Industry 4.0 in Saxony-Anhalt

Solution for media discontinuity

Digital tool solutions revolutionise processes

With its project management solution, “COMAN Software GmbH” revolutionises system and machine construction. Its software combines digital construction planning with detailed scheduling. The founder duo draws on long-standing experience in software development and incorporate it with fresh entrepreneurial spirit. From northern Saxony-Anhalt, the start-up is now attracting new industries and customers.

Machine and system builders are familiar with the issue. Planners design systems like production lines and create a digital layout. Practical implementation takes place on site. Various players use the digitised models - but in an analogue form as a print-out or written script. Changes, current requirements or the processing status are often noted in writing. Communication to all those involved is frequently complicated by the fact that these notes “disappear”. Mats-Milan Müller says the reason for this is “media discontinuity”. “This is where our work comes in”, the Marketing Head of “COMAN Software GmbH” says. The company from Stendal has set itself the objective of increasing the planning quality in large projects. “How can the status be recorded and illustrated in a transparent manner?” “How can all those involved - from the management level to the contractors’ employees - be kept up to date?” The start-up founded in 2018 provides an answer to these questions, thanks to its software and its associated possibility of managing the project not only via desktop computers but also via app with a smartphone or tablet.

Start-up starts with ideal prerequisites

Both Managing Directors, Timur Ripke and Sven Kägebein, have been dealing with the development of these solutions for many years. The call for this kind of software came in 2010 from the automotive industry. The “Innovationsgesellschaft für fortgeschrittene Produktionssysteme in der Fahrzeugindustrie mbH” (inpro) was the one that heard it. In the research community, which companies such as “Daimler”, “Siemens”, “Sabic”, “Thyssenkrupp” or “Volkswagen” are part of, the software was initially exclusively developed - for the organisation and planning of plant construction projects according to the “inpro” community requirements. It reached its market maturity in 2015. The spin-off “COMAN Software GmbH” was founded three years later. This was a significant and right step for both founders. “The time was just right and the starting point was ideal”, Timur Ripke says. “We had a tried and tested software and a renowned customer base which had already come to appreciate it.”

Stendal headquarters has logistic and economic advantages

Stendal was chosen as the enterprise base. Not only because it creates a sense of home for Sven Kägebein. Both founders, who met during the development stage of the software and can both look back on academic careers in the areas of mechatronics, plant engineering and information technology, agree on the advantages of the location in northern Saxony-Anhalt. Its accessibility via the ICE and motorway links impresses them in particular, together with its convenient location between Wolfsburg and Berlin which attracts commuters. “Last but not least, we also saw Stendal as a good economic sector for us. And we are not a company of many, on the contrary - we can highlight our product exceptionally”, Timur Ripke says.

Other industries should benefit from the software

The young company receives support by the investor “bmp Ventures AG” and by the funds of the venture capital fund of the state of Saxony-Anhalt. Ten employees, including six software developers, ensure that “COMAN” also reaches other industries. “Designing processes more efficiently, avoiding misunderstandings, adhering to deadlines and thus preventing unnecessary costs; this is ultimately important in any place where work is carried out in complex processes”, Mats-Milan Müller says. In this respect, the company has an eye not only on the industry of worldwide mechanical and plant engineering. Industries such as building, power plant or aircraft construction can also benefit from “COMAN” today, which successfully performed pilot projects can already confirm. Contacts for pilot projects in other construction industries have already been established, the Head of Marketing states. When it comes to the construction sector, Timur Ripke cites the negative examples of Berlin-Brandenburg airport and the Elbe Philharmonic Hall as an argument for its holistic approach. “More transparency in the processes would definitely have helped”, he thinks.

All players maintain an overview

Precisely this transparency is one of the most important advantages of the digital tool solution from Stendal. The project and scheduling software visualises the entire process chain - from the acquisition and development to the start of production. It combines the scheduling of all those involved, integrates defect tracking and progress in a central database. Deviations from the plan are displayed immediately. Project and building managers keep an overview thanks to graphic symbol codes, so-called smart objects, like robots which are linked on a visual layout or a direct CAD template. All players can thus save their own data themselves. The customer controls who should examine which areas. “Everything can immediately be saved on the building site and is stored in an audit-proof manner”, Timur Ripke explains. “This can also be done offline, regardless of where you are in the world. As soon as you are online, the status updates itself.” Here developers make sure that you can work “without much fuss”. Timur Ripke says: “Everything must be done fairly quickly on building sites. You go onto the app, click on a couple of things and everything is up to date, the current project status is now accessible at any time.”

