Efficient and flexible just-in-time production
These days the term Industry 4.0 is used excessively in all sectors of industry, from the automotive market to plant production and medicine. It is also thrown into conversation about additive manufactoring technology, or so-called …
Digital Transformation – Industry 4.0 – Additive Manufacturing
Business Models in Internet-Based Value Creation Networks – A Capability Approch
The Ferdinand-Steinbeis-Institute (FSTI) is developing an alternative model for creating digital business models
What are the key success factors when designing digital business models, and what can be done to support SMEs in this area? These are the issues being …
The 2017 Steinbeis Day: The Value Added by the Network
The emphasis at this year’s event lay in networks and consortium projects
As the Network continues to expand, communication and successful networking become the key challenges. Both issues were the focal topics discussed at this year’s Steinbeis Day. More than …
The 2017 Steinbeis Night: Time for the Network to Meet Up
Relaxed conversation and networking become important part of the relaunched evening event
Following the annual Steinbeis Day in the Steinbeis House, which focuses on the implementation of specialist knowledge, the evening event in the Liederhalle arts and convention center in …
Manual Production? Complex Automation!
Chemnitz-based Steinbeis researchers and Prym Consumer Europe GmbH receive the 2017 Transfer Award of the Steinbeis Foundation – Löhn Award
There is growing demand for solutions with a “hand made” label and although this trend continues unabated, it is by …
Using Energy to Optimize Wiegand Wires
Steinbeis experts at Pforzheim University and SEW-Eurodrive GmbH & Co. KG win the 2017 Transfer Award of the Steinbeis Foundation – Löhn Award
For many years, the Bruchsal-based company SEW Eurodrive has been looking closely at Wiegand sensors, which are …
Good vibrations
Steinbeis experts develop laser coating technique by using vibrations
It’s important for components subject to severe wear and tear to be given hard surfaces. This is something metallic materials usually don’t have, so to strengthen surfaces, weld overlaying is used …
MinWaterCSP: Reducing the Water Consumption in Concentrated Solar Power plants
Steinbeis 2i acts as partner in EU project
In Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants, collectors are bundling the sunlight on an absorber in order to generate electricity. CSP plants are often installed in arid areas where solar irradiation is high …
Smart Energy Storage for energy self-sufficiency on the Island of Borkum
The NETfficient EU project develops smart energy management and efficient energy storage solutions
NETfficient is an EU project launched in 2015 with the aim of bringing together project partners from seven European countries to work on the development and implementation …
Certified Interpreting Excellence for Medical Technology
TZM GmbH receives innovation award from the district of Göppingen
The challenge when networking medical devices is to ensure the various systems are compatible with one another and they all “speak the same language.” TZM, a member of the Steinbeis …
The Resilience Megatrend: Preparing Personal Skills for the Future
Steinbeis Transfer Institute Offers Training to Become Resilience Trainers
Increasing workloads and accelerating processes are leading to more and more people suffering occupational burnout and feeling stressed. The world has become more volatile, insecure, complex, and ambiguous. People (as well …
Talk – Before It’s Too Late
Steinbeis mediation experts work on EU project for resolving inheritance disputes out of court
An increasing number of EU citizens move to different countries and as a result there has been a rise in the number of cross-border inheritance cases. …
Fully in Touch With the Future
The DFTA Flexographic Printing Technology Center makes promising advancements in flexo printing processes
Flexography (also known simply as flexo) is a high-pressure printing process involving flexible relief plates. Only the protruding areas of the plate come into contact with screen …
Maintaining the Focus on Maximum Quality at a Minimal Cost
Steinbeis Junior Employee Project aimed at developing competitive multicamera systems
Optical measurement systems used in industry are subject to a variety of requirements. As the image resolutions of industrial cameras improve, the size of chips is increasing, and this in …
The Journey to New Key Enabling Technologies
The SEZ is working as a partner on two EU projects: NUCLEI and KETGATE
Novel kinds of key technologies in the fields of ICT, production, photonics, modern materials, microtechnology, and nanotechnology are important drivers of innovation. Exploiting these new technologies …
Welded Seams – Small Is Beautiful
Steinbeis experts enhance developments in laser beam microjoining used in medical technology
Demand for laser welding in the manufacture of medical components continues to rise. These are components in sometimes highly complex shapes and sizes, sometimes also with seam contours …
Accurate Assembly
Steinbeis experts develop multiple assembly system for electric coils
Arnold Elektronik GmbH, which specializes in inductive components and is based in Lichtenau in Saxony, enjoys a long history. Founded nearly a century ago, it has continually moved forward as a …
Getting to the Heart of Digital Maturity
Steinbeis and Pforzheim University analyze the digital maturity of SMEs
The role of manufacturing firms is shifting fundamentally. Until now, everything has revolved around the development, production, and selling of high-quality tangible goods. In the future, customers are going to …
Book or E-Book – Anyone Fancy a Digital Solution?
