Survival through Innovation - Understanding Covid-19 as anopportunity rather than a threat
Univ.-Prof. Prof. h.c. (MGU) Dr.-Ing. Dipl.-Wirt. Ing. Thomas Gries
Institut für Textiltechnik der RWTH Aachen University

COVID-19 is a pandemy
with a massive economical impact

2Soruce: https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

IRRATIONAL BEHAVIORNEW WORK METHODS HOMEOFFICEDISCOUNT BATTLES TO BOOST SALESProportion of companies in the respective industries that expect a decline in sales for the entire year
2020 due to COVID-19

Proportion of companies with declining sales due to corona by industry 2020
0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Gastronomy

96%

Travel93%

Traffic and warehousing

87%

Industry

80%

Personalized services

77%

Overall Economy

77%

Company related services

74%

Health Management73%

Retail72%

Wholesale
Construction industry

670%
48%

120%

GfK Consumer Climate Index from September 2019 to September 2020 and forecast for October 2020

Confidence in Economy: Massive drop, partial recovery and now respect of second lockdown
15Indicator points

109,79,8

9,6

9,7

9,7

9,3

8,1

52,30-0,2-5-10-1,6Sep'20

Okt'20*-9,4-15-20-18,6-23,1-25

Sep'197-1,7Source: GfK

Okt'19Nov'19Dez'19Jan'20Feb'20Mär'20

Apr'20Mai'20Jun Jul '20 Aug'20'20-Development of sales in the manufacture of textiles and clothing in Germany in the months from October
2019 to July 2020 (compared to the previous month)

Change in sales in the textile and clothing industry in Germany until July 2020
60%

Change in sales compared to previousmonth

50%
40%
30%
20%
10%

TextileClothing

0%
-10%
-20%
-30%
-40%

-50%Oct 198Nov 19

Dec 19Jan 20Feb 20Mar 20

Apr 20

May 20Jun 20Jul 20Innovation expenditures of the textile industry in Germany

Innovation expenditures[Mio. €]

Level prior to financial crisis has not been reached again before COVID-19 hit
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0

420
350
240
200

240

340

330

310
270

230

270

2702502008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019* 2020*
9Source: Statista

Economic crises happen regularly

Financial Crisis of 2007-2009

Wall Street Crash & Depression 1929/39

What are the ‘Lessons learned‘?

Recovery in3 to 5 years10Recovery in
5 to 10 years

UNKNOWN THREATCHALLENGE 1:
Digital disruption

ECONOMIC IMPACT
CHALLENGE 2:
Bio-economy

Thriving on a crisis needs an paradigm shift

Products

Innovation
required
12Production

Valuecreation

 Protection and risk prevention
 Social distancing solutions
 Bio based&inspired materials

 3D technologies
 Production-on-demand On-shoring Platforms
 Digital value chains Customer involvement

Ways to deal with COVID-19: Digital projects for B2C

Past

I 4.0 was leanmanagement driven!

FutureCovid 19Consumer driven
innovation throughdigitalization!

Internet of Production
Digital Process (Chains)
Model factory 4.0
Mass customization
Work4.013

B2C - The Cluster of Excellence “Internet of Production” @ RWTH Aachen UniversityVisionStaffing• 5 faculties• 6 non-university research institutions• 25 PIs• 13 Associated Researchers• >11 junior-professorships (or comparable)>85 postdoctoral and
500 doctoral researchers

Providing semantically adequate and context aware datafrom production, development and usage in industry…

Knowledge Transfer
Collaboration
Dortmund

Düsseldorf

Teaching

Unna

Solingen

KölnSiegen

Infrastructure• Unique technical infrastructure• Funding grants• RWTH Aachen Campus• BMBF Research Campus Digital Photonics• Digital infrastructure framework

 Städteregion
Aachen

AachenMission… not only one-time, but rather continuously and highly
iterative in real time with the adequate level of granularity…

Scope… for a new level of cross-domain collaboration.
14

Digital Capability Center (DCC)

Model Factory for Industrie4.0 – Integrating all aspects of digitalization for capability building

Modelfactoryindustry 4.0

Place forqualification
Acceleratorfordigitalization

Current stateFuture state

Shop floor of the DCC in Aachen, Germany15

Best Practice Example – SozioTex

Work4.0 based on Human-Machine-Interfaces
SozioTex
Scientific TeamELSI aspects

Design= ethical, legal andsocial implications

Technological changeInteraction
HumanSocial change

MachineInterdisciplinary approach
Development and implementation of new
production technologies/ assistancesystems with socio-technical perspective
16

AR for machine service

B2C - MicroFactories

17

Aim :

Results:• Production of highly individualized products• Basic cognitive technologies• Highly flexible production infrastructure• Interfaces between process steps• Future of Manufacturing• Human-machine interaction

B2C - MicroFactories

18

B2C – Digital Processes

Digital Printing – Functional Inks

19

Additive Manufacturing – 4D Textiles

'The best way to predict the future is to invent it.'
Alan Kay

Invent yournewyou
business modelThankcustomerorientedfor yourattention!
based on digitalization!
Univ.-Prof. Prof. h.c. (MSU) Dr.-Ing. Dipl.-Wirt.-Ing. Thomas Gries
Chair Textile Engineering, RWTH Aachen University

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Schlichter
Thank
very
much foryour Augsburg
attention!
Materialsyou
ResourceManagement,Universität

ご清聴ありがとうございましたThe Excellence Strategy – RWTH has already developed into an Integrated Interdisciplinary University
for Science and Technology, focusing on the convergence of knowledge, methods, and insights.

RWTH, Peter Winandy 45.628 students in in 154 programs

 9.827 staff (65% scientists)
 1.04 bn € budget,
385 m € external funds

56%
2125%

12%

7%

RWTH Aachen University - Rankings

1.

1

1

1

1

1

2

2

1

1

122

2018

2019

2.
2

3.
3

3

4.

5.

4

2011

2012

2014

2015

2016

Mechanical Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Computer Science

Industrial Engineering and Management

Natural Sciences

222013

ITAPersonnel• 100 scientists•

60 technical and service staff• 190 undergraduate research assistants•
2350 students, who major in textile engineering per year

Our Approach: Comprehensive Service24

Your Contact:
Prof. Thomas Gries
Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA) of RWTH Aachen University
Otto-Blumenthal-Straße 1, D-52074 Aachen
Fon +49 (0)241 80 234 00, Fax +49 (0)241 80 224 22
Mobile +49 151 1404 2541
E-Mail: thomas.gries@ita.rwth-aachen.de

Thank you
http://www.ita.rwth-aachen.deforyour attention!

Univ.-Prof. Prof. h.c. (MSU) Dr.-Ing. Dipl.-Wirt.-Ing. Thomas Gries
Chair Textile Engineering, RWTH Aachen University

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Schlichter
Materials Resource Management, Universität Augsburg