Innovation, standardization and market impact awarded

The Optimum project won the Excellence Award in three categories. © Demag Cranes & Components

Based on the status quo that industrial processes are predominantly controlled centrally and hierarchically, the partners from industry, SMEs, research institutes and universities involved in the project investigated pioneering future concepts, such as component-based and collaborative automation, which require decentralized control structures. To promote this development, Optimum dealt with the improvement of aspects of distributed control, the adaptation of IoT technologies to the needs of industry, the optimization of control and assistance applications by taking context and location information into account as well as 3D engineering and plant monitoring based on digital twins.

Reduced cycle times in production

The research approaches have made it possible for different floor-free and floor-bound machines from different manufacturers - such as cranes, automated guided vehicles and forklift trucks - to interact with each other in standard applications. Humans are at the heart of the semi-automated processes. This interaction between man and machine(s), coupled with context awareness, enables the implementation of innovative assistance functions that have the potential to reduce cycle times in production processes. Another fundamental objective was to support all partners involved in the project in equipping themselves for requirements in connection with smart factories.

The project achieved further successes in standardization. Among other things, the development of a globally standardized OPC UA (Open Platform Communication Unified Architecture) companion specification for cranes and hoists was driven forward and evaluated by the project partners.

"The output of this project has far exceeded our expectations," states Anja Fischer. "The results include eight patent ideas, three of which have already been approved at national level. In addition, a total of twelve new full-time positions were created at the participating consortium partners and 43 university theses - nine Bachelor's theses, 23 Master's theses and eleven project theses - were successfully completed. Above all, however, we were able to identify ways to further strengthen the competitiveness of the participating sectors. A total of 15 demonstrators were installed in four countries, with which the project results can be clearly presented and validated."

Cluster for idea finders

ITEA is the Eureka RD&I cluster for software innovation that enables an international community of industry, SMEs, start-ups, universities, research institutes and customer organizations to collaborate in government-funded research projects that turn innovative ideas into new businesses, jobs, growth and further benefits for society. It is sector-focused and covers a wide range of business areas facing increasing digitalization - such as smart mobility, smart cities and energy, smart factories and manufacturing processes, engineering, healthcare and security