Arbeitswelt.Plus Summit: Companies from OWL lead the way in AI nationwide

“We don’t see AI as a replacement, but as support for people. The aim is to make work processes easier, not to replace them. With the Arbeitswelt.Plus competence center, we want to be pioneers and trailblazers nationwide for the humane design of AI in the world of work,” says Prof. Dr. Roman Dumitrescu, Managing Director of the it’s OWL technology network.

He heads the Arbeitswelt.Plus competence center initiated by it’s OWL and funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, which brings together companies, universities and IG Metall. Together, they develop solutions to improve workplace design, skills transfer and employee involvement.

Miele tests AI in shift planning

A current pilot project at household appliance manufacturer Miele shows what this can look like in practice. An AI-supported shift planning system is currently being tested at the Oelde plant to enable more efficient processes in the event of last-minute changes or breakdowns. This is one of several projects being carried out by the Gütersloh-based household appliance manufacturer in the field of artificial intelligence, in which employees need to be involved.

“We see AI as an opportunity because it doesn’t replace people – it replaces tasks. Job profiles are changing, some tasks are disappearing, but new roles are emerging. Upskilling and reskilling employees will therefore be of crucial importance in the future,” says Rebecca Steinhage, member of the Executive Board.

Companies in OWL are at the forefront of AI nationwide

Like Miele, many companies from OstWestfalenLippe are much further ahead than others in Germany when it comes to using AI. This is shown by a recent survey by the University of Paderborn. The survey, which was conducted in the first quarter of 2025 as part of Arbeitswelt.Plus, is based on feedback from 241 employees, HR managers and executives.

“In our survey, 62% of companies stated that they use AI. This means that companies from the it’s OWL network are pioneers in the introduction of AI throughout Germany,” says Prof. Dr. Kirsten Thommes, who conducts research into change management at Paderborn University.

“In our survey, 62% of companies stated that they use AI. This makes the companies in the it’s OWL network pioneers in the introduction of AI throughout Germany.”

Prof. Dr. Kirsten Thommes, University of Paderborn

By comparison, according to the Federal Statistical Office, only 48% of large companies in Germany (250 employees or more) used AI in 2024. Across all company sizes, only 20 percent used AI.

The most common reason for the reluctance to use AI is a lack of knowledge. “When introducing new technologies, employees and managers often find it difficult to assess the usefulness and complexity of the technology,” says Thommes. One way to change this is by exchanging ideas with other companies.

“Our study shows: By engaging with the topic of AI and exchanging ideas within the it’s OWL and Arbeitswelt.Plus network, employees and managers find it easier to realistically assess the use of technology,” says Thommes. Dealing with the topic in an open-ended way enables companies to make more informed decisions.

Sorting without touching: Kannegiesser shows how it’s done

The laundry technology specialist Kannegiesser from Vlotho has already decided to use AI in practice. Together with the University of Bielefeld, the company has been working on a system as part of Arbeitswelt.Plus that automatically recognizes and sorts soiled laundry, a task that previously involved physical strain and hygiene risks.

“For this reason, building on an existing automatic laundry sorting machine, we worked with Bielefeld University to develop a solution for sorting dirty laundry that is primarily based on camera images and artificial intelligence,” says Dr. Mathias Wöhler from Herbert Kannegiesser GmbH.

The AI has been trained with almost 10,000 images and can match garments based on color, type, degree of soiling, damage and washing temperature.

“Our demonstrator shows that nine out of ten test laundry items are categorized correctly, which means that direct contact between employees and the items can be avoided. In the next step, the AI should be trained directly in a laundry so that it can record and annotate data as automatically and quickly as possible,” says Nico Rabethge from the Research Institute for Cognition and Robotics (CoR-Lab) at Bielefeld University.

Kannegiesser wants to take this step. The company is currently testing a prototype and final trials in a pilot series will follow before series production begins.

AI and camera instead of gluing errors

Other companies such as IP Adelt GmbH also benefit from the findings of the project with Kannegiesser. The company has been designing and producing individual advertising and presentation materials for over 65 years. One product area is the production of sample cases and sample folders. Large pieces of original materials such as carpet rolls are cut into small pieces and glued into the appropriate places in the sampling solution. With a print run of 250 to 5000 sample sheets, this is very error-prone, as the patterns and colors sometimes differ only minimally and the sample only represents a small section of the original material.

However, errors are critical, as in this case the end customer could order goods that they did not want. Another factor is the physical effort required to lift the raw materials and glue each sample section. In addition, there are the changes to the print runs and the number of work steps, which have an impact on concentration.

With the support of Bielefeld University, IP Adelt therefore wants to improve the quality of the production of sample presentation materials by using various AI methods.

At the moment, the materials are manually labeled, which can lead to errors. One possible solution is to introduce a supporting camera-based check that can determine whether the patterns have been assigned correctly.

“With the help of the AI solution that we are developing in the competence center, we not only want to ensure the high quality of our sample forms, but also create improved working conditions for our employees,” says Managing Director Eric Adelt.

The Arbeitswelt.Plus Summit in retrospect

OWL as a testing ground for AI in the world of work

In addition to these practical examples, other companies – including Dr. Oetker, Lenze, NTT DATA, Wago and Weidmüller – presented their AI applications and cooperation with trade union partners.

With eight lighthouse projects, the Arbeitswelt.Plus competence center is one of the largest initiatives of its kind in Germany. The aim is to develop practical, affordable and humane solutions for SMEs.

Workshops, self-checks and potential analysis: a wide range of AI services for companies

Companies outside the competence center can also benefit from the solutions developed. To this end, Arbeitswelt.Plus offers various workshops, online self-checks and training courses that can provide support when entering the field of artificial intelligence – whether in the area of AI strategy, employee training or creating the necessary conditions for the use of AI. And all free of charge.

“The offerings provide companies with practical support to increase their competitiveness. This makes the competence center an important component of the it’s OWL technology network. We will continue the activities after the funding ends and develop new solutions for AI in the world of work,” says Günter Korder, Managing Director of it’s OWL.

Impressions from the Arbeitswelt.Plus Summit