The innovative idea of an AI-based platform for knowledge-based service consulting, which Klingele has developed with the Chair of Information Systems II and the Graduate School GSaME at the University of Stuttgart, is intended to lead the company and the corrugated cardboard industry into the digital future.
While the cooperation project will be presented at the international IT science conference at the end of June, Klingele plans to realise a first prototype before the end of this year. The concept of a platform for service consulting describes a digital assistants supported by artificial intelligence, with which Klingele can offer various knowledge-based services. For example, it is intended to support players in the packaging industry by pooling specific balancing expertise in the preparation of CO2 balances.
The development of the concept was described by the junior research group leader for intelligent circular value creation systems Dr Dimitri Petrik from the GSaME and Florian Härer, Innovation Manager at Klingele, in a research paper that has now been accepted by the IEEE International Conference on Engineering, Technology and Innovation, a major conference for computer science. In its evaluation, an independent committee of the conference sees great potential in the concept, in particular to offer consulting services in parallel via a platform and using AI as a knowledge service.
„The evaluation is an important recognition of our joint high-quality research work. Therein lies the appeal of such a project: We are accompanying an industrial company that has been successful with physical products for over 100 years into the AI age. I am delighted that Klingele is opening up to these topics and actively shaping them.“
Dr Dimitri Petrik, Junior research group leader at the GSaME graduate school
Based on the assessment of the scientific panel, the concept is to be take the next step towards market maturity this year and implemented as a prototype as part of a research project.
The teaching cooperation project is already being continued. A new project round is currently underway with the Master's students in Business Informatics in the summer semester of 2024. As in the previous year the students should first develop innovative business ideas in groups, which are evaluated by a jury made up of representatives from academia and industry. This process was also used to select the concept idea in the previous summer semester 2023, which will now be implemented.
„For the University of Stuttgart, the teaching cooperation project with Klingele is a Valuable cooperation between business and science, which offers students the opportunity to gain practical experience with software-intensive business models at the highest level.“
Prof Dr Georg Herzwurm, Professor and Dean of Studies for Information Systems at the University of Stuttgart
Innovation as a driver for the future
Co-operations with research partners such as GSaME from the University of Stuttgart are an important part of Klingele's innovation system.
„The result for us Opportunities to open up our current business model and to enable a wider range of innovations. With these efforts, we are driving forward the future viability of the entire packaging industry and at the same time contributing to our goal of fulfilling current and future customer requirements, acting sustainably and securing our competitiveness and thus also jobs in the digital age.“
Florian Härer, Innovation Manager at Klingele
Source: Klingele
