The Cold Rolling Industry: Demographic Changes and Further Challenges—Impacts on the Workforce and Current Status of the KaWaGi Project

The focus of this chapter is on how digitisation and Industry 4.0Industry 4.0 technologies are changing work forms and loads, as well as competitive strategies within the cold rolling industry. The chapter will present the effects of digitisation coupled with demographic changes within the workforce by presenting the KaWaGi project conducted in association with the German Association of Cold Rolling Mills. The project is intended to secure employability and the innovative potential of the workforce against the background of the current challenges the branch is facing by personnel development measures. In this chapter, some exemplary project results are described from the analyses of the age structure and skills requirements as well as from stress assessment.