Audi Production Award presented
What will the automotive production of tomorrow look like, and what role will values such as competence, passion and emotion play in the future? The participants in the Audi Production Award 2012 competition investigated these questions. Under the motto “People in Production”, students, scientists and engineers from every discipline and more than 20 countries developed visionary concepts, seven of which made it to the finals. Yesterday evening, the finalists presented their ideas to an expert panel of judges in a workshop at the Audi site in Ingolstadt. In the end, the team from the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence at Kaiserslautern University of Technology was chosen as the winner of the €5,000 grand prize.
“The focus is on people. Like quality and performance orientation, this is a key element of our Audi Production System. The subjects of well-being, health and appreciation, in particular, will become increasingly important in the future,” says Dr. Frank Dreves, Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG for Production. “The constant dialogue between science and industry as well as fresh ideas are of immense importance for production. This year’s Audi Production Award spurred young people on to concepts with innovative and creative approaches.”
The winning concept investigated the topic of “mobility, social networks and the digital factory introduces innovative assistance, cooperation and training”. The idea can be transferred, for example, to processes in Production planning and assembly. It makes a realistic representation of Production processes possible during virtual training –in an already very early development phase.
More than 70 future-oriented concepts were submitted in 2012 for the Audi Production Award. An expert panel of judges – the Predevelopment and Innovation Team in Audi Production – selected the seven most impressive projects over a series of preliminary rounds and invited the finalists to Ingolstadt for a workshop. The researchers presented their ideas to the Audi experts, discussed these in depth with them and refined them. A presentation on “Generation Y” and an Audi driving experience event rounded out the workshop.
The brand with the four rings has presented the Audi Production Award since 2010. A total of €12,500 in prize money is awarded. Besides the winning project from the Kaiserslautern University of Technology, the Helmut Schmidt University / University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg team won the prize for the concept with the best chance of implementation (“Productive Games”; €2,500) and the team made up of Maria Kösterke and Ralf Schäfer the prize for the most visionary concept (“Aufhorchen mit Audi3”, a concept that focuses on the characteristics of a healthy, efficient, future Audi employee; €2,500). The team from TU Dresden received the special prize for the best student team for their project “Advanced flexibility in work time management” (€2,500). The Audi Production Award offers scientists around the world a platform for sharing knowledge and promotes innovative concept ideas.
