Zollner Becomes Partner of Technological Institute for Applied Artificial Intelligence

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In an effort to continue to drive the digital transformation of our corporate processes, Zollner Elektronik AG has become involved with the Technological Institute for Applied Artificial Intelligence, GmbH (TI.KI) in Weiden. Soon the EMS provider from Zandt will have the same partner status as Samhammer AG, headquartered in Weiden and Syskron GmbH from the Regensburg area, which is specialized in automated processes for the beverage industry as a subsidiary of Krones. With this three leading technology companies from Eastern Bavaria continue to increase the significance of the region in the area of Artificial Intelligence (AI). 

The application of Artificial Intelligence is a concrete component part of Zollner’s digitalization strategy. “Therefore our involvement with TI.KI is a logical step” emphasized Markus Aschenbrenner, Member of the Board of Management. “We collect a multitude of data in the company with the goal of continuously optimizing our processes. Some AI solutions are already ongoing in production. Now, with the help of the institute, we have taken a huge step toward comprehensive application of AI.”

AI for practical application since 2012
TI.KI refers back to a research project started by Samhammer AG in 2012 to optimize their technical service processes with the help of AI. Because the work was intensifying and should be expanded to other areas of application, the Institute was founded in 2012, joined by Syskron GmbH. Since then TI.KI has been working to develop AI solution module for the needs of the industry and quickly make them available. On the one side this should make existing processes more efficient, while on the other side open sustainable new business models. 

Thanks to merger with Zollner Elektronik AG, TI.KI gets the chance to work on additional, realistic cross-sector solutions. The Institute is well networked internationally in the area of AI research and maintains close contact with universities seeking practical relevance for their fundamental theoretical work. Ralf Plüschke, CEO of TI.KI, says: “Thanks to Zollner as a third partner we have the opportunity of further differentiating the core of our work, the TI.KI Data Science Platform (DSP). Thus we can approach even more companies in even more sectors.”

Zollner increases its AI expertise
DSP is a highly specialized AI technology platform developed by TI.KI to create industrial-size AI models, train on them and provide them ready for use. Zollner Elektronik AG will have access to DSP in the future such that we can use the algorithms derived from Zollner data ourselves and further develop them. Zollner retains data sovereignty and has unrestricted use of applied AI solutions. This is because the DSP developed by TI.KI is built on open-source solutions and is licensed. 

Zollner Elektronik AG’s medium term goals are to train employees as specialists manage AI cases for application in the company - not only in technological processes but also administrative. For example, AI can help to determine and maybe reduce manufacturing times for PCBs or make the supply chain more robust. The first pilot projects have already started at Zollner.