Sensors

The KWS SAAT AG have implemented and automatic identification system (Auto-ID) for corn. The main reasons for this were the logistic challenges and legal requirements concerning the traceability of seeds. With this system, the aim is to increase the efficiency of logistic processes in the supply chain. Before its implementation, a research project was conducted, in which the requirements that must be met by the Auto-ID system in this specific environment were examined.

At BIBA - Bremer Institut für Produktion und Logistik GmbH a project was conducted for the electronic vehicle identification in cooperation with the firm J.H. Tönnjes E.A.S.T. GmbH & Co. KG. The aim of this research project was to find the optimal combination of inlay and reader for a passive RFID system in the UHF frequency band. RFID vignettes and RFID license plates produced by the Tönnjes company group were analysed and optimised throughout the tests.

During the last decades, automotive manufacturers have outsourced many processes. Hence, complex networks consisting of automotive manufacturers, suppliers and logistics service providers have grown in the automotive industry. The resulting transports of components in these networks often require special load carriers. Consequently, companies nowadays face the challenge to handle a growing number of load carriers. For improving the load carrier management a higher transparency is required regarding the load carriers in the whole network. Transparency can be assured by the application of radio frequency identification technology. However, especially logistics service providers have to invest in this technology, which can be implemented in different ways. In this paper, some application possibilities are described and analyzed regarding economic and energy efficiency.

In the research project LUPO a hybrid simulation laboratory is build up. This combines the advantages of the computer simulation with those of a model factory. For the systematic recording, mapping and analysis of various production processes a procedure model has been created that responds to the special requirements (quick, flexible, effortless determination of informative results) of the project. A library of production objects facilitates the reutilisa tion of existing machines and hereby a reduction of simulation effort.

In a world of steady change, manufacturing companies face major challenges. They have to react quickly to an increasing competition and more and more individual customer requests. New technologies and organisational structures like RFID or decentralised and real-time based production control can deal with this issue successfully. The specific realization of selection and analysis of each production process of the company often approves to be difficult and cost intensive. Previous simulation approaches are frequently combined with high efforts in order to state credible propositions regarding suitability and economic efficiency. The present paper shows a new opportunity towards managing these disadvantages. Additionally, the advantages are combined with computer-based simulations of the model factory. A fast and flexible illustration of the analysed production processes is achieved.

So-called chaotic storages get increasingly important in commercial use. Their high dynamics and resulting uncertainty about storage levels result in high requirements on logistic processes. The project presented in this paper combines methods to meet these requirements by the use of an autonomous stocktaking robot. It uses approaches from the field of cognitive inspired Artificial Intelligence, enabling the robot to act purposefully in an unknown environment. Even if the environment is constantly changing, the robot is able to acquire robust information about the current state of e.g., storage areas, their position and goods stored in them. The information gathered is of coarse granularity but is still be a valuable basis for the analysis and optimisation of intra-logistic pro-cesses.

The cooperation between BLG LOGISTICS GROUP and the UNIVERSITY of BREMEN by the topic self-motoring in logistics exists since the composition of the collaborative research centre 637 “autonomous cooperating logistic processes - a paradigm shift and its limitations”. This research centre was founded by the “Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)” in 2004. Since then the BLG provides the research case studies and real data from the industry. This builds the basis of the research analysis in the form of autonomous cooperating processes and simulation studies and allows the verification and evaluation of the complied work results. On the other hand are the results of the collaborative research centre 637 case studies very important for the development of the processes at the BLG. This article presents the contemporary issue of autonomous control, the insight of projects between BLG and Bremer Institut für Produktion und Logistik GmbH (BIBA) and moreover a future scenario of ...

Product piracy poses an increasing threat to manufacturers and providers of products in the industrial sector. Therefore the application of technical solutions for the protection against product counterfeiting and copying becomes more and more important. In this context, especially the use of RFID technology constitutes an effective instrument for tracking original products and components along the supply chain and also for quick and reliable verification and confirmation of their authenticity. Within the joint project MobilAuthent, supported by the BMBF, a solution for forgery-proof product authentication and tracking along the supply chain based on RFID is being developed. This article introduces the first project results as well as the MobilAuthent concept. The presented solution can be flexibly adapted to different company and product-related requirements.

The ongoing development of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) opens up new possibilities to parallelize information and material flows. Manufacturing processes can be provided with real time information and new lifecycle services (e.g. definition of optimal cutting parameters, life cycle data, etc.) can be realized. In this paper the advantages of RFID on metal cutting tools are discussed. RFID on tools can support an efficient tool management and help to automate manual activities within the manufacturing process.

The transparency of location and status of loadings and load carriers is particularly important for efficient warehouse management on seaport terminals. Today detection of load carrier movement processes and modified status information is insufficiently supported by software systems. An automated IT-based load carrier management system offers a wide range of opportunities for tracking and tracing positions and status information of loadings and load carriers. A permanent monitoring of changes regarding location and status allows the usage of innovative stock-keeping strategies, search time reduction, decrease of relocation processes and overall an improvement of the traffic flow on the seaport terminal area. This article addresses the design and modelling of a system that enables automated detection of location and status of load carriers on seaport terminals combining innovative information and communication technologies for identification, communication and localisation tasks. ...