Melanie Luckert

Cognition-Enhanced, Self-optimizing Production Networks

This research area focuses on the management systems and principles of a production system. It aims at controlling the complex interplay of heterogeneous processes in a highly dynamic environment, with special focus on individualized products in high-wage countries. The project addresses the comprehensive application of self-optimizing principles on all levels of the value chain. This implies the integration of self-optimizing control loops on cell level, with those addressing the production planning and control as well as supply chain and quality management aspects. A specific focus is on the consideration of human decisions during the production process. To establish socio-technical control loops, it is necessary to understand how human decisions are made in diffuse working processes as well as how cognitive and affective abilities form the human factor within production processes.

Keine Industrie 4.0 ohne den Digitalen Schatten

Kurzfassung Der Begriff “Digitaler Schatten“ steht für ein hinreichend genaues, digitales Abbild der Prozesse, Informationen und Daten eines Unternehmens. Dieses Abbild wird benötigt, um eine echtzeitfähige Auswertebasis aller relevanten Daten zu schaffen, um hieraus letztendlich Handlungsempfehlungen abzuleiten. Die Bildung des Digitalen Schattens ist damit ein zentrales Handlungsfeld von Industrie 4.0 und stellt die Grundlage für alle weitergehenden Aktivitäten dar.

Automatisierung in der Arbeitsplanung: Ergebnisse einer Studie

Kurzfassung Effizienzsteigerungen in der Arbeitsplanung werden vor dem Hintergrund kurzer Produktlebenszyklen und kundenindividueller Produkte immer wichtiger. Daher hat das Werkzeugmaschinenlabor WZL der RWTH Aachen eine Studie*) durchgeführt, um Handlungsbedarfe zu identifizieren. Ein wesentliches Ergebnis der Studie ist ein trotz des weit verbreiteten Einsatzes von Arbeitsplanungssoftware bestehender Bedarf der Reduktion des Konfigurationsaufwands sowie der Aufwände zur Aktualisierung der Planungsgrundlage.

Investigating the impact of production structure on logistic targets using a dynamic simulation model

To achieve a high logistical performance, adjustments in production structure are inevitable. The impact of structural changes however remains unclear. To investigate the effects of changes concerning production structure on logistical targets, the use of simulation models is possible. In this paper, we propose an approach for dynamically generating simulation models of production structures using structural and parametrical input data. The resulting model can be used to investigate various aspects and problems regarding production structure which is exemplified by a case study evaluating the performance of changes in production structure. The results are displayed in company specific characteristic curves showing the degree of logistic target achievement and the total amount of costs depending on a structural indicator.

Analysis of the potential benefits of digital assembly instructions for single and small batch production

This paper presents the results of a study that was conducted in the Demonstration Factory Aachen in order to analyze the potential benefits of digital assembly instructions compared to paper-based ones. The aim of this study is to validate three hypotheses regarding the benefits in terms of productivity, quality and learning rate. The results will be used to assess the benefits of a potential rollout of digital assembly instructions in a German mid-size company that assembles multi-variant products in the machining equipment sector.

KMU 4.0: Arbeiten und Lernen mit digitalen Medien

Kurzfassung Industrie 4.0 und die dafür benötigte digitale Transformation von Unternehmen stellen Betriebe und Beschäftigte vor eine große Herausforderung. In diesem Beitrag wird ein Qualifizierungskonzept für kleine und mittlere Unternehmen (KMU) vorgestellt, welches im Rahmen des Projekts „KMU 4.0“ entwickelt und erprobt wird. Am Beispiel der Einführung einer digitalen Lernlösung bei der Polierscheibenfabrik Spaeth werden die Herausforderungen und Vorteile digitaler Medien im Unternehmensalltag vorgestellt und diskutiert.

Energieflexible Produktionsplanung und -steuerung

Kurzfassung Durch die Energiewende und die damit verbundene Fokussierung auf regenerative Energien werden in Zukunft Energiemengen volatiler produziert und der Strompreis stärker schwanken. In diesem Beitrag wird ein Optimierungsmodell für die Produktionsplanung und -steuerung (PPS) beschrieben, das eine Synchronisation der Energienachfrage produzierender Unternehmen zum volatilen Energieangebot ermöglicht, um Kosten zu sparen und einen Beitrag zum Gelingen der Energiewende zu leisten.*)

Predicting the potential of production structure changes using characteristic curves

Competitive market environments force manufacturing companies to achieve a high adherence to logistical targets. As their improvement potential is limited by the production structure, projects to modify machine-segment allocation are usually initiated using variant generation and qualitative evaluation methods which are neither able to identify optimal solutions nor to give an overview of possible performances. Furthermore, these projects are normally initiated to address the urgent need of change instead of organized opportunity management. This article presents a methodology for a high-level evaluation of the entire spectrum of possible production structures resulting in characteristic curves to display the progression of costs and logistical performance. Based on usually available master data of manufacturing companies, this approach allows continuous monitoring. The approach, consisting of the steps production structure generation, simulation and visualization, is validated using a real industry case from the machinery and plant engineering industry.

Modeling of Material Flow Problems

In this article we discuss the description of modern manufacturing or production problems using continuous models. Instead of a detailed description of the production process, a mathematical formulation is used based on transport equations. The challenge is to derive novel and nonstandard approaches that allow to incorporate detailed nonlinear dynamic behavior, which is currently not possible with the widely applied linear or mixed integer linear approaches. Starting from discrete event simulations as a basic description we explore the relation between the product density and the flow of parts (also known as clearing function). Data-fitting procedures help to identify the underlying parameters. We show the relationships between discrete event simulations, queuing models and transport model-based methods, and present several applications.