Unpredictable sales volumes and unreliable material supplies require flexible production processes. So how can companies embrace change, especially during the late phases of product development? Together with their partners, the Fraunhofer IAO and the Institute of Human Factors and Technology Management (IAT) at the University of Stuttgart currently are researching methods and operational implementations.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular often lack the ability to compensate for fluctuations in capacity utilization at short notice. Unpredictable events and crises are increasing, and in the wake of crises such as the Corona pandemic, or the blocked Suez Canal, adaptability has become a key need. Companies must not only rethink their globalized supply chains, but also work on their own internal adaptability. This situation becomes most apparent in the late phases of product development: In final assembly, the external installation and commissioning of machines and systems, and the subsequent service required. These processes are time-critical and deadline-dependent, they bundle all information flows from other areas and must be able to immediately follow the fluctuating order volumes in terms of capacity. In addition, the late phases of product development are characterized by an increasing number of interfaces, not only the involvement of other partners (including for logistics and commissioning), but also due to increased coordination requirements with customers.
This is precisely where the "agileASSEMBLY" project comes in, with a total of 12 partners, including the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO and the Institute of Human Factors and Technology Management IAT at the University of Stuttgart. The project aims to support the adaptability of manufacturing companies within the scenarios described above by developing and implementing integrated human resources, organizational and technical solutions. The project focuses specifically on agile self-organization concepts empowered by digital assistance systems and Industry 4.0 solutions.
Optimal solutions through integrative planning
In order to identify the specific innovation needs, requirements and challenges of industrial companies, the project consortium is pursuing a two-pronged approach: The Fraunhofer IAO research team is developing an overarching approach or framework for addressing adaptability in the company. Through in-depth interviews with experts from business and academia, the research team is surveying the status quo and analyzing current challenges and their impact on the late stages of product development.
The second part consists of five operational implementations on-site at the project partners. They analyze their own requirements, prioritize their personnel, organizational and technical requirements, and formulate specific development goals. Based on this, suitable assistance systems are then developed together with the equipment suppliers. One example of this is the self-organized creation of shift schedules based on an integrative planning approach: This means that members of shift groups can determine their respective work assignments independently and in a flexible manner, depending on capacity requirements, qualifications and personal needs. Nika Perevalova, coordinator of the agileASSEMBLY project at the University of Stuttgart's IAT, says: "Technology can provide the decisive added value for enabling the adaptability of people and organizations. With this research project, we are aiming to highlight this synergy in different implementations."
Another implementation option consists of the concept for virtual commissioning. The aim is to enable comprehensive and end-to-end digital support for the process of commissioning machines (on-site) - ideally right through to the complete digitization of individual commissioning steps.
The project findings will be made available
Fraunhofer IAO is developing a free self-assessment, in order to sensitize SMEs in particular to the use of agile concepts in the late phases of product development. This enables interested companies to determine their own positioning in comparison to other companies. As the project progresses, workshops on the topic of business models and services for late phases of product development will be conducted with the operational application partners. The results will be made available to other companies in the form of a guide and an interactive online application.
Source: Fraunhofer IAO
About agileASSEMBLY
The agileASSEMBLY project began in early 2023 and will run for three years. With total funding of 3.6 million euros, the project is the largest in the "Innovations for tomorrow's production, services and work" funding program of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
| Contact | Nika Perevalova, University of Stuttgart, Institute of Human Factors and Technology Management IAT, Tel. +49 711 970-2060, email |
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