MTPs Seeking Partners

This initiative is motivated by the desire to research the underpinning technologies which will be key to the development of orthotic and prosthetic (O&P) devices over the next decade. The vision for O&P devices is:

(i) that they will become intelligent: able to guide and assist users in their use and inform clinicians of their effectiveness in achieving the desired outcome; and

(ii) that they will be customised to the user and their condition but delivered within a very short timeframe.

MTP Theme:

Standards/Interoperability

The scope of this MTP is the integration of business documents for product transaction and management (e.g., RFQ, Quotation, Order, Order Confirmation, Delivery Note, Packing List, Invoice) with ISO STEP product model data, and product catalogues. The resulting work has been proposed to standardization within the ISO TC184/SC4. Crossing horizontaly, it is applicable to all industrial sectors involved, and its set of modules should be reused by any existing one whenever concerned with the representation of business documents connected with manufacturing data.

Activity1 - Positioning: This activity kicks off the technical aspects of the MTP. It will identify and evaluate existing standards solutions in ISO committees (e.g., TC184/SC4), UN/CEFACT and relevant consortia such as OASIS. During the full extent of the MTP a wiki will be developed and maintained, defining the state of the art concepts.

Activity2 - Requirements Analysis and Vision: It will enable the review of feasibility, aligning the scope of work with industry to satisfy industry need, and detailing functional requirements of the business documents for product transaction and management for all sizes of enterprise, focusing on SME.  

Activity3 – Harmonization with e-Standards: It will propose harmonization steps with current international standards to define and propose a common framework for data exchange

Activity4 –Standardization: This activity will take the results from Activity3 to international standardization, e.g., following the modular architecture of STEP, enabling reuse by any other standard whenever business documents representation connected with manufacturing and product catalogues data representation is concerned.

Activity5: Industrial Validation and Piloting: This activity will be used to validate the practical applicability of the standard. The validation is focused on internal and external testing of the standard for business documents for product transaction and management.

Activity 6 – Innovative Tools, Services and Methods: Define an open-framework based on international open standards, to optimize secure communications in non-hierarchical networks, using the different commercial documents normally used in the different transactions within the supply chain.

Activity7 – Outreach and Exploitation: The purpose of this activity is to promote Biz Ne乂us to the wider community, to seek their engagement and involve them in the discussion of how to ensure that the business documents for product transaction and management has utmost impact.

Activity8 – Management and Administration: The objective of this activity is to provide overall co-ordination for the initiative including initiative administration (financial, quality, legal issues, administration and communications) and all required reporting and technical leadership for the initiative.

MTP Theme:

Standards/Interoperability

There is no such a “one size fits all” innovation management. It rather has to be fit to the specific context of the company. Companies which face a turbulent environment with short life cycle need a different toolbox than companies in a stable environment. In order to address these challenges CASSIS aims at developing a toolset for managing the innovation system of a company based on complexity science.

MTP Theme:

Sustainable Manufacturing/Safety

The objective of CLMS Design is to create an international IMS community that will discuss aspects, disseminate knowledge and initiate new actions along the following points:

Closed-loop sustainable business models. There are many exemples of successfulindustrial practices that could be jointly criticized and analyzed by the community through models and theories.

Closed-loop design. Modelling the closed-loop is absolutely necessary to study the behaviour of the system. Simulation methods should be required and compared.

Product-service systems. As an example that spreads quickly and gives the opportunity of testing a kind of dematerialization, PSS will be studied in their various dimensions, based on the experience of the community. An analysing grid could be standardized and the successful cases summarized in a common data base.

MTP Theme:

Sustainable Manufacturing/Safety

The consequent introduction of microfactories as standard tool in production should be a
goal to improve the overall efficiency of manufacturing of microproducts. Several
microfactory initiatives have already been launched in Europe and Asia . The main
benefits of introducing microfactories will be:

- cost reduction of production and environmentally friendly by low material effortlow footprint, possibility to work in local clean rooms, less power consumption.

