Driving technological progress forward

What opportunities do digitization and Industry 4.0 offer in welding production? How can industrial companies successfully implement artificial intelligence (AI) in products and processes? To further advance technological progress, CLOOS works closely with universities, colleges and research institutions worldwide. For decades, the company has been considered a pioneer in the research and development of new technologies in the fields of welding and robotics.

"Cooperation with universities drives further technological developments and is an important factor in ensuring the competitiveness of our company," explains Stephan Pittner, CEO of the CLOOS Group. "Without such collaborations, medium-sized companies reach their limits, as companies in Germany receive less direct funding for research purposes in a global comparison and often cannot afford the high administrative costs."

Together with other partners, Pittner opened the Smart Factory Mittelhessen of the Technical University of Central Hesse (THM) at the Gießen site in mid-May. Industry 4.0 concepts that can be easily implemented in practice are developed and researched here. The smart model factory enables production in batch size 1, with the entire data flow being digitally mapped. CLOOS participated in the project with a robot equipped with the latest interface technology for stock management. CLOOS has been working with THM for many years. For more than 15 years, CLOOS has offered technical and commercial dual study courses together with the THM as part of StudiumPlus.

CLOOS also cooperates with the University of Siegen and the Machine Tool Laboratory WZL of RWTH Aachen University, among others, in the Smart Demonstration Factory Siegen (SDFS). The SDFS uses a compact robot welding system from CLOOS. With intelligent programming, quality control and AI for the automated production of welding assemblies, SDFS is working here together with CLOOS on the welding factory of tomorrow. 

In addition, CLOOS is involved in various research projects together with the Schweißtechnische Lehr- und Versuchsanstalten (SLV) of the Gesellschaft für Schweißtechnik International (GSI) to promote a practice-oriented transfer of knowledge in welding technology.

CLOOS' involvement in this area is not limited to Germany. The company cooperates in various projects all over the world - among others with the international welding and technology institutes of RWTH Aachen University, various Fraunhofer Institutes, the Welding Institute of Ohio State University, the Pennsylvania College of Technology, the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm as well as Lund University.