Just in time for the start of the semester, Kempten University receives a robot from Fendt. After steam, production lines, electronics and IT, today's smart factories are now shaping the fourth industrial revolution. Already during their studies the students can train with a "cobot".
Fendt presents the robot Sawyer to Kempten University
Just in time for the start of the semester, Kempten University receives a robot from Fendt. After steam, production lines, electronics and IT, today's smart factories are now shaping the fourth industrial revolution. Already during their studies the students can train with a "cobot".
Fendt employee Niko Pfanzelt, working together with the cobot Sawyer
Man and machine working together
Technology and Innovation are capitalized, not only in Fendt's products but also at its production plants. Under the slogan "Industry 4.0", Fendt is trying out various future-oriented production concepts. One of these ideas is the cobot "Sawyer" , a collaborating robot, designed to help employees with different applications in the future. Collaborative in this case refers to humans and machines working in unison, without the usual separations or barriers common with conventional industrial robots. Humans control and monitor production while the robot takes over the physically demanding work.
Sawyer is presented to Kempten University (left to right): Matthias Grimminger (Technical Assistant to the Production Management Board), Thomas Enghof (Central Process Planning Director), Andrea Helbig (Manager, HR Talent Management), Thomas Kuehl (Central Planning Manager), Christian Kiechle (Central Planning Expert for Automation) and Prof. Dirk Jacob (Vice-President for Teaching and Quality Management Kempten University)
Studying Industry 4.0
To find as many fields of application as possible for these "colleagues", Fendt provided the cobot "Sawyer" for the Kempten University at the start of the semester. The Faculty of Electrical Engineering at Kempten University has a first-class research laboratory, which is already researching industrial robots and other collaborating automated systems. In the future, students can now experiment with Sawyer, program it, analyse its suitability for series production and explore different potential applications for Fendt. "It's very important for us as a university to educate students on current and future-oriented technical equipment", says Professor Dirk Jacob, Vice-President for Teaching and Quality Management at Kempten University. "The robot Sawyer, provided to us by AGCO/Fendt, is ground breaking for production in the context of Industry 4.0".
Thomas Enghof, Central Process Planning Director
Fendt also sees a number of advantages in their partnership with Kempten University. "For us, collaborative robotics is extremly important for the fourth industrial revolution and the dawn of a new era at Fendt. We are currently exploring a whole list of potential applications in our factories for cutting-edge solutions like augmented and virtual reality", explains Thomas Enghof, Central Process Planning Director. "The joint research with Kempten University is first and foremost a means for us to have a major research partner on our side, but we are also pleased that we can establish direct contact with graduates as a result. Their affinity with and knowledge of technology are our success and represent the innovations of tomorrow", says Thomas Enghof. Both parties are looking forward to the joint project. To kick off the cooperation and to get an insight into the production of the high-tech company based in East Allgäu, the students of Professor Jacob's faculty will attend a "Day at Fendt" this November.
Sawyer was actively involved in the Fendt Employee Day on July 22, 2017 and handed out coffee and sweets. He showed off his skills in other roles, too.
