With immediate effect, the Institute's management will therefore consist of Prof. Alice Kirchheim (Department of Material Flow Systems), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Uwe Clausen (Department of Logistics, Transport and Environment) and Prof. Dr. Michael Henke (Department of Corporate Logistics), who will take over the interim management of the Institute.

Successfully combining science and practice

Kirchheim, a computer science engineer, gained extensive experience both in research and in the private sector. Immediately after graduating, she worked at the Bremen Institute for Production and Logistics at the University of Bremen. There she researched automatic systems for unloading unit loads from containers. She also worked on one of the first research projects with industrial participation in the area of information and communication technology in the 7th EU Framework Program.

The desire to understand even better how intralogistics works in practice led her into business. In the Kion Group, she was involved in the planning and design of manual and automated intralogistics systems in the sales departments of the Group subsidiaries Still and Dematic. She used her practical experience to conduct application-oriented research in intralogistics. As a result, she worked at Aalen University and, for the last three years, as a professor at the Helmut Schmidt University / University of the Federal Armed Forces in Hamburg.

"It's important to me that the end result is something that works. Michael ten Hompel has proven how successful this combination of science and practice is here at Fraunhofer IML over the last few decades. I am full of enthusiasm and drive to take over the baton and continue to drive forward Dortmund's cutting-edge research. Over the next few years, we will see the extent to which artificial intelligence in autonomous systems will change intralogistics. But now, first and foremost, I'm looking forward to getting to know the people and projects at the institute better and immersing myself in the Fraunhofer world," Kirchheim emphasizes.

"Sustainably strengthening the competitiveness and resilience of the economy"

Holger Hanselka, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, also explains: "With its holistic approach, the Fraunhofer IML develops solutions in all fields of internal and external logistics. Thanks to this expertise and with additional research focuses in the fields of artificial intelligence, smart finance and the Internet of Things, the institute is helping to sustainably strengthen the competitiveness and resilience of the economy in Germany and Europe. I am delighted that in Prof. Kirchheim we have been able to recruit such an accomplished and experienced scientist to head the Fraunhofer IML. With her expertise, she will make an important contribution to further advancing the outstanding development of the institute and its industry-defining research work."