Altmark IT company on a growth trend

“Worldwide”, “real time” and “audit-proof” are important terms in the Altmark start-up. Together with the saying “to see beyond one’s own nose”. The company is on a growth trend, and is currently devoted to the presentation of practical examples, new features, such as a dashboard for managers, and also the initiation of pilot projects. Mats-Milan Müller says: “Our digital solution should be perceived as an international tool even more - and we as drivers of innovation.” They also want to hire new employees, the Head of Marketing says, to “be able to process new customer requests, gain a foothold in new industries and capture new markets like China”.

Intelligent Pallet

The Fraunhofer IFF Magdeburg drives Logistics 4.0 forward in Saxony-Anhalt

Industry 4.0 requires the digitisation of logistics. In Saxony-Anhalt, economy and science are closely linked, in order to develop application-oriented technologies as well as interactive assistance systems for the Industry 4.0. The “intelligent pallet” is an innovative approach in this direction. The pilot project is run by the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation Magdeburg IFF with partners from the industry and economy.

The “personal pallet”

“Each of us has their own personal pallet”, Klaus Richter smiles and places his at the top on a pile of plastic pallets - as a photographic model. The intelligent pallet in the Internet of Things (IoT), as it is called officially, becomes an eye-catcher when he switches on the green light, which illuminates an electronic board behind a viewing window. Those who have a sense of and an interest in logistics will get curious here. “At the German Logistics Conference in Berlin, the representatives of the state criminal police office also asked for details about what research we conduct here”, Klaus Richter says. He is a scientist at the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF in Magdeburg. The material flow technician with a doctorate is an executive head at IFF in the logistics area. “Industry 4.0 would not be possible without Logistics 4.0”, the expert explains. Within the logistic cycles, pallets, boxes and containers are also in transit. And these all too often get lost - which also explains the criminologists’ interest.

More safety, transparency and efficiency in logistics

The Fraunhofer IFF researches in a practically oriented way and is explicitly familiar with the needs of the logistics industry, which has to be prepared for the digital age. More safety, transparency, efficiency and cost savings play a significant role here. These wishes, Richter says, are now easier to put into practice thanks to the new energy-efficient wireless connections. The scientist mentions the 5G network or the digital communication technology LPWAN; the letters stand for Low Power Wide Area Network. “The new transmission technologies”, Richter states, “now ensure cost-efficient data transmission over a long period of time, over the entire life of a logistic item, as it were.”

With its integrated wireless and sensor module, the Intelligent Pallet becomes a part of the “Internet of Things”. This means that it communicates data via internet to its IoT Cloud without anyone getting involved. At the same time, you can read on the computer where the pallet is located on its transport route, what its status is, what happens to its load or which route materials take within a manufacturing process. The latter could give a better “feel” for complex workflows in the production process, Richter explains, citing a large car manufacturer with its many supply companies as an example. The automotive manufacturer is a partner in the pilot project “Intelligent digital container”. It also includes a variant of the intelligent pallet in a feasibility study.

Basis for success: economy meets science

The scientist talks about a previous tried and tested model which has been used productively in the retail trade for several years: the Heilbronn pallet. The Fraunhofer IFF developed it together with the partners metraTec GmbH, Telent GmbH and Cabka IPS. A retailer operating Europe-wide uses these pallets for goods tracking - from production and the central warehouse to each individual branch office. Furthermore, as the material flow expert says, seamless transparency is reached in empty pallet management with the aid of the integrated identification transponder. This thus ensures that sufficient load carriers are always available on the production site, in order to guarantee a continuous flow of goods. “In this pallet cycle, well over two and a half million pallets are now used - with a rising trend”, Richter emphasises.

A further development of the Heilbronn pallet is the aforementioned Intelligent Pallet in the Internet of Things. This enables almost seamless goods tracking. Pallets are transported to external clients on closed transport chains inside the company as well as on open routes every day. “In addition”, Richter says, “the sensors record excessive vibrations or deviations from the required temperature range. This information is sent via the IoT Cloud to the user in real time. They can take countermeasures immediately.” Another advantage is increased security against theft. The pallets or also building site containers report via the IoT Cloud when they are removed from their current storage space. This could even still prevent a theft. 

Commitment to sustainability

Fraunhofer IFF is also developing this smart pallet in collaboration with metraTec GmbH from Magdeburg, which manufactures the electronic board; IoT solutions for smart communication channels come from Telent GmbH in Stuttgart; Cabka IPS is the manufacturer of plastic pallets. The expected applications of the integrable wireless and sensor module would give the company a new impetus in the logistics industry and open up new business fields, Klaus Richter predicts. Cabka IPS have seen this for themselves. The Thuringian company manufactures pallets and boxes made of up to 100 percent of recycled plastic. The economically and ecologically sustainable products are sought-after worldwide. Those who buy these pallets make a commitment to the conscious and careful handling of resources. “The price of a wooden pallet starts at three Euros, the high-quality pallet made of plastic costs between € 25 and 30”, Klaus Richter says. But this price corresponds to a lifespan which is at least seven times longer than that of a wooden pallet. Richter does not need to emphasise what financial losses this involves for the owner, if these pallets get lost.

