Autor: Alexander Fay

The paper presents a method for the systematic selection of “Digital Twin” applications of products. Based on a product-independent search of implementations, potential use cases for the product’s ”Digital Twin” are specified and selected. This selection of applications forms the basis of the method, which allows a detailed modeling in two phases. The result of this modeling is an in-depth understanding of the use cases themselves and their requirements, especially information requirements, on the “Digital Twin” of the product. Furthermore, these findings enable an efficient conception and implementation of the virtual image of the product and can be the basis for optimizing the existing value chain.

In this contribution, a method for the implementation of Industry 4.0 projects in production and logistics for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) is described. This method takes various boundary conditions of SMEs into consideration and has been applied in different projects with SMEs within the “Mittelstand 4.0-Kompetenzzentrum Hamburg” initiative. The method focuses on an integration of new technologies into existing systems and the connection of newly generated data with known information flows.

As a result of digitization, logistics objects and systems are increasingly being equipped with information and communication technologies, which is accompanied by new functionalities. Such smart objects enable a high-resolution representation of processes within a supply chain and support their control. At the same time, the variations in the technical design and integration are increasing. For the handling of complexity, an approach for a systematic structuring of objects in logistics with regard to function, structure and dependencies is presented.