers have accompanied a large number of companies in the introduction of Industry 4.0, and created strategies for rolling out the concepts from pilots to plant networks. Our experience is that the clear focus on the goal of the overall strategy for digitizing the value chain is important to derive the optimal benefit from the introduction of Industry 4.0!

Digital Solutions for Tomorrow´s Polymer Laboratories

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NEDGEX, the digital innovation unit of the Netzsch Group, and the INC Invention Center have started a partnership with the aim of advancing digitalisation in material testing laboratories.
Together with our two development partners SKZ, one of the most renowned polymer testing laboratories in Europe, and OECHSLER AG, a leading global manufacturer for polymer-based solutions, we have developed the first version of our software LabV, the central data hub in the laboratory, in the last few months and are now starting to enter the pilot phase.
Collecting measurement data from testing devices from different manufacturers for further analysis and reporting is a time consuming and often manual process because there is no manufacturer independent communication standard. This is a big hurdle on the way to digitalization and improving efficiency in the laboratories.
LabV solves this problem by providing a simple way to connect test devices from different manufacturers via CSV import or an ODBC interface. After connecting the test devices, the measurement data is automatically and securely imported and stored in a unified format. The data is organized in an easy-to-use, project-based user interface where all projects and test results can be seen at a glance, further documents can be added and from where the data can be exported for easy analysis and creating reports.
If you have a laboratory for material testing, we are happy to introduce LabV to your company and show you how digitalisation of laboratories can improve your daily routines.
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Hydrogen Economy – Enabler for the European Green Deal ?

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As part of the „European Green Deal“, the European Commission proposed last September to raise the target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to at least 55% by 2030 compared with 1990 levels (the previous target was an emission reduction by at least 40%). The use of hydrogen technologies will play a central role in achieving these targets.
Already today, technologies for hydrogen production, utilization as well as for hydrogen infrastructure are subsidized with several million Euro. Nevertheless, there is still a significant lack of industrializable and standardized components, furthermore systems in all fields of the value chain are missing. Competitive production of this hardware depends largely on the scalability of existing solutions and future ideas, as well as on the definition of norms and standards for processes or materials. Existing fields of innovation in terms of design, material properties or production processes have been identified, but are not being addressed or worked on with sufficient speed.For companies, interesting diversification opportunities can arise here to become part of the hydrogen economy with already existing know-how.
The INC Invention Center is at your side as a competent companion on the exciting journey into the world of hydrogen. Together with you we want to show the potentials in your company and support you in finding the right place in the hydrogen value chain. Starting with an understanding of the market and technology, which we impart through training at different technical levels, we work with you to identify innovation white spots in relevant areas of the hydrogen value chain.
In individual innovation workshops, we match your competencies with the outstanding technological challenges. In this way, we help you become part of a future hydrogen economy. With our network of experts from industry and research, we also support you in implementing the technology and the market so that you can successfully enter the market.
Get in Touch with us to find out more about your opportunities in the Hydrogen Economy
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INC Recruiting Day

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Innovations stand and fall with the right people. It needs staff who take responsibility, find creative solutions and approach their tasks with passion. An important success factor for any company is forward-looking employees who share and live the company’s vision.
Therefore we are pleased to be able to offer our INC members the opportunity to meet high potentials of RWTH Aachen University as part of our „Digital Career Day Innovation“ on June 30th.
We are looking forward to creating potential matches for the future.
As a member of the INC Invention Center, you will have the opportunity to spend an evening on June 30 inspiring your potential employees of the future about you and your company.
At the same time, numerous students, graduates and doctoral candidates are looking forward to the opportunity to get to know you in a relaxed atmosphere and to exchange ideas with you about perspectives in the field of innovation.

Interested in participating? Contact us for further information.

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Upcoming Events

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Opener Training
»The Cycle of Digital Transformation«
INC Technology & Innovation Summit 2021
May 11, 2021: 11 AM
June 23 – 24, 2021
During our Online Session „The Cycle of Digital Transformation“, we will provide you with new knowledge about the digital transformation process, as well as a practical and scientific approach to enable a successful digital transformation. Participation is free of charge!

Find more lectures and courses at our website and
register now

We look forward to high-level speakers from industry and research at the INC Technology and Innovation Summit 2021. As a participant, you will get an exciting overview of the current innovations in Technology and Innovation Management, the Hydrogen Economy as well as from the fields of Artificial Intelligence and Industry 4.0
Don´t miss our two day event in June and register today.