The automation technology manufacturers Beckhoff Automation, Harting, Lenze, Phoenix Contact, Wago Kontakttechnik and Weidmüller Interface are the drivers and initiators of the five lead projects. At SPS IPC Drives 2018, representatives of the six companies and the cluster discussed potentials, approaches and effects in the new fields of technology. "The manufacturing industry is facing enormous challenges: The demands on the autonomy and networking of machines and systems are increasing rapidly," explains Prof. Roman Dumitrescu, Managing Director of it's OWL Cluster Management. "In order to remain competitive, companies must increase the intelligence in their products and production processes and open up new customer access and markets. Together with our companies and research institutions, we want to develop new technologies, reusable solution models and software libraries that small and medium-sized enterprises in particular can use." As a first step, five flagship projects worth 15 million euros will be implemented from December. In total, projects worth 200 million euros are to be launched by 2022 with the support of the state, federal government and EU. The 24 core companies of it's OWL want to invest 100 million euros in this.

Machine intelligence for production

For example, Lenze is working on a lead project together with Benteler, KEB, Hanning Elektrowerke, Miele, Weidmüller and five research institutes to develop solutions for machine learning in production, which will be made available on a platform for other cluster companies. "We have long been concerned with the question of how we can incorporate our extensive domain and application knowledge into a modular machine in terms of software technology," explains Frank Maier, CEO of Lenze SE. "With new machine learning methods, we are able to detect anomalies - which occur as a result of wear or damage, for example - in the behavior of machines and thus predict a change in the quality of the goods produced or the need for maintenance at an early stage. This leads to higher availability and reduced maintenance costs. We are already using artificial intelligence methods at Lenze and Encoway. This enables us to provide our customers with optimum support in product configuration. They can quickly and reliably find the right product that best meets their individual requirements, with 1030 possible product variants. As part of the project, we will work with our partners to develop hybrid learning methods that combine the advantages of different machine, model or frequency-based methods and thus enable highly reliable and simple predictive maintenance of machines in the future."

According to Beckhoff Automation, it has succeeded in significantly increasing the intelligence of networked machines and systems in the completed it`s-OWL projects. By using TwinCAT Analytics and TwinCAT IoT, for example, companies can increase their energy efficiency by 17 percent and reduce their waste by 50 percent. "Machine learning methods are required to implement and control increasingly complex production systems," says Dr. Ursula Frank, Head of Research and Development Cooperation at Beckhoff Automation. "PC-based control is an ideal basic technology for integrating machine learning methods. It also offers the necessary performance and computing power associated with increasing machine intelligence, for example Beckhoff Many Core technology in conjunction with XFC (eXtreme Fast Control) technology. In the leading-edge cluster, we now want to define suitable communication solutions for the growing volume of data to be transmitted. In order to master the complexity and uncertainties in the development of production systems with machine intelligence, end-to-end engineering with accompanying simulations is also essential."

Processing large amounts of data and developing new services

The lead project "Industrial Automation Platform for Big Data" focuses on how large amounts of data can be collected and used. To this end, Weidmüller, Lenze, KEB, Benteler and Kannegiesser are working together with Fraunhofer IEM, Fraunhofer IOSB-INA, OWL University of Applied Sciences and Paderborn University. Together, they are developing modules for IT platforms that can collect, process, transport and store data in a self-organizing manner.

"The lead project is about developing technical foundations for automation and production," explains Jörg Timmermann, CEO of the Weidmüller Group. "These are the enablers for future software services and are therefore of central importance. In the project, we want to create the basis for value-based services in modular, adaptable production systems. Important requirements for this include ensuring IP and security, automating integration and access control, supporting the relevant business models and integrating heterogeneous data sources. The services are to be implemented using specific pilot production plants of the project partners involved to validate data integration."

Optimizing machine commissioning and operation with digital twins

The aim of the lead project "Technical infrastructure for digital twins" is to enable interoperable interaction and use of the digital models of a product or production system during its life cycle, taking into account industry-relevant standardization. Particular challenges here are the creation of digital twins that can be automated as far as possible and their accessibility for networks, platforms and the associated business models. The project partners are Phoenix Contact, KEB Automation, Lenze, Weidmüller and Bosch Rexroth as well as the OWL University of Applied Sciences and Fraunhofer IOSB-INA.

In a completed it's OWL project, Phoenix Contact tested the first step towards the end-to-end design of digital twins and developed it further under the umbrella of the "Smart Engineering and Production 4.0 (SEAP 4.0)" project together with Eplan and Rittal. "In the new lead project, we will develop a reference infrastructure," emphasizes Hans-Jürgen Koch, Executive Vice President Business Area Industry Management and Automation at Phoenix Contact Electronics GmbH. "This will enable us to reduce the effort required to maintain the availability of machines and systems when using new product versions or changing functions during their life cycle. By using the digital twin of both the machines and systems and the products installed in them, potential savings of over 50 percent are expected during operation, as well as further savings during commissioning and servicing."

In addition, it is about the energy mapping of the factory via digital twins and their interaction with the engineering and runtime systems via an internal smart grid based on direct current.

Platforms offer new access to customers and markets

How companies can develop new services and open up markets on the technological foundation is the focus of the "Digital Business" flagship project. In the project, Wago Kontakttechnik, Denios, GEA and Unity are working together with Fraunhofer IEM and the University of Paderborn to develop approaches to unlock the potential of digital platforms for small and medium-sized enterprises. In order to remain competitive and maintain their access to customers, companies must increasingly interlink their products with services. Digital platforms enable them to offer an end-to-end solution for customers, from incoming orders to production and logistics.

"A key aspect for us in the Business 4.0 environment are new platforms and ecosystems that are increasingly influencing the B2B sector," says Jürgen Schäfer, Member of the Executive Board of Wago Kontakttechnik. "They are succeeding in occupying the customer interface between customers and product providers. That's why we at Wago are looking closely at what added value we can create for our customers through new services and market performance. We are already achieving this today with our Wago Cloud, which extends the data collection by our PFC controller to include the preparation and processing of this data. We are responding to changing purchasing behavior with our new homepage, whose features, such as recommendations or product comparability, are no different from the portals we are familiar with from everyday life. With this project, we are pursuing the goal of building a platform strategy with the ecosystems that are relevant to us, together with the expertise of the universities. In the long term, we want to create digitally networked value chains with new services whose building blocks can also inspire smaller companies on their way to Business 4.0."

Designing digital working environments - in dialog with the works council and workforce

In the digitalized factory, the social aspects of workplace design are increasingly coming to the fore: people remain at the heart of technology. In order to shape the workplaces of the future, companies must consider the specific areas of application when introducing new technologies and actively involve and train employees. In another it's-OWL lighthouse project, companies, universities and IG Metall are developing and testing new solutions for the digitalization of the world of work. This involves learning platforms, cognitive assistance systems, participative technology design and agile management and personnel development.

The technology network it's OWL - Intelligent Technical Systems OstWestfalenLippe is considered one of the largest initiatives for Industry 4.0 in SMEs in Germany and has received several awards. In the period from 2012 to 2017, 200 companies and research institutions developed solutions in 47 projects that enabled small and medium-sized companies in particular to increase the reliability, resource efficiency and user-friendliness of their machines and systems.

SPS IPC Drives:
Beckhoff Automation: Hall 7, Stand 406
Harting: Hall 10.0, Stand 140
Lenze: Hall 1, Stand 360
Phoenix Contact: Hall 9, Stand 310
Wago Kontakttechnik: Hall 7, Stand 130/230/330
Weidmüller Interface: Hall 9, Stand 351/155.