News & Events | Generative AI in Engineering Automation

Wie können Entwickler speicherprogrammierbare Steuerungen effizienter programmieren – ohne sensible Daten in die Cloud zu übertragen? Im Auftrag von Mitsubishi Electric hat das Team Machine Learning des Fraunhofer IOSB-INA einen spezialisierten KI-Assistenten entwickelt, der herstellerspezifischen Code generiert und validiert. Das Projekt zeigt exemplarisch, wie der Transferansatz des Leistungszentrums Engineering Automation industrielle Herausforderungen löst.

Wie können Entwickler speicherprogrammierbare Steuerungen effizienter programmieren – ohne sensible Daten in die Cloud zu übertragen? Im Auftrag von Mitsubishi Electric hat das Team Machine Learning des Fraunhofer IOSB-INA einen spezialisierten KI-Assistenten entwickelt, der herstellerspezifischen Code generiert und validiert. Das Projekt zeigt exemplarisch, wie der Transferansatz des Leistungszentrums Engineering Automation industrielle Herausforderungen löst.

The targeted use of AI is no longer just a matter of technological progress. It is becoming a strategic factor. Jowat SE, a leading manufacturer of industrial adhesives, has therefore launched a company-wide AI strategy in collaboration with Fraunhofer IEM. The project shows how companies can leverage their potential and position themselves for the future with a structured approach—in line with the transfer goals of the Engineering Automation Performance Center.

With ChAIngeLab, Fraunhofer IEM offers an exclusive workshop format for ten companies that want to actively shape the use of artificial intelligence.

The Engineering Automation Performance Center was represented at the "Systems Engineering Day" conference in several ways: with its own booth, in tutorial sessions, and as a speaker. Topics such as “Toward a Capability-Based Digital Engineering Target Vision,” “Toward a GenAI Supported Systems Engineering Competency Assessment,” and “Can LLMs Do Model-Based Systems Engineering?” were on the agenda.

Inspiring presentations by top-class experts, practical workshops, and interactive exchange formats on the future-oriented topic of digital twins attracted around 120 internal and external experts to the Innovation Campus Lemgo on October 7, 2025, for the “Digital Twin Day” jointly organized by the OWL University of Applied Sciences and the Fraunhofer IOSB-INA.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has long been more than just a tool for data analysis—it is increasingly becoming a strategic factor in technology and innovation management. A new study shows how companies can use AI to evaluate future technologies in a more targeted manner, automate innovation processes, and make informed decisions.

How can technical service be made more efficient as product diversity increases? Together with Klaas Alu-Kranbau, Fraunhofer IEM has developed a digital assistance system that uses generative AI to provide experience-based knowledge in a targeted manner – a project that exemplifies the transfer approach of the Engineering Automation Performance Center.

Reports of cyberattacks are no longer a rarity in the media. With the increasing number of networked systems and the growing exchange of data, new and diverse opportunities are emerging for attackers to exploit vulnerabilities in software products. At the same time, new legal requirements such as the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) oblige companies to improve the security of their software in the long term.

News SMEs. Engineering. AI: Paths to the digital future September 10, 2025 1:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. IoT Xperience Center Zukunftsmeile 2,33102 Paderborn News article SMEs.

In a recent interview with markt & wirtschaft westfalen, Aschot Hovemann and Dr. Christian Fechtelpeter from Fraunhofer IEM highlight the central importance of artificial intelligence (AI) for industrial value creation. In their view, AI is particularly beneficial when it makes processes more transparent, helps to prevent errors, and enables the economical use of resources.

The two Fraunhofer Institutes in East Westphalia-Lippe have joined forces with partners from science and industry to launch the new “Engineering Automation” Performance Center. The aim is to support companies in integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into their development processes. This involves the use of so-called engineering co-pilots – AI-supported assistance systems that automate tasks such as component searches or PLC programming, thereby increasing efficiency and the speed of innovation.

How is artificial intelligence already changing product development, production, and service processes today? Answers to this question were provided at the specialist event “AI-based engineering in the SmartFactory,” hosted by the “Performance Center Engineering and Automation” at SmartFactoryOWL on June 26.