Steinbeis-Edition reader survey takes a closer look at the latest trend
Technical advancement resulting from digital solutions is turning the publishing market on its head and confronting industry with some fundamental questions regarding the future focus of product portfolios. E-books …
IndInnovation – Innovation Management for Indian SMEs
Steinbeis experts and CEFE promote the interests of innovation initiatives for SMEs in India
India is a fascinating country on a number of levels, due to its amazing culture, the strongly growing economy, and the entrepreneurial spirit of its people. …
Turning the Spotlight on the Feasibility of Autonomous Production Processes
Steinbeis convention in Karlsruhe examines the challenges of digital transformation in SME production processes
Autonomous production and digital factories – key issues revolving around Industry 4.0 that caused pearls of sweat to run down people’s foreheads in the early years …
Award for Innovation and Quality
Call for entries to the 2018 Baden-Wuerttemberg Competence Award for Innovation and Quality
For industry in Baden-Wuerttemberg to develop competitive skills of a global standard, two factors are important: a particular ability to innovate among business enterprises and high quality …
Dear Readers,
Society is subject to change and so is the world of work, driven by the increasing level of interconnectivity between processes, machine tools, and the content of production itself. This may facilitate lateral thinking and lateral vision, but only when …
Feature Topic: Lateral Thinkers
You can’t pigeon-hole them and they make many feel uncomfortable. Lateral thinkers often have a really difficult time in the world of work – where people think rationally and in straight lines. Yet their potential can be invaluable to companies. …
Full Steam Ahead or Time to Heave To? Uncertain Times for SMEs
The need to think laterally in order to bring about change
A situation we’re probably all familiar with: A new project gets under way. At first, everything seems to be going fine and things are running smoothly. But sooner or …
Space for Lateral Thinkers
An appeal for more openness and agility
Nothing stays the way it is. That’s the impression more and more established companies are getting, given trends such as digital transformation, globalization, and climate change. In a working world of increasing complexity, …
You Can Only Reap What You Sow
The thought processes of a lateral thinker
If Jürgen R. Schmid didn’t always wear white shirts, he would have Individuality emblazoned in red letters on his chest. Sometimes it really isn’t easy being a gentle rebel. A rebel who strives …
“You need a lot of perseverance and creativity, but also unconventional thinking to track down the fundamental laws of nature”
An interview with Dr. Andreas Crivellin, theoretical physicist at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Villigen (Switzerland)
What are the typical questions theoretical particle physicists look at? What are their tools of the trade and how important are creativity and …
Translating Data into Knowledge
Lateral thinking on an interdisciplinary level can be helpful in managing floods of data
Terms such as Industry 4.0 (smart production) and big data are bandied around everywhere these days. Businesses are connecting up their production facilities, capturing data at …
The Myth about Lateral Thinkers: A Know-It-All or Real-Knower?!
Lateral thinking as a prerequisite for innovation
Magazines and blogs are good at proclaiming things like “The world needs more lateral thinkers.” But is there a generally accepted definition of what a lateral thinker actually is, or does, or the …
Heterogeneity: A Driver of Innovation
Equal opportunities in the energy technology sector
When women are closely involved in technical innovation processes, does this have any influence on the results and market success? This was the question looked at by the Steinbeis-Europa-Zentrum (SEZ) during a project …
“You teach people, not subjects”
An interview with Professor Dr. Bernd Jörs, director of the Steinbeis Transfer Center for Online Marketing Engineering & Business Analytics and a professor in information economy and online marketing engineering at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences.
Do university lecturers have …
From Four to One
Add creativity to the unconventional and the result is success
A recent Steinbeis project has shown the best way to manage technology transfer in business and how to make a success out of projects through systematic cooperation. For the project, …