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The importance of procurement in industrial management has largely grown over the last decades. Yet, the increasing strategic relevance also calls for more future orientation. This Delphi study develops a profound overview of topics that comprise an innovative“Procurement 2030”.

Despite the fact that SME innovation is critical to a country’s economic success, SMEs spend less than 50 % of their budget on R&D when compared to large companies. “Open innovation”is seen as helping SMEs to improve their competitive position. For regions dominated by SMEs it is important to develop an ecosystem that supports open innovation processes. Universities can be key enablers within these ecosystems. They support SMEs with their expertise in science and engineering as well as in innovation and project management. In this article we present a case study to demonstrate the role of a university of applied sciences in an open innovation ecosystem.

Finger fractures are usually still casted with plaster bandages. However, to avoid acampsia of the finger joints, flexibility exercises are necessary. Further disadvantages of the rigid plaster bandages are insufficient breathability and water resistance, weightiness and the necessity to apply wet and pliable plaster bandages to the injured patient. This article describes how individually designed hand orthoses without these disadvantages are attainable. With scans, modern software like STL editors (STL: Standard Tessellation Language) or CAD systems (CAD: Computer Aided Design) and additive manufacturing, complex, light weight and breathable structures are possible. Contrary to the solely mechanical art of casting with plaster, the new approach requires expertise in data processing and additive manufacturing seldom found in medical facilities. But this opens opportunities for service providers.

Implicit experiential knowledge will be lost through the retirement of the babyboomer generation. This know-how is difficult to capture and transfer. The KI_eeper project aims to develop an efficient AI-based system that automatically identifies and stores knowledge in the work process. The resulting knowledge base will provide assistance to all employees. The system will be designed in cooperation with employees according to their needs to gain high user acceptance.

SME often encounter risks and obstacles when implementing IIoT solutions, but these challenges can be mitigated with the use of an IIoT platform. To select the appropriate platform, a decision- making approach has been developed. By choosing the right use cases, companies can directly benefit from IIoT implementation and gain a competitive edge in the market. Our research indicates that at least three applications have a favorable balance between benefits and effort. Once successfully implemented, these applications can be expanded and scaled as the company becomes more digitally proficient.

In order to withstand disruptions manufacturing companies need to improve their robustness. In the past only infrastructures and resources were considered in the context of robustness, neglecting the interconnectedness of processes. However, a consideration of processes in the context of robustness is highly relevant. Process modeling is used for the design and analysis of processes. This paper describes the requirements for modeling methodology and evaluates existing approaches. (Only in German)

The Enterprise-Control System Integration of the operational applications is described in IEC-62264 and also referred to as the automation pyramid. This integration model is built on the MRP-II model developed in the 1980s. This model was groundbreaking for its time and still forms the basis of operational IT systems today. According to this concept, operational applications are run through hierarchically-sequentially (waterfall principle), which results in disadvantages such as: many interfaces, time delays, data loss, inconsistencies, etc. This sequential model neither meets the current requirements nor the informational and technical possibilities of Industry 4.0. It can be replaced by the concept of the digital control twin, which has corresponding effects on the automation pyramid.

The introduction of Lean Management System and their continuous improvement regularly poses challenges for companies. In the face of advancing digitalisation, new opportunities for analysis are opening up that also support the continuous improvement process. The article shows how process orientation, digitalisation and operational activities can be systematically applied for the development and integration of a data-based continuous improvement process in manufacturing companies. (Only in German)

The logistics industry offers numerous opportunities for data-driven solutions, such as improving the part feeding problem in assembly line industries. A data-based approach for will lead to an improvement of cost-effectiveness through optimized processes, resource utilization, and consistent supply to the assembly line. The generated approach is a mixed integer programming model which considers limited storage space, uses constraints, and various cost factors related to transport, replenishment, and picking.