The Hebrew University of Jerusalem maintains more than 100 partnerships with other universities worldwide. “But at most two or three are as significant as this one,” says Guy Harpaz, Vice President of International Affairs at the Israeli university. What he means can be observed on Thursday afternoon during a visit to the gripping technology specialist Schunk in Brackenheim-Hausen: Here, it becomes ‘tangible’ what the Global Technology Forum at TUM Campus Heilbronn is actually about: creating a platform for the future of artificial intelligence.
The global market leader has a lot to offer: during a tour of the company, Schunk CTO Timo Gessmann presents technologies that would be inconceivable without close cooperation with universities. “We are delighted that events such as the GTF enable us to forge new links with the scientific community,” says Gessmann.
Automation using AI and robotics is not only a business model here, but is also used internally. During the tour of the factory halls, ‘Oscar’ suddenly drives past the group of visitors. At Schunk, many robots have names – a sign that people identify with the new technology.
Collaborations as Drivers of Innovation
What Schunk means by ‘gripper’ cannot be summarized in a single sentence. Human-like hands are used here, as is a stamp with a soft surface, a so-called adhesion gripper. Thanks to its fine hairs, it can lift workpieces using pure surface energy. “The trick is no longer gripping, but letting go,” explains Martin May, who is responsible for research and development here. Collaboration with Stanford University was essential for the five-finger grippers. That's how you become the global market leader.
Uwe Weil makes it clear how quickly the transformation has progressed. When he started at Schunk 26 years ago, a CNC machine was pretty much the only automation in the company. This is nothing compared to what and how Schunk produces today and how it organizes its goods flows. Logistics, for example, is fully automated in parts via an Autostore small parts warehouse. In production, robots – often equipped with the company's own gripping technology – work independently. “This one is set up once in the morning and supplied with material,” says Uwe Weil. “Then it works through three shifts, and the next morning the finished parts are neatly lined up.”
A Think Tank for Top Executives
Professor Ali Sunyaev, Vice President at TUM Campus Heilbronn, emphasizes the strategic importance of such visits: “It's not just the top institutions that have come to the Global Technology Forum, but also the top scientists. It's not just a meeting, but a think tank that brings together the top minds in tech development, similar to the World Economic Forum in Davos.” A key objective is to gain a better understanding of small and medium-sized enterprises.
The success of this approach is evident in the reactions of the international guests during the relaxed evening in Heilbronn. Andrea Masini, professor at HEC Paris, is impressed by the vision and the ‘roadmap’ that is being pursued so consistently in Heilbronn. Vicki Nash, Director of the Oxford Internet Institute, also praised the commitment: there is not only a technological vision here, but also a social one. The Dieter Schwarz Foundation and its founder clearly wanted to give something back to the city – “and I find that very remarkable.”