News

Skill, courage and a degree of humility are needed when automation solutions will be implemented in a completely new industry. This is something that Science Park Borås is aware of and the companies they collaborate with. Together with Automation Region, they are investigating which types of technology and knowledge from industry can be applied to the textile industry.

In September, Elin Glimberg will join our team at Automation Region. Elin will take on the role of Project Manager for developing events and content. Her duties will be to work with strategic communication and follow-up on the effects of our activities and projects.

In a debate article in Ny Teknik, we describe what is needed to develop a sustainable and competitive Swedish industry: “A vibrant innovation environment is crucial for the government's industrial strategy to be realized and for the Swedish indtech miracle to continue to grow.”

But what exactly is a vibrant innovation environment? And how can individual companies, investors, researchers, and individuals gain access to such an environment? For me, the answer is simple – the innovation environment consists of the combined competence and opportunities within the network.

Swedish industry is facing a digital transformation that will require extensive investments in the coming years. In a debate article in the magazine Ny Teknik, Automation Region and PiiA point out four areas that require special efforts and focus from politicians.

Read the debate article at Ny Teknik (in Swedish) →

On May 25, a first Automation Expo was held after the pandemic. Automation Region's member companies demonstrated smart products and services in automation, robotics and production technology at Kungsleden's Sports Center in Västerås. Organizers for the day were Automation Region and Mälardalen University.

In the newly published book Artificial Intelligence and Innovation Management, international experts give their views on how AI affects how companies and organizations do business and innovate. Helena Blackbright, innovation researcher at Mälardalen University and project manager at Automation Region, and Stoyan Tanev, professor at Carleton University in Canada, are editors of the book.

“AI technology is now so useful that it is expected to have a major impact on the pace of innovation in many different sectors”, says Helena Blackbright. “It enables radically renewed processes for value creation, at the same time as more and more tasks can be automated and machines begin to surpass human cognitive ability.”

Together with PiiA and GTI (Green Transition Initiative), Automation Region has started the IndTech GTI Program. The purpose is to accelerate the green transition in Swedish industry in collaboration with forefront tech companies in Silicon Valley. During the autumn, a series of talks will be held with selected organizations in Sweden and the USA to identify strategies and working methods.

Automation Region, the strategic innovation program PiiA and Process IT at Luleå University of Technology have been awarded a Seal of Excellence for the work of establishing an innovation environment for IndTech. Seal of Excellence is the European Commission’s quality award for high-class applications.

It's time to apply to the Automation Student competition, which nominates the best automation related degree project of the year. The winning entry is rewarded with a scholarship of SEK 20,000. In the photo Moutoz Abdalrahman and Alistair Brice who won the 2021 edition of the competition with their degree project where they created an automatic assembly line for a pedal car.

For a period of one month, a group of students from Mälardalen University have been working on the Digital sömmerska (Digital tailor) project at the University of Borås. They have been tasked with robotising the human process of handling a fabric and sewing a simple garment.

“When it comes to costs and business benefits, it is important to implement automation if Sweden is to have a future in textile production,” says Yuliya Urban, who project manages the students’ tasks.