Autor: Ralph Riedel

The intensive use of the term microservice calls for a theoretical analysis of the technology. Since service-oriented architecture approaches have produced rather disappointing results, the focus should be on the advantages of microservices. This article questions which principles justify the use of microservices as a system architecture. So far, some of the advantages mentioned in the examined literature have not been further explained or defined. There is also a lack of key figures for measuring success.

With industry 4.0 technologies the new demands on production companies can be made manageable. The most common issue is the lack of transparency and efficient structure in intralogistics processes. In various projects of the Mittelstand 4.0 Kompetenzzentrum Chemnitz the use of Auto-ID and assistance systems has shown how this deficiency can be remedied. In one of these a local company improves its transparency and reduced the intralogistic search effort by 20 %.

The automatic identification of workpieces is a compulsory step towards the Digital Twin and for a consistent life cycle file of products. Because different technologies exist, companies often face the challenge to find the right solution which meets their requirements. Especially the high level of prominence of some technologies lead to premature decisions without a profound selection process. This in turn might lead to sub-optimal solutions in the end. In order to support especially industrial companies in this process, a selection algorithm for Auto-ID technologies was developed as part of an industrial project at the department Factory Planning and Factory Management of TU Chemnitz. The selection process has been implemented in a Microsoft Excel-based tool.

Many companies face the challenge of training their employees to handle increasingly complex products and to execute complex processes. In the course of globalization, this is no longer just classically interdisciplinary, but also multicultural and multilingual. In addition, the same level of knowledge often needs to be built up and maintained at production sites around the world. In this context, the question arises if traditional training in the form of external human-to-human training will meet the requirements of today’s qualification or whether digitization itself offers opportunities to make training more effective and efficient. An innovative approach, which is presented in the article and is currently being developed by DECURA Consulting GmbH is the combination of virtual reality (VR) and photogrammetry in combination with gamification elements.

Shaping intelligent production environments is one core element of Industry 4.0, but has progressed differently in the various branches. While concepts are well advanced in automotive, SMEs within textile industry still need assistance. As demands on individualization and responsiveness are increasing, a Smart Factory for textile SMEs must be designed. The futureTEX consortium therefor is working on shaping a textile Smart Factory and implements it prototypically by using demonstrators.

Planning teams are faced with increasing demands concerning their work. The variety of products, globalization, agility or sustainable manufacturing leads to increasingly complex planning processes. Furthermore, planning teams are distributed around the globe and are affected by a growing number of communication interfaces. Building upon this, this paper introduces a particular serious play method. The method intends to improve communication in planning teams and to support knowledge work in general. Furthermore, it tries to foster close collaboration among the planning team members using an interdisciplinary workshop setting and intense communication. Two case studies are utilized to validate the method’s supporting functions. The findings indicate that the method supports communication and knowledge work. Nonetheless, furthermore research is necessary to determine quantitative effects and additional application scenarios.

The purpose of this paper is to show how corporate strategy can be aligned with the production system of an enterprise to derive an operations strategy. Consequently, the operations strategy is employed to define prospective needs of agility. The research methodology builds upon action research that is realized in a long-term approach with two joint manufacturing companies. Both can be classified as small and medium sized enterprises (SME). The preliminary findings underline the importance of a holistic view towards agility emphasizing organization and people as major drivers of agility. These drivers are addressed by means of a playful intervention with LEGO-bricks.

The paper highlights the importance of standards and standardisation especially for multinational enterprises. At the same time the threat of a not adequately reflected over-standardisation is recognised which is tied to risks like transaction costs and “idle power”. In the paper it is discussed to what extend it is possible to evaluate standards and standardisation in multinational enter- prises in terms of effort and benefits. This evaluation is anchored within a concept of standard management at a strategic level.