Professor Alexander Schlüter provided important impetus in the debate on the future of production at the Industry Summit Germany in Münster on 5 November 2025. As part of the panel discussion "Do AI and sustainability have a future in production?", he brought the perspective of application-oriented research to a high-calibre panel of experts.
In the discussion, Prof Schlüter focussed in particular on the importance of resilient supply systems. He emphasised that technological advances through AI must go hand in hand with a robust and crisis-proof supply of energy and raw materials. As a concrete solution, he presented the principles of the circular economy in order to reduce industrial dependencies and establish sustainable material cycles.
The discussion took place in a high-calibre circle of experts from industry and research and was moderated by Dr. Christian Rathmann (TÜV Rheinland Consulting). The participants were:
- Prof. Dr Alexander Schlüter, Paderborn University
- Dr Arne Kätelhön, Managing Director & Co-Founder, Carbon Minds
- Ergi Martin, Director Manufacturing Technologies, Bosch
- Maximilian Szlavik, Decarbonisation Account Executive, carbmee
- Alexander Zahn, Head of Environment and Sustainability, VW Group Components
- Dr Andreas Kicherer, Vice President Sustainability, Brenntag
- Karin Wiebe, EC/BSS - Energy Transformation, BASF Coatings
About the Industry Summit Germany:
The Industry Summit Germany is a specialist event that focusses on industrial transformation, production and logistics and promotes exchange between experts from different industries.
A contribution from Tamino Donner
