Kick-off of the Digiscouts in Korbach – A win for the Waldeck-Frankenberg region!
Korbach, February 26, 2025 – Digital change is not stopping at the Waldeck-Frankenberg region either: Yesterday, the first kick-off of the “Digiscouts” took place in Korbach. Mayor Stefan Kieweg and Dimitrij Schmalz from the Economic Development and Regional Management Waldeck-Frankenberg GmbH warmly welcomed 28 trainees and seven trainees to Korbach Town Hall.
The "Digiscouts" project offers the participating trainees a unique opportunity to engage intensively with digitalization. Over the next six months, the trainees will discover digitalization potential in their companies, develop creative ideas and present them at a final event in autumn 2025.
"We are very pleased that the Waldeck-Frankenberg region is now part of the Digiscouts program and would like to wish the trainees every success on their journey. They are the future of digitalization and we are excited about the innovative ideas they will implement in their companies," said Mayor Stefan Kieweg in his welcoming speech.
The Digiscouts are supported by coach Thomas Fabich from RKW Hessen GmbH, who will use his expertise to support the trainees in implementing their ideas.
Leading companies in the region are participating in the program, including:
Arnold AG - we are metalligent®
CyCOM GmbH
H&T Tool Design GmbH & Co. KG
HEWI Heinrich Wilke GmbH
horizont group gmbh
city of Frankenberg (Eder)
Weidemann GmbH
About the Digiscouts:
The Digiscouts program is an initiative to promote digital transformation in training. Trainees are trained to become "Digiscouts" who discover digitalization potential in their companies and develop solutions. The program is carried out in various regions of Germany and supports companies in implementing innovative digital approaches. The Digiscouts and the companies are supported by the RKW Competence Center, which initiated the project across Germany. The Digiscouts project is funded by the RKW Competence Center with funds from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK).
Promoting the circular economy together
Start of international cooperation project: Delegation of Dutch experts explored the North Hesse region in May 2024
The Netherlands is considered a pioneer in the circular economy: by 2050, the country wants to create an economy without waste, and the circularity rate in Holland is already three times higher than in the rest of the world. In northern Hesse, too, more and more companies are developing sustainable solutions to use resources efficiently. An international cooperation project is intended to pool the experience and expertise from both regions in the future: the North Hesse Economic Development Association, Regional Management North Hesse GmbH, Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI) and the German-Dutch Chamber of Commerce are working together to achieve this. The initiative was funded by the GTAI's "Internationalization of Regions in Structural Change" (ISW) program.
In Korbach, a visit to the company mauser-Einrichtungssysteme was on the agenda. The manufacturer of steel furnishing solutions focuses on sustainability, as Klaus-Dieter Seib, General Manager Global Operations, reported to the delegation: "Around 70 percent of the flat steel we use is made from recycled steel. Our steel furniture and systems are extremely durable and almost 100 percent recyclable in order to save resources." Among other things, the company has invested in a thin-film powder coating system, which saves 35 percent of the powder normally used.
The delegation from the Netherlands was also impressed by the new town hall in Korbach: This innovative project was the first to examine the possibilities of circular construction for a solid building. After the selective dismantling of the old town hall, the materials were separated and processed into, among other things, resource-saving concrete. As many as 62 percent of the demolition material found a new use. The end of the three-day delegation trip was celebrated in the large hall with a networking dinner and an exchange of experiences. The end of the three-day delegation trip was celebrated in the large hall with a networking dinner and an exchange of experiences, which was organized by the Waldeck-Frankenberg Economic Development Agency and the City of Korbach.