MDZ – Mid Tier Digital Center Rhineland
Motivation
The year 2020 posed major challenges for companies worldwide, including in Germany. Due to the first lockdown in spring and the later second (partial) lockdown as well as the continuous planning uncertainty for companies due to the Covid-19 crisis, a price-adjusted decline of the gross domestic product was recorded in Germany.
The MDZ Rhineland focuses on the manufacturing, skilled trades and services sectors, each claiming specific motivations.
Production
Not least due to high labor costs, demographic change and a lack of natural resources, the state must continue to specialize strongly in production and the refinement of knowledge. This requires target-group-oriented and tailored support services for SMEs that enable the transfer of knowledge from scientific expertise to companies.
Handicraft
Das bestehende Kompetenzzentrum Digitales Handwerk hat in den vergangenen Jahren bereits eine Vielzahl an Erfolgsgeschichten geschaffen, beispielsweise den Einsatz mobiler Endgeräte für effizienteres Arbeiten, den Einsatz von 3D-Druck zur individualisierten Schokoladenproduktion oder die Nutzung eines intelligenten Tisches mit IoT-Anbindung im Tischlerhandwerk. An diesen Erfolgen möchte das MDZ Rheinland anknüpfen und in Kooperation mit dem Kompetenzzentrum Digitales Handwerk die Digitalisierung von Handwerksbetrieben im Rheinland vorantreiben.
Service
Through cooperation and the design of suitable service packages, better margins and thus better working conditions can be achieved for employees in the sector. The MDZ Rhein-land's approach here is to train SMEs further in terms of digital and creative skills and to intelligently link different skills of producers and service providers in order to position the companies well for the future.
Goals
The overarching goals of the MDZ Rheinland are to support SMEs in the digital transformation and the introduction of AI in the company. In order to achieve these goals, a wide-ranging portfolio of offers is being created that provides SMEs with opportunities for information, qualification, implementation, transfer and networking. The portfolio of offerings enables SMEs to build up skills in the area of digitization and AI in line with their needs. Both methodological and technological competencies are taught.
The sub-project of RWTH Aachen University plays the role of science and expertise, especially in the areas of production technology and virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence and methodological competence. The sub-project is responsible for the topics of qualification and implementation in the MDZ Rhineland.