Soloplan & University of Applied Sciences Kempten

Soloplan GmbH extends its research cooperation with the Kempten University of Applied Sciences. The new contract for the further development of the Soloplan Innovation Lab was signed on Thursday in Soloplan City in the presence of the university president, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Hauke, the dean of the faculty of computer science, Prof. Dr. Rieck, and the scientific director of the laboratory for innovation and digitalization in logistics at the university, Prof. Dr. Wind, as well as Fabian and Wolfgang Heidl, managing directors of Soloplan.

The cooperation between the family-owned software company  and the Kempten University of Applied Sciences has been in place since 2005. In addition to the Innovation Lab (since 2018), the Soloplan lecture hall was opened in 2006 and has been supported regularly since then. The exchange between the company and the university is extremely important. Both the software company and the Kempten University of Applied Sciences benefit from the long-standing cooperation. “Some of our longest standing employees found their way to us after completing their studies in Kempten and are still successfully working in development, quality assurance and software support”, reports managing director Wolfgang Heidl. In addition, Professor Dr. Wind explains that it is important, especially in the Allgäu region, to make regional employers known to students and graduates. He is pleased about the reliable support and the innovative way of thinking of the company.

The family-owned company has been developing the logistics software CarLo since 1994, and in terms of its career, it is addressing the courses of study in Kempten in computer science, business information technology and game engineering. Business studies students also find their place at Soloplan GmbH. They often start with an internship during their studies, as a bachelor or master student and take on their own projects and responsibilities right from the start.  “It is important to us to provide practical tasks which are oriented towards current trends in the IT industry. Students carry out these projects on their own responsibility and ultimately present their final result. As a result, students and graduates take an important place in our team after a very short time”, explains Christian Heidl, CDO of Soloplan GmbH.

As an extension of the cooperation, the new Room for Innovation and Digitalization in Logistics will be opened at the university at the beginning of the new semester. The Innovation Lab focuses on the digitalization of the transport and logistics industry. For this purpose, the use of the most modern technologies is being researched, e.g. in the field of artificial intelligence, augmented reality (AR) or voice control.

In cooperation with Soloplan GmbH, a possibility is created which fulfills both the physical and technical requirements to work on innovative technologies and create solutions for digital logistics. The laboratory for innovation and digitalization in logistics is available to students at all times and, in addition to project work and learning units, the Innovation Lab naturally also offers space for creative breaks in a lounge chair or beanbag.