- easy reconfigurability, set-up and commissioning of a production plant

- re-usability of components for versatile manufacturing and assembly purposes

- introduction of new business models in production –such as production “on the fly”, production at the customer reducing transportation effort and increasing flexibility

MTP Theme:

Sustainable Manufacturing/Safety

The objective of closed-loop PLM is to optimise the performance of product lifecycle operations over the whole product lifecycle, based on the seamless product information flow through a local wireless network of PEIDs and associated devices and through remote internet connection to knowledge repositories in PDKM. In addition to PEIDs, sensors can be built in products and linked to PEIDs for gathering status data. During product lifecycle, each lifecycle actor can have access to PEIDs locally with PEID controllers (e.g. RFID readers) or to a remote PLM system for getting necessary information. Furthermore, in closed-loop PLM decision support systems integrated to PDKM systems may provide lifecycle actors with suitable advice or decision support at any time.

- Closing product-lifecycle information loops requires involvement of users (consumers) of products and contributes to the overall objective of sustainability of product systems.  

- New business models covering sustainable production and consumption of complex products need to be developed.  

- New business models along that direction will need to be supported by appropriate software systems and associated ICT infrastructure.  

- Social implications must be considered within the context of sustainable production and consumption.  

MTP Theme:

Sustainable Manufacturing/Safety

The objective of the proposed MTP Initiative is to create an international IMS community
that will discuss and initiate new actions on the following subjects:

- The comprehensive evaluation framework of the EOL treatment processes in terms of not only quantity of recycled materials but also their quality and value.

- The comparative study of the EOL treatment processes in different regions in the world.

- The methodology for integrations of DEF and EOL treatment process planning of global products in consideration of regional differences.

- The methodology for planning the global circulation network of the global products

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The aim of this project is to dematerialise machine tools and manufacturing systems by transforming European machine builders from currently producing heavy, long-delivery-time and high-energy-consuming machines to proposing tailored combinations of extremely light-weighted, non-stiff, skeletal and low-environmental-impact machines integrated with appropriate total life-cycle services based on innovative win-to-win business models.

The underlying idea behind this concept is that machine builders conceive machines as combinations of easily exchangeable modules consisting of ultra-light and adaptive skeletal structures. These skeletal structures will be designed considering structure, control strategies and processes in an integral way with the aim of satisfying the functional requirements and of assuring the optimal global robustness and reliability of the machine. This dematerialisation approach will thus break the link between production results and the material structure of machines and will reduce the total-life-cycle impacts and costs of machines in a radical manner. Then, by integrating dematerialised machines with other similar machines, innovative business models and total-life-cycle services, machine builders will be able to realize Dematerialised Manufacturing Systems with customised flexibility.

This holistic approach for designing, producing and using Dematerialised Manufacturing Systems integrated with total-life cycle services will coin a new concept in the European manufacturing sector: Dematerialised Manufacturing Solutions, that will pave the way for transforming the European machine-tool industry into a Knowledge-based, Competitive, Sustainable and Value-Adding sector.

MTP Theme:

Education

The need for education and training in the research sectors of interest for this projectcomes from the fast growing utilization of advanced methodologies of numerical simulation, modelling, analysis, intelligent computing, testing, metrology and fabrication in the areas of manufacturing technologies and precision engineering. The introduction of new information technology and hardware tools for improving performance in manufacturing technologies and precision engineering makes it necessary for early stage researchers to be trained in advanced research centres that can have the availability of such state-of-the-art research resources.

Also, this initiative can significantly contribute to the international recognition of the education and training and qualification provided as it will allow for the obtainment of PhD degrees by early stage researchers from different countries. The fellows will hopefully start long term research careers in their country of origin or some other European or non-European country and their very presence and activity in the new research institutions will bear witness of the quality and validity of the education and training and qualification received during the project.

