The cooperation between Fraunhofer IESE, NetApp and objective partner creates synergies for the benefit of digitalization in the sme sector
Weinheim, April 02, 2019
In response to the current challenges of Industry 4.0 facing sme sector , the Fraunhofer Institute for Experimental Software Engineering, NetApp and objective partner AG joined forces at the Hannover Messe. With shopfloor 4.0. a consulting product was created that provides answers to the new requirements of flexibility in manufacturing.
By combining their technologies with the consulting and implementation expertise of objective partner AG, the cooperation partners Fraunhofer IESE and NetApp are creating a synergy for sme sector, because shopfloor 4.0 standards provide answers to the challenges of Industry 4.0.
One of the greatest challenges of Industry 4.0 is the flexibilization and changeability of production. The most important prerequisite for this changeability is the end-to-end digitalization of production processes, in which a digital twin allows each production step to be mapped, including the associated documentation. The results can be used to gain insights that lead to significantly higher quality standards in production. The newly acquired data models from production can be enriched and analyzed with business data from an ERP system. By enriching production data in this way, it is possible to take a fresh look at supplier evaluations, for example.
Looking at the value chain with shopfloor 4.0
In addition to this production-related perspective, Industry 4.0 also requires the continuity of process chains that begin with the order or even the offer. With shopfloor 4.0, the entire value chain can be considered - without media discontinuity but fully digitized. shopfloor 4.0 offers the solution to link the store floor with the commercial and business processes in the company, which makes an end-to-end view possible in the first place. An essential prerequisite for a successful customer journey.
The basis of shopfloor 4.0 is the Basys 4.0 operating system, which is being developed by Fraunhofer IESE together with 14 other partners and whose development has been funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMFM) since 2016. This foundation is complemented by suitable solution components from the data management specialist NetApp in the hybrid cloud for the IT stack. Together with the design and implementation by objective partner AG, this results in a reference architecture that is fully tailored to the requirements of Industry 4.0.
