When young start-ups set out to put their innovative start-up ideas into practice, they often need not only advice, know-how and financial resources, but also very tangible things such as workplaces, a workshop or laboratory equipment. To simplify access to this "hardware", founders can find a comprehensive range of these resources throughout the metropolitan region on the beyourpilot platform.
The resources are potentially available to all founders of the beyourpilot partner organisations and universities and can often be used free of charge by start-ups. This is made possible by the commitment of professors, workshop leaders and other dedicated individuals at the participating universities and research institutions.
Two of these “facilitators” are Prof. Enno Stöver and Benjamin Remmers from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Production at HAW Hamburg. Together they open the doors of the “Digital Forming Technology Learning Site” at your Institute of Production Engineering to prospective founders.
Prof. Stöver, Mr Remmers, your lab is called “Digital Forming Technology Learning Centre”. What can founders imagine by that?
The Digital Forming Technology Learning Centre is a further development of our forming technology lab. We are actively implementing common industry methods such as lean management, total productive maintenance and more and more agile project management approaches in the daily work at the learning centre. At the same time, it always remains a place of learning and teaching at the university first.
One focus is, of course, the increasing digital transformation, so that innovations in the area of Industry 4.0 and digitalisation become possible and visible here together with cooperation partners from industry. The learning space should be a place of cooperation and participation between students, teachers and companies.
Let’s talk about hardware first. What kind of machines can be used in your lab?
On site, in addition to a modern equipped meeting room, we mainly offer forming machines, more precisely a hydraulic press and reaming press. In addition, an eroding machine, a test stand for riveting tests and a tensile testing machine can be used in the laboratory.
What are the requirements for this?
Especially when using the machines, a safety introduction is mandatory as well as supervision by our staff if necessary. However, these are topics that we are happy to clarify individually with the founders.
Do you offer expertise as well as premises?
In addition to the aforementioned expertise in Industry 4.0 and forming technology, we have extensive know-how and experience in the areas of agile project management, company formation and the product development process. We are happy to offer support to budding start-ups in these areas as well, if required.
What made you decide to open your doors to young start-ups as well?
We think it is a core task of universities to provide graduates with support in developing their own business ideas. And using our learning space can be a building block in that. We also believe that the history of forming technology has not yet been written to an end, but that new approaches are also possible here to exploit the advantages of these manufacturing processes. Finally, it is also fun to work with young people to advance their ideas and to be able to celebrate their successes.
If founders have further questions about the collaboration or use of the lab, who can they contact?
Founders are welcome to contact Benjamin Remmers first to check out the framework conditions. Basically, however, we work in tandem – it doesn’t matter who they approach. The answers and the open arms are the same.
Interested founders can find an overview of all the resources made available in the network here: www.beyourpilot.de/resources.
The resources are the property of the respective universities and research institutions and can generally be used by teams by arrangement. The sovereignty over the resources rests exclusively with the owners of these resources, who also determine the quotas and costs independently.
