The shortage of skilled workers is affecting many companies in Bavaria – especially medium-sized enterprises with a high degree of specialization. The Gesellschaft für Werkstoffprüfung mbH (GWP) in Zorneding is attempting to address this development with digital tools. In an ongoing project, the company is testing the use of artificial intelligence to systematically secure empirical knowledge and maintain its long-term availability, even during personnel changes.
"On the one hand, we're experiencing a growing shortage of skilled workers – and on the other, we're observing that well-trained employees are often poached by industrial companies," says Dirk Seiferheld, the initiator of the idea within GWP. To avoid losing the expertise threatened by this, the company is relying on digital solutions: test reports, technical texts, and empirical knowledge are to be automatically analyzed and structured. New employees can then access this knowledge in a targeted manner.
The GWP is part of the AI Transfer+ funding project, a program unique in Germany, funded by the Bavarian State Ministry for Digital Affairs and launched to further integrate artificial intelligence into small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). SMEs play a particularly important role in Bavaria, and the project is therefore specifically aimed at companies in the region.
GWP's participation was made possible by the aforementioned program – but also by the personal commitment of State Minister Dr. Fabian Mehring, as the company emphasizes. Mehring was an early advocate for supporting the project.
