FIR Presents New Logistics Demonstrator at CeBIT 2017
The Cluster’s partner institute FIR, the Institute for Industrial Management, attended this year’s CeBIT in Hannover on March 20 to 24 and its representatives participated in the exhibition with their own stand devoted to their research on logistics. In accordance to the CeBIT’s special “Digitization Live” display, the FIR presented its new logistics demonstrator to the expert audience. The demonstrator was created within the framework of the Cluster’s research project Corporate Material and Information Flow, focusing on optimization of logistic performance in company networks.
The demonstrator‘s predecessor, which was developed within the research project “ProSense” in 2015, visualized the mechanics of the production workflow with the help of a marble run. This year‘s demonstrator is capable of illustrating the vertical and horizontal integration of different systems digitally, providing the spectators with an overview over the whole supply chain on several screens. Especially companies facing differences regarding incorrect data responses or deficient data quality could profit from the new demonstrator, as it provides an opportunity for integrating data optimization into the company’s daily routine. This technique provides companies with the means to react adequately and flexibly to unforeseen events like a delay in production because the demonstrator provides a real-time overview over the production cycle and informs the operator about the current localization of the batch within the supply chain. In addition, the transparency of the program allows researchers to test different scenarios and to optimize the resulting effects along the supply chain. Consequently, the new demonstrator constitutes another step into the direction of “Industrie 4.0” and towards intelligent system integration.