The main area addressed by the present initiative is actually the consumer oriented product personalization paradigm, to be achieved through “human centred” innovation of products, processes and ICT technologies.

The core values and themes driving the innovation process are:

• health and comfort - so as to ensure well being to consumers;
• customization – so as to include consumer subjective tastes and needs for functionalization aspects in final good realization;
• environment and sustainability – targeting single consumer and societal dimension.

Within such a context, the present MTP initiative is aimed at creating a knowledge sharing platform for researcher groups that are already engaged in R&D domains related to Customization and Production Paradigms for User centred products.

MTP Theme

Sustainability/Interoperability

Manufacturing in its global aspects relies on well functioning infrastructures. These infrastructures have high fixed costs, high public investment and long economic life. The combination of engineering principles with sound business practices and economic theory is required for successful asset management. The detailed R&D objectives at the start of the project are the following:

•    Development of a real time Decision Support System based on knowledge

•    Development of a sustainable approach for infrastructure asset and risk management

•    Establishment of procedures for bridge monitoring and assessment to increase the safety of the transportation infrastructure

•    To improve the state of the art in Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) and damage detection

•    Establishment of a full scaled test bed for calibration of the methodologies

•    Global dissemination of the results and standardization activities

MTP Theme:

Sustainable Manufacturing/Safety

The main objectives of the proposed MTP Initiative is to create an international IMS
community that will be interested in and undertake to examine all those aspects pertinent
to GlobeMan-SME, create and share a common vision about the subject, define &
elaborate on its key underlying technological barriers faced by such SMEs, possibly
undertake a market survey to positively identify and confirm such findings and, finally, 
prioritise and initiate an action plan, upon which new related IMS project proposals
will be developed and pursued by international consortia. 

Technological objectives of the proposed initiative would be related to cost-efficient &
environment-friendly methods and tools to improve competitiveness, taking into
account technology areas, such as:

- product life-cycle supply-chains’ assessment,  
- collaborative product and service design & implementation, 
- effective customer and supplier  integration, 
- innovative after-sales product maintenance & customer support, 
- technical & business performance measurement, and 
- state-of-the-art methods & tools for personnel training and education.

As the project developed in 2009, it became increasingly clear that quality assurance improvement is required at the incoming and outgoing stages of the packaging process.  In 2009 information about a supplier delivery error and subsequent product recall were received too late resulting in the dispensing of the wrong products to several patients. To correct this situation, QA processes must be improved at the deblistering phase of the packaging operation.  BurgerMetrics and Büchi are combining their efforts with those of Medifilm to develop a spectrum-based database of individual pharmaceutical products as the basis for an improved QA process.

In the new global market, competitiveness and growth of industry highly rely on the move toward innovative high performance industrial systems and agile networked enterprises through the creation and consolidation of Non-Hierarchical Manufacturing Networks of multi-national SMEs in front of networks based on powerful large-scale companies.

The traditional hierarchical manufacturing networks are based on centralised models, where some of the involved actors must adapt themselves to the constraints defined by the dominant ones. Real-world experiences of such models have revealed some major problems due to the centralized vision of the supply chain and the sub-optimal performance of the centralized decision making. For current highly dynamic markets, this generates major inefficiencies in the operation of the whole supply chain.

Centralized networks performance can be significantly improved through more harmonious and equitable peer-to-peer inter-enterprise relationships, conforming a decentralised and collaborative decision making model.

The objectives of the iNet-IMS initiative are:

· Analyse the needs that arise from the interactions and relationships between SMEs belonging to Non-Hierarchical Manufacturing Networks.

· Analyse recent technological innovation trends (mainly in terms of IS and IT) to support Decentralised Decision Making.

· Analyse existing standards for information exchange to support Collaborative Processes.

· Define a Framework for Collaboration in Non-Hierarchical Manufacturing Network context.

