The ProRegio methodology will bring, in concurrent way, a set of innovative developments, classified in the following areas:
Business models for product-services:
- services based apps for mobile devices for customer integration into product development and order fulfilment processes.
- online ad-hoc feedback on the current state of an order to increase transparency for all stakeholders.
- next generation of online support to plant managers and operators on the shopfloor by services based on innovative apps, augmented reality and approaches of business intelligence.
- performance assessment method of the new business model with respect to traditional approaches, at global production network level.
Frugal Innovation:
- formalized approach to customer-driven bottom up product-service innovation.
- support for designers in the analysis of the implications of the innovations at supply chain and production plant level.
- standardized mechanisms and protocols to involve the customer and the supplier in the (re)-design phase.
- decision support and PLM tool specifically targeted to region-dependent product-service innovation.
Manufacturing intelligence:
- predictive analytics approaches for order-allocation and tactical network planning by using customers’ feedback via cloud-based and PLM solutions.
- measuring methods for the value assessment of a manufacturing intelligence approach.
PLM tools:
- modern design environments will be used in order to increase effectiveness and productivity during the design phase; these environments will enable, support, and manage the adaptation of product-services to new requirements regarding frugal innovation.
- open interfaces to production planning tools for plants and networks as well as interfaces to mobile devices and apps to integrate customer requirements.
- open PLM architecture for enabling a multi-directional exchange of knowledge, data and systems.
Augmented Reality:
- collaborative Augmented Reality tools supporting new forms of interaction and visualization that can provide ubiquitous collaboration throughout the value chain of product design and manufacturing.
- Augmented Reality tools to provide necessary information for operators at the shopfloor, suppliers as well as the management staff.
- Augmented Reality solution enabling the reuse of existing knowledge in collaborative product-service design.
Mass Customization:
- cloud-based product variant management tool to figure out balances between world-wide standardization, individualization and regionalization.
- new approaches for eCommerce systems to integrate customer requirements.
- web-based toolkits supporting forecasting, planning, and (re-)scheduling of customized production at system and network levels.
Planning and management of production networks for customized products:
- network capability tool for performance evaluation of distributed production systems.
- models and algorithms for efficient (re-)design of sustainable production networks for customized production taking into account quantitative and qualitative objectives as well as the dynamic business environment.
- model-based real time decision-making support as enabler for ad-hoc reactions in case of changes and disturbances for the tactical/operational planning and control of production networks.
- decision-making support tools for proactive (re-)design of production networks to the changing conditions with minimal impact on the network.
ICT tools for production networks:
- interlinked networks for the provision and integration of real-time information and end-user feedback.
- ICT based monitoring tools for continuous detection and evaluation of disturbances and uncertainties as basis for ad-hoc reactions.
- apps for sharing manifold information in almost real-time to internal and external stakeholders of a production network.
Virtual Factory and Cyber Physical Systems for system design:
- innovative order-assignment algorithm in production networks that take into consideration at the same time the technological capabilities of the different production systems and the real orders assigned to the plants.
- innovative visualization capabilities, both at product and plant level, for enabling the customer to interact with the manufacturer and the suppliers even in the early product-service design phase; design changes will be recorded and visualized for future learning and knowledge re-use.
Co-evolution of product/service, product and production system:
- connection strategy between product life-cycle and the system/network life-cycle.
- full consideration of the evolution of region-dependent product feature in the design of the production system and the supply network.
- virtual approach for direct prediction of product feature modification impact on the current plant and production network configuration.