Knowledge dissemination event at Aalborg University in collaboration with EGN

On August 26, 2024, we hosted a knowledge dissemination event in collaboration with EGN and Aalborg University. The event was centred on the "Digital Factory Acceleration”/"Den Digitale Fabrik" programme, a project funded by Industriens Fond, dedicated to advancing the digitalisation of Danish production companies.  

Learnings from the "Digital Factory": approaches, technologies and case stories 

As the programme approaches its conclusion, the event provided an opportunity to showcase the extensive knowledge and findings accumulated over its duration. The participants gained practical insights on how digital tools and strategies can be effectively harnessed to transform production processes, leading to significant improvements in both productivity and market positioning. 

SMEs still see obstacles in harnessing the advantages of digitalisation 

Despite digitalisation's clear advantages, many SMEs encounter substantial obstacles in harnessing its full potential. Common challenges include insufficient digital competencies, limited resources for digital development, and an ambiguous business case for investing in new technologies. The event directly addressed these issues, with discussions focused on helping companies identify digitalisation opportunities and translate them into tangible value. 

Paperless production: one of the most relevant solutions 

The discussions clearly highlighted how paperless production is still one of the most pertinent solutions to consider for Danish SMEs, together with planning systems that can deal with frequent scheduling adjustments due to supply delays or capacity variations. 

Another topic of interest has been sustainability, focusing on the current documentation and ESG reporting challenges in particular which is currently today based on (few) available data collected and processed manually. 

Digitalisation examples and challenges shared to inspire digitalisation initiatives 

We shared concrete examples of companies that successfully adopted digital technologies to optimise their production processes addressing (also) these issues. The event also offered companies a platform to discuss their challenges, exchange ideas, and gain inspiration for future digitalisation initiatives. 

Exclusive Access to the 5G Smart Production Lab

A highlight of the event was the opportunity for participants to visit the newly renovated AAU 5G Smart Production Lab. This state-of-the-art facility, located at Aalborg University, is designed to support research and development in industrial production. The AAU 5G Smart Production Lab, an evolution of the AAU Smart Production Lab established in 2015, focuses on and showcases how manufacturing industries can benefit from wireless communication, robotics, and automation technologies.

This lab functions as a 'wireless playground' where companies can collaborate with university students and researchers to explore and test new digital technologies to innovate manufacturing.