The logistics expert makes it clear which options are provided with sensor data collection: Companies have a permanent overview of the location and movement of its cargo, and customers know exactly when the product reaches them. In addition, pallet and container management could be optimised in large warehouses. Prototypes of the smart pallet should now be tested by the retail trade. “What’s more, in practice, the wireless and sensor module will be the exact opposite of a large bright eye-catcher. In miniature size it is affixed in a concealed place.

Author: Kathrain Graubaum

Predictive Maintenance

Digital thinking – software detects faults before they arise

The start-up IM&P uses artificial intelligence in industrial maintenance and control – with an entirely new approach.

Discovering damage to a machine before it can have an effect - this is achieved by Indalyz Monitoring & Prognostics GmbH from Halle (Saale). The start-up develops and manages software and algorithms based on artificial intelligence for the control and monitoring of a very wide variety of machines and systems. If a wind power plant catches fire, due to a defective gear for example, it is too late. Although wind power plants are remotely monitored by engineers, who analyse process data and react to it, they often do not detect the causes of the failures in time or even at all.

That is why the software from Indalyz Monitoring & Prognostics (IM&P) GmbH from Saxony-Anhalt is different. The software promises predictive maintenance, based on artificial intelligence. The system can be used for machines, plants and vehicles. It analyses large quantities of process data and machine status data measured by sensors, processes it, and can in the end give extremely accurate information about the progress of wear on individual parts and the damage to be expected from this. The prediction period for this ranges from seconds to years.

Software trains itself

Previously, the estimation of the current machine status was based upon its service life statistics. The individual strain on individual machines or systems, on the other hand, was hardly taken into account – if at all, then by the analysis of regular, cost and labour-intensive inspections. “The future, however, requires,” says Michael Schulz, “that machines detect and prevent potential damage independently.” The software developed by IM&P for this is self-learning and accompanies the machines to the “end of life”. Initially, it possesses a pool of basic information, including data based on expert engineering knowledge and the experience of other machines of the same type. Then it starts to gather - information that mostly comes from the machine to be monitored and which reflects its specific operating states. The software learns from this, trains itself and draws conclusions about the future progression of wear. These forecasts are extremely accurate: The main damage groups can be predicted with a probability of 96 percent, only 3.5 percent are false alarms, and 0.5 percent of the damage occurs spontaneously and elude the forecast.

Avoiding breakdowns and damage to the environment

The software cannot only be used with wind power plants, but also water or thermal power plants, cement mills, centrifuges, ship’s engines, and mining machinery. IM&P is currently participating in a research project with a chemical works: There, engines open and close pipes and valves, through which various substances flow. From permanent testing, one can conclude whether these engines are functioning sufficiently or when they could break down. If the unpredicted happens, says Prof. Schulz, this might not only lead to a total breakdown of the system, but also have terrible consequences for the environment.

Second pillar: Control

The remote monitoring of systems is one of the two pillars of IM&P’s business. The second is the development, installation and configuration of system and customer-specific control hardware and software. This is also self-learning but requires no specific training phase. A decisive factor are the signals which it receives from the machine and to which it reacts in a fraction of a second – almost as fast as the electronics of the machine – thus putting it in a position to intervene and control. 

Earlier, says Prof. Schulz, it was largely linear mathematical relations that were used to control a machine. These were manageable for a human being and could be easily understood without much previous knowledge. Today, modern machines are substantially more complicated, and control and monitoring therefore require much more complex relations. This requires high-performance processors and elaborate algorithms. “Humans can no longer detect this on their own. Modern machines are multi-functional systems capable of functions that would previously have been almost inconceivable, thanks to artificial intelligence.” The physicist has already been interested in this subject for a long time. He studied in Halle (Saale) at Martin Luther University, and has taught in Ulm, New York and Chemnitz. And from the start he has occupied himself with artificial intelligence and complex systems. In this area, the field of classic mechanics of complex systems, there are many questions, but only a few experts at the universities; the global demand in industry, however, is said to be enormous.

Hugo-Junkers Prize 2017

So, in 2015 he founded IM&P at the Technology and Start-Up Centre on the Weinberg Campus in Halle (Saale). As an innovative start-up, it was awarded the Hugo-Junkers Prize of the state of Saxony-Anhalt for its artificially intelligent machine monitoring system CASIS (Cognitives Autonomous Sensory Intelligent System) in 2017. IM&P today looks after wind power plants all over the world. The initial workforce of four employees has now grown to seven, and three more are to join them this year.