MTP Theme:

Key Technologies

Competitve pressure and desired high-quality products represent challenges to manufacturing enterprises seeking to remain competitive requiring a much more knowledge-based, dynamic, fluid and globally distributed organisational structures. For manufacturing to prosper in such a competitive market and to respond to the environmental
challenges there must be:

- A strong underpinning by cutting-edge research coupled with vigorous
strategies for knowledge-sharing and training programmes for
generating highly skilled manufacturing workforce; 
- A concerted effort to transform manufacturing from resource-intensive to
knowledge-intensive, innovative sector capable of achieving and
maintaining technological and production leadership in the global
marketplace; 
- A new approach to innovating manufacturing by adopting new attitudes
towards continued acquisition, deployment, protection and funding of new
knowledge; 
- Easily accessible research, technological development and innovation
(RTD&I) infrastructures facilitated by favourable framework conditions. 

The proposed MTP Initiative aims at a new standard based on and improving the existing quasi-standard “myOpenFactory”. By that we can ensure a barrier-free communication between the ERP-Systems of different companies.

Using an new negotiation mechanism to incentive suppliers for a better reliability in the supply chain, the initiative aims for an improved production planning stability and more efficient ordering processes.

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For Digital Data, the challenge is that the data is often stored in a proprietary, native format and will most likely be un-interpretable over time. The use of a neutral archiving format safeguards the interpretability of the data for a much longer period of time, perhaps its entire retention period. Neutral forms make it easier to migrate the data based on the way that the Application Protocols (AP)s are structured. In addition, their life expectancy (obsolescence cycle) is significantly longer in duration. Digital archives mandate that we capture and preserve information in such a way that the information can be accessed and presented at any time in the future.

LOTAR is a joint project between ASD-STAN and the AIA. PDES, Inc. and the ProSTEP iViP association support this development and standardization effort. The goal of LOTAR is to specify auditable processes for long-term archiving of 3D-CAD and PDM data since no adequate procedures exist today. The following activities are within the scope of the project:

• Requirements for archiving
• Methods
• Scenarios
• Detailed process descriptions and process modules
• Suitable data models
• System architecture frame work
• Recommended practices
• Pilot Projects

MTP Theme:

Key Technologies

European partners in the framework of FP6 have run the in the field of MNT, an Alliance between the European research institutes Léti (F), CSEM (CH), Fraunhofer IZM-M and IISB (D), IMEC (B) and Tyndall (Ir) was created three years ago in the frame of the FP6/Infrastructure project MNT-Europe (RII3-CT-2004-506231). This Alliance focused on the creation of a unique distributed platform for research and development in the field of Micro and Nano Technologies (MNT).  A strong interest in this Alliance and its research potential has been clearly observed during this project through the academic and industrial contacts obtained as a result of the dissemination activities. This interest mainly stems from the fact that the microsystems integration requires a large spectrum of technologies and know-how which cannot be afforded by a single R&D institute.  Partnering is  essential in the field of More than Moore due to the wide variety in necessary technologies and the very diverse application know-how. One center cannot tackle all system applications, and a partnership involving both technology research providers and system research providers is indispensable : it requires the competencies of multiple institutes to cover the whole gamut of component/system design, MEMS fabrication, 3D integration, final integration on heterogeneous substrates, etc.

Planned research activities

The standardisation activity shall conform to the ISO/IEC directives within the work of ISO/TC39 – Machine tools and, specifically, within the work programme of ISO/TC39/SC2 – Test conditions for metal cutting machine tools. Participants shall attend all ISO/TC39/SC2 meetings in order to establish/maintain the required credibility within the subcommittee, which will be indispensable for the successful outcome of the planned standardisation work.

Research activities will consist in:

1. State-of-the-art analysis and appraisal of the existing ISO 230 series of

standards (11 existing standards) with specific indispensable attention and

deep understanding of the following documents:

 ISO 230-1:1996 Machine tools – Test conditions for machine tools – Part 1: Geometric accuracy of machines operating under no-load or quasi static conditions. This document is currently undergoing deep revision work; the current stage is Draft International Standard (DIS) and is out for public enquiry.

