GaProSys 4.0
Development of a Selection System for Methods of a "Holistic Production System 4.0" for SMEs
(Project duration January 2018 to December 2019; project processing is carried out by RIF e.V., Production Systems Department))
Problem
In the course of globalisation, German industry, as a high-wage production location, is faced with the demands of increasing productivity and reducing costs. In order to meet the increasing demands, holistic production systems (HPS) have often been introduced in the past, which represent a company-specific, methodical set of rules for the continuous orientation of all company processes to the customer. However, as the potential of classic HPS is increasingly exhausted, the need for new types of improvement approaches is growing. Recent developments show that the implementation of Industry 4.0 in particular, which is generally understood to mean the convergence of real and virtual production worlds, can further improve the utilisation of potential through HPS.
Despite this potential for expansion, there is as yet no integrated approach that supports SMEs in particular in the introduction and implementation of an integrating concept, taking into account the company-specific framework conditions.
Objective
The aim of the research project is to develop methods for a "Holistic Production System 4.0" and an associated selection system for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Based on a GaProSys 4.0 method catalogue and a typology to characterise the company-specific framework conditions and goals, the selection system enables small and medium-sized enterprises to identify suitable methods. Taking into account synergies between the methods, concrete recommendations for action are then derived to support the user in a step-by-step implementation. The publicly accessible and software-based provision of the systematics ensures user-friendly use.
Procedure and Division of Labour
The implementation of the objectives in the GaProSys 4.0 research project is being carried out by the RIF Institute for Research and Transfer e.V. and the Institute for Factory Management and Business Research (IFU) in cooperation with a project-accompanying committee.
Based on the special framework conditions of SMEs, the requirements for the GaProSys 4.0 method catalogue to be developed and the associated selection system are derived. In addition, synergies between existing GPS methods and Industrie 4.0 solutions are examined and the results consolidated in a synergy matrix. Based on this, GaProSys 4.0 methods suitable for SMEs are defined and their effects on essential entrepreneurial target dimensions are evaluated. Subsequently, a typology is developed to characterise the company-specific framework conditions and the suitability of the GaProSys 4.0 methods for different typology characteristics is evaluated. On this basis, a selection system is developed and implemented in the software, which, based on company-specific goals and framework conditions, provides a recommendation for action for the targeted selection of methods. Finally, the concept is validated in selected use cases.
Funding Advice
Project 19840 N of the research association Gesellschaft für Verkehrsbetriebswirtschaft und Logistik e.V. - GVB, Wiesenweg 2, 93352 Rohr is funded by the German Federation of Industrial Research Associations within the framework of the programme for the promotion of joint industrial research and development.