In the area of digital technologies, the focus is on vertical IT integration, which means that research focuses on end-to-end, bidirectional data integration in accordance with the automation pyramid. This includes the implementation of all interfaces to demonstrate digital production and end-to-end data integration from the ERP to the store floor and back. Taking Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) approaches into account, the dissolution of traditional multi-level vertical integration towards cyber-physical systems (CPS) is also being investigated. In this area, our investigations focus on the question of which functions will be performed at which levels or by which services in the future. In the area of IIoT, our focus is on researching digital retrofitting as a way of establishing the IP capability of machines of different ages and technologies. Another focus is on the evaluation and use of data using Advacend Analytics, which includes machine learning (ML), for example.
Research interests:
- What operational and also strategic steps are necessary to enable networked production?
- What can the digitization of machines and plants achieve?
- How can traditional vertical IT integration along the automation pyramid be optimized and what alternatives are enabled here by IIoT scenarios?
- Which artificial intelligence methods are suitable for generating added value through prescriptive and predictive systems in industrial environments?
- What are future trends in digital production and how can companies benefit from them?
Use Cases:
- Digital retrofit using X20 PLC to establish IoT capability at the field level
- WiFi location tracking for all assets and devices
- Real-time visualizations of machine data using dashboards
- Process optimization through the use of collaborative robots for assembling processes
