Revolutionising production? Austria is leading the way!

Industry is changing fast—and Austria is helping to shape that transformation. Research institutions across the country are working on technologies that make manufacturing more efficient, sustainable and digital. This attracts international partners and equips the location for the next generation of industry.

Advanced manufacturing as an industry accelerator

Advanced manufacturing sits at the heart of the New Deal for IndustryNew Deal for Industry () of the Austrian Scientific Society for Production Engineering. The initiative aims to strengthen Europe’s industrial competitiveness through CO₂-neutral processes, digitally networked value creation and adaptable manufacturing systems. That calls for fully digitised and automated workflows that conserve resources, respond flexibly and translate technological advances rapidly into practice. Research institutions are to develop key technologies together with companies, such as digital twins, AI, robotics, additive manufacturing, 6G and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Austria is building the necessary infrastructure and is already implementing initial applications.

COMET: research that drives industry forward

The COMET programmeCOMET programme () supports Austrian competence centres that work closely with industry partners. Together they are developing technologies that make production more efficient, flexible and sustainable. Projects include: the VRVis Centre, which is using POPSICLEPOPSICLE () to build models that predict climate and infrastructure risks; the Materials Center Leoben, which is working with ProcTwinProcTwin () to improve steel production through digital process simulations and advanced metrology, significantly reducing energy consumption and material use.

Many other institutions are also focusing on digital twins: the CHASECHASE () competence centre is developing digital twins for industrial bioprocesses and monitoring fermentation processes in real time; Pro2FuturePro2Future () is cutting commissioning and maintenance times for technical systems; the Software Competence Center Hagenberg is building an industrial ecosystem for connected manufacturing and Industry 4.0 with TWIN4TWINTWIN4TWIN (); and the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) is using We3DWe3D () to additively manufacture large metal components from aluminium and magnesium, saving material and shortening production times for complex parts.

With such forward-looking solutions, Austria is a leading location for production technologies—a magnet for international companies and a driver of tomorrow’s industry. Read more here: Advanced ManufacturingAdvanced Manufacturing ().