Three questions for Tobias Rietzler, CEO, robominds GmbH
AI in production unlocks huge advantages. Almost every single Chinese manufacturing business uses AI, as compared to around one in five in German-speaking countries. What are the implications for competitiveness, and why are companies in this country reluctant to exploit the potential of this key technology?
Rietzler: We must not get left behind! Many German companies hesitate because they overestimate the barriers to entry or have reservations about new technology. But AI is evolving rapidly—those who fail to act now may get left behind. In this context, automatica will make an important contribution by making AI tangible and exhibiting practical use cases. Now is the time to adopt the technology and get on track for future success. By the way, quite a few German industrial AI companies are considered global leaders.
What particular advantages do you see for SMEs deploying artificial intelligence systems, and what barriers to entry do they need to overcome?
Rietzler: AI offers huge opportunities, especially for SMEs. The technology unlocks growth by increasing efficiency in these times of persistent skill shortages. AI enables more flexibility and robustness in automation, and it eliminates time-consuming programming efforts. This is particularly valuable in production environments with unstructured processes. More often than not, taking the first step is the greatest obstacle! What it takes is less bias with regard to technology and more courage to break new ground. External inspiration can help achieve this—be it through trade fairs, best practices, or pilot projects. Anyone failing to take action will miss a huge opportunity.
automatica, the leading exhibition, will be held in Munich from June 24 to 27, 2025. What kind of inspiration does the trade fair and its many exhibitors from all fields of automation have to offer in terms of the hot topic that is AI?
Rietzler: automatica 2025 will show: AI has long ceased to be a futuristic vision—it is a reality. It has transitioned from development to deployment and has reached the maturity required for practical implementations. Trade fair visitors can experience live and up close how combinations of AI and robotics are already capable of optimizing a wide range of processes in logistics, production, automotive, etc. Companies can get so much more than inspiration here as concrete approaches to integrating AI into their own operations await. Anyone looking to help shape the future of automation should seize this opportunity.