Cathrin Wesch-Potente

Condition based factory planning

Consecutive planning approaches, common in the theory of factory design today, fail to support planning projects in practice. They neglect the interactions and dynamics in the planning task and project as well as the subjectivity introduced by the different stakeholders. Unconsidered interactions, conflicting motives and inflexible project structure lead to time-consuming, expensive and late adaptations. Local optimisation and deviations from the overall objectives are consequences of insufficient synchronisation and coordination. The approach proposed in this paper strives for a paradigm shift from consecutive processes to a modular, parallel approach, which can be reconfigured according to the specific conditions of the planning project and enterprise. This new approach integrates the modularisation and configuration of the planning process as well as aspects of management of instability and second order observation. It has been successfully employed in industry cases, which will be introduced in this paper.

Virtual Production Systems

The use of simulation systems is of significant importance for companies in high-wage countries as the requirements of product- and process quality are generally higher than in low-wage countries due to conditions of the market. Since the implementation of simulation tools is not value-adding in the first place, the performance of virtual product development chain must therefore be continuously increased in terms of greater planning efficiency. Research in the field of virtual production systems therefore addresses the following issue.

Innovation im produzierenden Gewerbe

Das produzierende Gewerbe ist fur den Standort Deutschland von groser Bedeutung. Etwa 40 % aller sozialversicherungspflichtigen Erwerbstatigen in Deutschland werden dem produzierenden Gewerbe zugerechnet (Statistisches Bundesamt: 2010). Eine zunehmende Verscharfung des globalen Wettbewerbs durch wirtschaftlich aufstrebende Schwellenlander, der demografische Wandel sowie veranderte Bedurfnisse der Kunden und nicht zuletzt die limitierte Verfugbarkeit von Rohstoffen zwingen die produzierende Industrie zu einer Umstrukturierung. Fur die Wettbewerbsfahigkeit ist besonders entscheidend, material- und energieeffizient in allen Bereichen der Produktion zu arbeiten und dies auch in den Phasen der Produktentstehung zu etablieren.

Integrative Business and Technology Cases

In order to strengthen the relevance and integrativity of research in the Cluster of Excellence, current best practice “business and technology cases” were selected. Hereby the theories, hypotheses, predictions and technology projects developed in the Cluster of Excellence are evaluated and advanced in close collaboration with leading production companies in Germany and Europe. To make the work more transparent, different application scenarios will be developed.

Business and Technology Cases

Um die Relevanz und Integrativitat der Forschungsarbeiten im CoE zu verstarken, wurden aktuelle Best Practice „Business and Technology Cases“ ausgewahlt. Hierdurch werden die erarbeiteten Theorien, Hypothesen, Pradiktionen und Technologieansatze in Zusammenarbeit mit fuhrenden Produktionsunternehmen aus Deutschland und Europa uberpruft und weiterentwickelt. Um die durchzufuhrenden Arbeiten transparent zu machen, werden ferner unterschiedliche Anwendungsszenarien entwickelt.