Reutlingen Center Industry 4.0

Founded in 2016, the Reutlingen Center Industry 4.0 (RZI 4.0), a cooperation between the Fraunhofer Institutes IPA and IAO and ESB Business School at Reutlingen University, is a research and knowledge center for SMEs in Baden-Württemberg.

The ESB Business School Reutlinger Zentrum Industrie 4.0 project

Founded in 2016, the Reutlingen Center Industry 4.0 (RZI 4.0), a cooperation between the Fraunhofer Institutes IPA and IAO and ESB Business School at Reutlingen University, is a research and knowledge center for SMEs in Baden-Württemberg.

By pooling competences in the field of Industry 4.0, the institution helps small and medium-sized enterprises to optimse products and production processes by using intelligent processes. The Reutlingen Center for Industry 4.0  is already experimenting with robot assistants that will support the skilled workers of the future and hand over components or tools.

From the region for the future

The solutions resulting from the cooperation between companies and the Reutlingen Center Industry Center 4.0  are to become examples of best practices for industry because of their application orientation and consideration of the requirements and opportunities of SMEs.

To the project website

The Reutlingen Center Industry 4.0 is one of five project partners in the 5G Transfer Center for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). SMEs can use 5G technology in the test environments at the transfer center. At Werk150, a private standalone 5G network with two radioheads, various end devices and expert knowledge on 5G, are available. The focus in Reutlingen is on logistical applications (internal and external logistics) and the provision of information in the company.

The RZI 4.0 was deliberately set up at Reutlingen University to promote cooperation and transfer in the many manufacturing companies in the region. Challenging problems are solved at a high scientific level through cooperation with the Fraunhofer institutes. In the process, ESB Business School with its Werk150 forms the interface to SMEs, develops solutions for specific needs and provides support for companies in their implementation.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Peter Ohlhausen

Our project partners

With numerous partners such as Steinbeis, Smart Industry NL, the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation, the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Alliance Industry 4.0 Baden-Württemberg, Brainport Industries, the Steinbeis Europa Center , the Reutlingen Center Industry 4.0 forms the German-Dutch »Fieldlab Artificial Intelligence for Digital Twins« AI4DT. The network supports small and medium-sized enterprises in identifying opportunities in the fields of smart industries, digital twins, artificial intelligence and Industry 4.0, in finding partners or experts, in finding funding opportunities at regional, national or European level and in realising digitisation potential by means of digital twins and artificial intelligence.