Introducing our new Center Director…

In January 2022, Jacques took over the management of the Center Connected Industry in the Smart Logistics Cluster from Christian Maasem. That’s why he would like to take the opportunity to briefly introduce himself. We also asked him which aspects of the center he finds particularly interesting and how he envisions the future.

About Jacques:

After studying industrial engineering in the mechanical engineering department at RWTH Aachen University including stays in Munich and abroad in Norway, Jacques started his career as a project manager in the information management department at FIR at RWTH Aachen University.
His areas of interest include in particular the Industrial Internet of Things, Digitalisation and Cyber Security, which are also topics he is working on for his PhD. As a counterpoint for his career in management, Jacques tries to implement his interests in crafting in his spare time. For instance, he builds his own furniture and restores old motorcycles.

Jacques, what can we expect from the Center in the coming years?

Under Christian’s leadership, the Center Connected Industry has made an enormous leap since its founding. Needless to say, this would not have been possible without the team. Our goal must be to build on this success story, but also to continue to develop further. Our core competence is to connect technology, companies and people. In order to continue to meet the needs of our members in the future, we will continue to observe new developments with curiosity, putting the focus on the customer first. In addition to thematic focuses, there will certainly be new fields such as enterprise architecture design and cybersecurity protection, that will inevitably have to be considered when connecting assets in the company.

What aspects of the center appeal to you the most and what stands out for you?

Three points are elementary for me. On one hand, I can identify incredibly well with the topics. Thanks to my previous career stops, I certainly have a good set of experience, but I don’t want it to stop there. Parallel to the thematic development of the center, I would also like to develop myself further. On the other hand, the center is currently in an exciting phase. After the steep growth, the current task is to consolidate knowledge and processes so that we can continue to grow in the future. Ultimately, I’m most looking forward to integrating myself into the new team and add a personal note or two.

To what extent will collaboration with members and the RWTH Aachen Campus ecosystem grow in the future?

We have a unique opportunity here at RWTH Aachen Campus with all its clusters, institutes and enrolled members. If you look at the last 10 years, it is amazing what has happened here. By now, I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that Aachen can develop into a research and application-oriented tech and startup center. The chances are good. To make our contribution, we need to bring our members even closer together in the future. The goal must be to find more users in addition to our many providers, with whom the questions to be investigated can be answered much more quickly and in a goal-oriented manner. In doing so, the value proposition must overcome the stage of the promised land and contribute in a pragmatic way to being able to solve difficult and real problems. This is where I see the sweet spot for our Center.