 ISO 230-2:2006 Machine tools – Test conditions for machine tools – Part 2: Determination of accuracy and repeatability of positioning numerically controlled machine tool axes. This document is now being revised; the NWIP project leader within ISO is Mr. Renato OTTONE (technical coordinator of the EC Funded SOMMACT – Self Optimising Measuring MAChine Tools).

 ISO 230-3:2007 Machine tools – Test conditions for machine tools – Part 3: Determination of thermal effects. This document will undergo periodic revision starting year 2010.

 ISO 230-6:2002 Machine tools – Test conditions for machine tools – Part 6: Determination of positioning accuracy on body and face diagonals (Diagonal displacement test).

 ISO/TR 230-9:2005 Machine tools – Test conditions for machine tools – Part 9: Estimation of measurement uncertainty for machine tool tests according to series 230, basic equations.

 ISO/DIS 230-10 Machine tools – Test conditions for machine tools – Part 10: Determination of the measuring performance of probing systems of a numerically controlled machine tool. This document is under preparation; the project leader within ISO is Mr. Renato OTTONE. The current stage is DIS and the document is out for public enquiry.

 ISO/CD/TR 230-11: Machine tools – Test conditions for machine tools – Part 11: Measuring instruments and their application to the machine tool geometry tests. This document is under preparation; its actual stage is Committee Draft (CD) and will still need a lot of work.

1.3.1.2. Research on the existing machine tool error functions measurement file format of state-of-the-art instrumentation, specifically including:

 Laser interferometers for linear displacement and angular accuracy measurements;

 Laser interferometers for straightness measurements;

 Multi-axes sweeping alignment lasers;

 Laser tracers for multilateration measurements,

 Inclination measuring systems.

All above mentioned instrumentation is made available within the EC Funded SOMMACT project.

3. Significant research activity related to (i) data collection and validation, (ii) development and (iii) follow-up of the NWIP to be promoted and prepared under the proposed title: ISO/TR 230-12- Machine tools - Test conditions for machine tools. Part 12: Determination, representation and compensation of numerically controlled machine tool geometric errors.

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MTP Platform: Standards/Interoperability

MTP Theme:

Standards/Interoperability

This initiative will include the following activities:

Activity 1: Discussion Forum on MDI
This activity involves the deployment of wiki’s and blogs to allow the community to share information and discuss Closed-Loop related topics.

Activity 2: Workshops & Dissemination
Three international workshops are planned during the period of this initiative. Furthermore, members of the initiative will organize sessions in known relevant conferences, special issues in scientific journals etc.

Activity 3: Targeted experts exchanges
This activity involves visits of experts to other’s places with concrete targets, for example: common work on a specific task of a project of the hosting organization, writing of a common paper, preparation of a new project etc.

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This proposal is motivated by research topics addressed by project SSHOES (NMP) that go beyond the project scope. The SSHOES R&D effort is based on the development of an academic and industrial engineering and medical framework for both footwear products & processes that combine new diagnostic techniques, knowledge-based design and production technologies using new functional high-tech devices/components and advanced materials, for achieving comfort, health, welfare, affordability and sustainability; the quality and customer service attributes to be targeted.

The MIGOODS approach can be defined as “ The total integration of design and manufacturing technologies (CAD/CAM/CAE) to support the production of consumer goods (i.e. footwear and sporting goods) based on human data modelling and consumer interaction”

The objective of the MIGOODS project is to research technologies and methods to fill the gaps between knowledge, motivating the conception of consumer goods designed specifically for individuals and their materialisation through adequate industrial manufacturing processes and sustainable materials (intelligent customization).

