application domain

Smart Industry

The digital transformation of industry is leveraged by Information Systems providing integrated data and process management and AI-enabled decision making.  This helps to improve sustainability from an economic (reducing costs, improving efficiency), social (improving worker safety, enhancing worker capabilities) and environmental (reducing waste) perspective.

Information Systems support the entire lifecycle of a Smart Industrial product, like a high-tech machine or a novel medicinal product. The product data generated during the life cycle can fuel AI-enabled decision-making to improve quality and efficiency of the development, manufacturing and maintenance processes. Information Systems are key enablers of promising Smart Industry concepts like Digital Twins and Virtual Factories. 

Developing innovative products requires flexible process automation such that changing customer requirements and complex regulatory concerns are addressed in the most effective way during development. This includes management of large volumes of variable and volatile product development data, which enable AI-based decision making. 

To improve flexibility and efficiency, manufacturing processes can be enhanced with several high-tech manufacturing technologies like robots and Internet-of-Things. Business Process Management can orchestrate these enhanced manufacturing processes, and enable safe and effective collaboration of human workers with robots. AI-based decision making can guide the production and improve efficiency.

Finally, high-tech products like MRI scanners and airplanes generate massive volumes of highly volatile and variable data. Maintenance planners and engineers can use this big data in AI-based predictions and for dynamic action management. This way, these expensive assets meet the required service levels with less costs.

Against this background, we work on the following techniques:

  • Flexible process automation for new product development
  • Manufacturing process management
  • Manufacturing process mining
  • Manufacturing process simulation
  • AI-enabled predictive maintenance
  • Managing digital transformation
  • Blockchains for maintenance

Some of our research projects