Skilled workers are rare. SMEs should consistently rely on digitalization and artificial intelligence to be able to perform maintenance reliably tasks in the future, says Dr. Fred Jopp, Head of Industrial Project Management at USU Software AG, which is an eco member. Dr. Jopp’s position means that he is closely involved with the corporate problems involved in implementing use cases.

Thomas Gebhardt is an innovation consultant with a focus on digital transformation at the Stuttgart Region Chamber of Skilled Crafts. It supports craft enterprises and skilled tradespeople in transferring innovations from research and teaching into the skilled crafts – including the research project Service-Meister. In an interview he talks about how artificial intelligence (AI) could soon support craft enterprises.