Author: Anja Falgowski

AI research

Saxony-Anhalt provides a lot of potential for the research and development of artificial intelligence

“People and machines can learn from one another and together achieve a lot more than we can currently imagine”. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Sebastian Stober thus describes his vision of the future. As a computer scientist, he was appointed Chair of Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the Otto von Guericke University in Magdeburg for the winter semester 2018/2019. His specialist area is the research and development of artificial neural networks which should understand and translate our brain signals in the medium term. An important area which significantly enhances the research competence on AI in Saxony-Anhalt.

Pioneering work: Artificial intelligence in the field of neuroscience

While AI is already making good progress in the industrial area and in human-robot cooperation and the first results are applied in practice, developments in the neuroscience area are still in their infancy. Professor Stober and his team want to do pioneering work here and improve the cognitive skills of intelligent systems. In Magdeburg, they also want to cooperate with the internationally recognised Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology. For instance for the development of neuroprostheses which are controlled via artificial neurons. The prosthesis is understood as an independent, intelligent system which communicates with the person through self-learning. Man and prosthesis should learn together and from one another, so that the almost natural fine motor skills of artificial limbs are produced ideally.

Professor Stober’s main research area is deep learning, a subfield of machine learning, in which artificial neuronal networks are trained with billions of neurons to solve more and more complex tasks. Stober uses it to understand complex systems like the brain and to artificially replicate its functionality in the form of simplified models. But the analysis of self-learning components is also significant to understand how the machine works. “It is important that we know what the systems have learned”, Stober says. “Only in this way can we comprehend possible distortions or malfunctions and avoid unpleasant surprises.”

After his studies in Magdeburg and positions in Melbourne (placement during his studies at the University of Melbourne), Canada (Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario) and Potsdam (University of Potsdam, research focus cognitive sciences), new prospects lured him back to Saxony-Anhalt. His professorship, which should act as a bridge between information technology and neuroscience, is the exact field of activity he wanted. “I am not fighting for a lost cause”, Professor Stober states happily. On the contrary. The Master’s course “Data and Knowledge Engineering” has been part of Magdeburg University’s range of studies since 2003, and the special profile “Learning Systems / Biocomputing” has also been part of the Information Technology Bachelor’s degree for a few years. Six work groups are established at the Institute for Intelligent Cooperating Systems alone, focusing their research on swarm intelligence and robotics, among other things. In the broader context of the Faculty of Information Technology, there are work groups on data and knowledge engineering or data mining. Machine learning is actively researched also in Mathematics. The interlinking with one another and the connection to engineering and humanities create very good conditions for interdisciplinary research around the topic of AI at the Magdeburg research site.

Magdeburg attracts with future prospects 

For Professor Stober, the term “artificial intelligence” is misleading. In his view, machines can develop their own intelligence which is not comparable to that of humans.  He sees far greater opportunities through mutual learning and shared growth than if AI was only reduced to a copy of human intelligence. He is motivated to contribute to the creation of higher intelligence, but also sees its threats, which are greatly represented in society thanks to science fiction films. “In order to use its potential for the greater good, it is strictly necessary to incorporate the humanities, and to create suitable framework conditions for research and development where the individual person does not lose their importance”, Stober says. “Because technical progress does not wait.”

Infrastructure and educational programmes support technical progress in Saxony-Anhalt

Progress in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is also promoted in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. The ICT is an important economic and location factor with an annual turnover of over € 2.2 billion. There has been an additional funding programme for the modernisation of ICT components in the general and vocational schools of the state since 2017. Professor Stober is also involved in eLeMeNTe e.V., the state association of Saxony-Anhalt for the support of mathematically, scientifically and technically interested and talented pupils. This creates the opportunity to capture young people’s interest in these topics and train them early on. The state’s IT-specific universities (Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and the universities of Anhalt, Harz and Merseburg) also train the specialists of tomorrow.

AI applications process huge amounts of data at the highest speed. The more comprehensive the database, the more versatile the application possibilities become. In this way, in medicine for instance, experience in clinical pictures, treatments or operations is gained, projected onto future cases through AI applications and enriched with new findings via self-learning systems. In Saxony-Anhalt, researchers and developers deal with AI across sectors. The Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF in Magdeburg, for example, is researching secure human-robot collaborations with the aid of tactile sensors.

The highly secure data centre of T-Systems in the small town of Biere south of Magdeburg provides the necessary infrastructure. The Hamburg company Fuse AI, AI specialist in the area of health and medicine, hosts its highly sensitive data here, for example. According to T-Systems, the location without airports, flight corridors or nearby motorways combined with the Federal Data Protection Act is unbeatable worldwide from a security point of view.

“Saxony-Anhalt offers a lot of potential to teach machines to think and to create new intelligence”, says Professor Stober, who wants to turn his vision into a reality here.

Author: Miriam Fuchs