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Transfer project Arbeitswelt.Plus: Forecast models for efficient resource planning

Geopolitical shifts and climatic changes are leading to ever greater challenges in sales planning. In the Competence Centre Arbeitswelt.Plus, the Institute Industrial IT (inIT) of Technische Hochschule Ostwestfalen-Lippe is conducting research together with the family-owned company Wöhler Technik GmbH, a world-renowned manufacturer of measuring devices and technologies for heating, ventilation and buildings, to optimise forecast accuracy in sales planning using machine learning methods.

Happy about the good cooperation (f.l.): Brian Gebers, Daniel Wecker (both Wöhler Technik GmbH) and Anton Pfeifer (inIT).

Especially in sales forecasting, market and demand developments may lead to inventory problems that cause considerable costs in the form of both overstocks and understocks. Here, machine learning methods offer great potential for increasing forecast accuracy.

A special focus is on getting the employees of Wöhler Technik GmbH on board. Project member Anton Pfeifer, research assistant at inIT in Prof. Dr. Volker Lohweg’s working group Image Processing, Pattern Recognition and Information Fusion, emphasises: "It is very important to us to involve the employees in the development process of the methods, because on the one hand we attach great importance to their acceptance and on the other hand, as researchers, we learn from their valuable expertise." The goal is to develop a better understanding of customers and to address individual needs precisely. The result: increased flexibility in responding to market developments and a sustainable strengthening of competitiveness.

Arbeitswelt.Plus: Transfer projects for SMEs

The Competence Centre Arbeitswelt.Plus promotes the digitalisation of the working world through technology transfer projects - especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). SMEs in Ostwestfalen-Lippe may take advantage of these projects to overcome their digital challenges in cooperation with universities or research institutions. The projects are easy to apply for, quick to implement and offer direct benefits for the company. The Competence Centre Arbeitswelt.Plus offers support from start to finish, including administrative issues.

You can find out more on the Arbeitswelt.Plus website.