Industrie 4.0

Handling increasing complexity is a major challenge within the manufacturing industry. Methods from Industrie 4.0, e. g. data analytics, can support in reducing complexity. Currently, benefits of implementing data analytics within large scale manufacturing are limited. For this purpose, a study regarding the potentials and obstacles for data analytics in large scale manufacturing was conducted. The results of this study show the necessity of adaptive data availability, strategic prioritization as well as scalable data analytics in order for data analytics to be successful.

The digital twin is supposed to be a major tool for increasing productivity in the age of industrial digitalization. However, there are many heterogeneous definitions about the digital twin. This situation hardly supports the practical digital twin implementation. For this reason, the article introduces a new concept, called the Digital Twin Theory which is a theoretical framework containing several hypotheses about digital twins. The aim of the framework is a better understanding about the digital twin management in practice.

The performance of assistance systems, especially in the automotive sector, has become an unique selling point. The trend toward Autonomous driving represents the expected impact of innovation resulting from the exploitation of the latest technologies. Besides autonomous driving, other areas of application for autonomous systems could trigger social change - the prime example being industrial production. The following article presents a planning approach tailored to the complex engineering task of planning and designing autonomous systems for industrial applications.

Why Lean-Management is the solid basis for the fourth industrial revolution: The fourth industrial revolution seems to be the current issue number one. Apart from that well-known consultancies determine a not satisfactory level of implementation concerning Lean methods. The question rises to what extent the implementation of Lean Methods is useful for the introduction of industry 4.0 or if these methods can even be seen as a precondition. Therefore, all common Lean principles and methods were contrasted with the principles and technologies of the industry 4.0. In conclusion, Lean Management is a solid basis for the successful implementation of the fourth industrial revolution for the production of the future. Lean Management can finally be seen as the essential precondition.

Fast-pacing technologies force companies to improve their flexibility. Fluctuating demand and volatile markets require high reactivity. Due to Industry 4.0 and globalization, communication in companies is becoming increasingly important. Social networks can be used to improve the efficiency of in-house communication and create a connection to partners and customers. This paper discusses how social networks can support corporate communication internally as well as externally, with a focus on logistics and production. In this context, practical examples are shown and a self-developed model is presented.

In transport logistics the utilization of transports is often unknown. As a consequence it is not possible to use this information during the transport planning phase and it cannot be used for operational transport control. This report describes technologies which can measure the utilization of shipping spaces. Due to the lack of market-ready systems, a new system was developed that uses ultrasonic sensors to determine the transport utilization. The system was built on a trailer and was tested during live operation. It was shown that the system fulfills the given requirements and it is suggested to expand the tests.