Federal Minister Dr. Karsten Wildberger in Dialogue with ZwickRoell

Dr Karsten Wildberger, Federal Minister for Digital and Public Service Transformation, learned about digital topics from the testing machine manufacturer and discussed reducing bureaucracy            (Image source: ZwickRoell GmbH & Co. KG)

How can AI revolutionise industrial testing processes? Which digital solutions will make mechanical engineering fit for the future? And how can reducing bureaucracy unleash innovative power? These key questions shaped the exchange between the Federal Minister for Digital and Public Service, Dr Karsten Wildberger, and the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of testing machine manufacturer ZwickRoell, Dr Jan Stefan Roell. His visit focused on practical insights into AI-supported testing technologies, the role of independent value chains, and concrete approaches for a more efficient regulatory landscape for Germany as a business location.

During his visit and a tour of the company, Dr. Wildberger gained detailed insights into mechanical engineering, AI-supported testing in an industrial environment, and ZwickRoell's digital products and services. The AI concepts and digital products, above all a concept machine for the world's first AI-supported tensile test on plastics, met with particular interest from the Federal Minister for Digital and Public Service. The Federal Minister was particularly impressed by the exceptionally high level of vertical integration within the ZwickRoell Group. This enables the Ulm-based company to be largely independent of global supply chains and is considered a strategic advantage in an increasingly demanding market environment.

Intensive exchange on reducing bureaucracy and location conditions

In an in-depth discussion with Dr Jan Stefan Roell, who is also President of the Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the Minister discussed current challenges facing the industry, additional regulatory requirements and the competitiveness of Baden-Württemberg as an industrial location. One focus was on efforts to reduce existing bureaucracy and consistently avoid new administrative hurdles.

Important impetus for the industrial future

ZwickRoell considers the constructive exchange to be an important impetus for even closer coordination of economic perspectives and political framework conditions. The exchange was attended by Ronja Kemmer, Member of the German Parliament and Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Group for Digital Affairs, State Modernisation, Research, Technology and Space, Petra Engstler-Karrasch, Chief Executive of the Ulm Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK), and Mario Schneider, City Councillor and candidate for the Ulm state parliament. Also present were Thomas Kienzle, city councillor and chairman of the CDU parliamentary group in Ulm, and Gunter Czisch, former mayor and judge at the State Constitutional Court.