Open Access Articles

How can organisations successfully participate in interoperable and decentralised data ecosystems? To answer this question, this paper presents a process model using the transport logistics industry as an example, which methodically describes the collaborative and interdisciplinary development of services in the decentralised federated data ecosystem Gaia-X [6]. The model supports evaluation and decision-making processes within the development of decentralised data ecosystems in practice and helps IT decision-makers and participating stakeholders to identify the relevant communication flows in a use case. It can be used independently for specific use cases, data spaces and connector technologies and ensures that the communication and alignment of individual development statuses in a decentrally organised framework is comprehensible and understandable for the overall context.

Blockchain is seen as an enabler to increase the efficiency, transparency, and security of information exchange in supply chains. An important application area is maritime logistics, as blockchain facilitates the digitalization of documents and increases the efficiency of the processes. In this article, we elaborate on the example of temperature-controlled container transports the potential for adopting blockchain and the requirements to be considered from the technological and organizational environment.

The potential of platform-based business models in the context of Industry 4.0 has not yet been fully realized. Approaches for platforms and ecosystem- based value creation vary between industries. The plastics industry has so far been widely ignored in this respect. Due to its industrial structure, in particular the uniform value creation structures, the plastics industry is suitable for digital platforms. In addition to approaches for platforms in the injection molding industry, the article offers a procedure model for the expansion of established business models. This can facilitate the entry into the field of platform-based business models for SMEs.

New types of value creation characterized by extensive data use and cross-company data sharing are becoming increasingly important for companies. However, many barriers slow down the path towards data-based value creation, especially for SMEs. Companies often lack specific ideas for data usage or digitalization and data competencies. As a result, there is often untapped value creation potential in companies. By describing a real laboratory setting with real experiments, this article demonstrates support options for companies to identify their own "data treasure" and to lift it.

Industrial robots are being used increasingly in machining processes. Here, the robots exhibit a significantly higher displacement of the end effector than conventional CNC machines due to their comparable low stiffness. This paper presents an approach to minimize such displacements of the tool by exploiting the rotational degrees of freedom at the milling spindle. For this purpose, the displacement of the end effector at different orientations of the milling spindle was investigated by means of a structural model.

In the first article, the reference model was already explained in its essential features [1]. In the second part, the further development to a flexible reference model will be shown. The focus is on the extension to implement different source systems, the implementation of further planning tools, and the implementation of AI tools to achieve dynamic production engineering in the form of holistic and integrated factory planning. This paper explains the development of a holistic demonstrator as a proof of concept.

A key element of the energy transition in Germany lies in green hydrogen. The current production of electrolyzers is mostly done in a manufactory-like manner. By digital planning and preparing an assembly with automated, manual and collaborative elements, the manufacturing of water electrolyzers can be scaled economically. In this paper, a reference process from electrolyzer assembly is selected and analyzed for the complete mapping of a data structure. The determined data structure can be used as a basis for a digital twin.

The use of Digital Twins offers a wide range of applications and opportunities for optimized processes along the entire life cycle of technical systems. However, this concept encounters specific characteristics in plant industry within the development, the construction and operation phase of plants. This article describes these special characteristics and the resulting challenges for the creation and operation of Digital Twins in plant industry. The concept of “Digital Representation” as a basis for Digital Twins is presented together with its prerequisites and potentials.

Additive manufacturing, i.e. the printing of three- dimensional workpieces from different materials, offers the possibility of quickly producing functional prototypes. Digital optimisation is an important building block for the rapid implementation of functional product ideas. Based on digital models, the product is virtually optimised and continuously improved. Once the product has been digitally optimised in terms of its properties, it is checked and, if necessary, adapted for additive manufacturing. The product is then manufactured, reworked and finally tested. The article shows the optimisation possibilities using the example of a dispenser from the food industry. An existing component is digitised, a flow optimisation is carried out on the digital model and the improved product is additively manufactured.

The food sector is facing many challenges, including food loss and waste. To cope with those challenges, digital twins that create a digital representation of physical entities by integrating real-time and real- world data seems to be a promising approach. This article presents the results of a literature review on digital twin applications in the food industry and analyze their challenges and potentials.