MTP Theme:

Standards/Interoperability

MOBITEST will analyse the Model Based Enterprises (MBE) in evolutionary dynamic environments, throughout the application of Intelligent Interoperability Monitoring. As well, it will manage semantics in federated industry and business registries for manufacturing data and knowledge (i.e., semantics, ontologies) from a multilingual, multi-domain, and multi-purpose perspective, enabling open company’s resources selection and interaction with other companies. MOBITEST objectives can be divided in:

• Definition of framework for global model harmonization (including MBE sustainability over time)

• Analysis of Model Based Enterprises (MBE) in evolutionary dynamic environments,

• Specification of the Morphisms and respective tools to enable easier expansions and integration with MBE

• Implementation of Intelligent Monitoring in complex MBE,

• Definition of framework for Interoperability Checking (IC) and Conformance Testing (CT),

• Application of the results to a set of scenarios.

MTP Theme:

Key Technologies

The objective of the proposed MTP Initiative is to establish an international IMS cooperation to elaborate on modern R&D aspects, disseminate knowledge and initiate new actions along the following points:
-    Flexible production technologies and tools and their environmental impact
-    Virtual manufacturing and human factors evaluation
-    Networked production
-    Knowledge based manufacturing
-    Development of processing technologies for new materials
-    Integration of new processing technologies to the assembly plant production configurations

MTP Theme:

Education

The main Objective of the Project is to accelerate the process of knowledge-transfer in the field of light alloys castings for transport applications. Such a target will be achieved via some intermediate objectives:

-    set up a network of Research Institutions and Industrial Partners carrying out worldwide research activities in the field of integrated design and production of innovative light alloys castings;
-    set up educational tools, both conventional (meetings, students and personnel exchange) and innovative (web-based), in order to make available materials and design “frontier” information to students and engineers;
-    supply, by means of the above mentioned tools, innovative knowledge to students and engineers.
These actions will finally lead to an efficient exchange of information and knowledge among Partners having, in their respective region, a key role in light alloy casting, design and engineering, product optimisation.

NADIA is an IP-SMEs Project aimed at improving competitiveness of 13 EU SMEs engaged in simultaneous engineering and production of novel high technology transport components to exploit the potential of light multifunctional alloys for car and truck. NADIA is co-ordinated by EnginSoft, Hi Tech SME,  and addresses multi-level S&T objectives:  Engineering & Production, Applied RTD and Basic Research.

MTP Theme

Key Technologies

This proposal is motivated by recent achievements of the EUREKA project No. E!4177-0806:PRO-FACTORY UES (Ubiquitous Embedded Systems for globally distributed factories of manufacturing enterprises) and a Korean IT next growth engine project titled “SaaS based MES” delivers the next generation of methods and means for development and production in small manufacturing enterprises that lack resources from information and production technology.

The objective of the proposed MTP Initiative is to cerate an International IMS community that will discuss aspects, disseminate knowledge and initiate new action along the following points:

•    A wireless sensor network communication platform for digitalization of 4M resources in production need to be developed.

•    New cost-efficient models and methods for improving competitiveness of lack resources from Information and production technology in SMEs need to be developed.

•    New business models along that direction will need to be supported by appropriate software systems and associated ICT infrastructure for collaborative working processes among SMEs.

•    Social implications must be considered within the subject, “the improvement of competitiveness of global manufacturing SMEs through developing wireless communication platform for collaborative service processes” .

MTP Theme:

Sustainable Manufacturing/Safety

The objective of the proposed MTP Initiative is to create an international IMS
community that will discuss aspects, disseminate knowledge and initiate new actions
along the following points:  

Product-/Process-oriented:
- Holistic gap analysis on today’s and future relevant processes and the targeted efficiency area (performance regarding economics, environment, waste, society, customer and provider) and prioritization according to their
improvement potential  
- Performance indicators which are applicable for 3PLs as well as industry
and their ability for practical measurement, communication, standardization etc.
- Possibilities to assign the life cycle logistics’ impact to each product

Market-oriented:
- New business models and products to be offered to customers and industry
(value added demanded by the customer vs. value added by provider –
mass customization of the logistics services)
- Chances and risks which need to be focused (e.g. competitiveness, future
regulations, resource prices, competition, future global economic
development etc.) in order to be sustainable also in terms of economy

What are the implications for the companies, total?

Develop and demonstrate industrial processes for producing unique tailor-made concrete structures using robotics or semi-automated processes to replace the use of traditional formwork and thus enable greater flexibility in producing singular concrete structures with different geometric designs. This includes the following:

· Review and assessment of parametric design tools that give architects new design possibilities.

· Development of new formwork systems and formwork materials that can be processed using partially automated processes or robot technology.

· Development of new reinforcement types and techniques suitable for formwork with complicated geometries.

· Development of digital fabrication techniques for for singular formwork suitable for industrialized production with a high degree of automation.

· Life cycle assessment in terms of cost, environmental impact, durability, safety, security and aesthetics.

· Identification of any technical obstacles from EU or international standards, directives or regulations.

Demonstration of the new technologies.

The proposal of the initiative is to establish close link and cooperation between Intelligent Manufacturing System (IMS) Initiative and the EU large scale collaborative project: “New Industrialised Construction Process for transport infrastructures based on polymer composite components” (Trans-IND) that is realized under 7 Framework Programme. The main objective of Trans-IND is to develop a cost-effective integrated construction process that will enable the maximum capability of industrialisation of components for transport infrastructures (road and pedestrian bridges, underpass, containing walls, acoustic and safety barriers) using polymer based materials (carbon fibre, glass fibre, etc): the Trans-IND System.

The main breakthrough of the Trans-IND approach is a flexible, cost-effective, performance and sustainable knowledge-based industrialisation system of FRP components for transport infrastructures through the whole integration of the construction process fulfilling users and clients demands addressing their needs and requirements, social acceptance, standardization, on-site needs, nD industrial models, design, procurement, manufacturing process, logistics and assembly/disassembly.

MTP Theme:

Sustainable Manufacturing/Safety

This initiative will include the following activities:

Activity 1: Formation of IMS Sustainable Product Recovery Working Group
This group will consist of two representatives from each IMS region involved in this
initiative who oversee and manage the programme. It is proposed that this group will
meet at six monthly intervals to monitor and coordinate the activities within this MTP
initiative.

Activity 2: Discussion Forum on ‘Zero Waste to Landfill’ Approach in
Manufacturing  
This activity involves the deployment of wiki‟s and blogs to allow the community to
share information and discuss Sustainable Product Recovery related topics.

Activity 3: Workshops & Dissemination
Three international workshops are planned during the period of this initiative.
Furthermore, members of the initiative will organize sessions in known relevant
conferences, special issues in scientific journals etc.

Activity 4: Targeted experts exchanges
This activity involves visits of experts to other‟s places with concrete targets, for
example: common work on a specific task of a project of the hosting organization,
writing of a common paper, preparation of a new project etc.

MTP Theme:

Key Technologies

The EU-VFF promotes major time and cost savings while increasing performance in the design, management, evaluation and reconfiguration of new or existing facilities, supporting the capability to simulate dynamic complex behaviour over the whole life cycle of the Factory.
This approach identifies four key RTD Pillars:

I     Reference Model for factory planning. The concrete outcome is a Reference Model of Factory Planning having as foundation element a Factory Data Model, that takes into account the needs of a holistic and scalable modelling of real time management of manufacturing data and of collaborative engineering networks.

II    VF Manager core. It is meant to handle the common space of abstract objects representing the Factory. This representation is based on the common factory data model defined in Pillar I.

III    Functional Modules. The decoupled Functional Modules implement the various tools and services for the factory design, reconfiguration, management, … these modules operate independently on the same Common Space of Factory Abstract Object, defined in Pillar II.

IV     Integration of Knowledge at different layers as engine for the Pillar III modules. The primary objective is to use contextual knowledge to model a wider range of complex systems and support greater comprehension of the modelled phenomenon.