Vertical integration and adaptive services in networked production environments
Related to the Smart Asset re-Use in Creative Environments (SAUCE) project
Published in Innovations in Enterprise Information Systems Management and Engineering: 4th International Conference, ERP Future 2015-Research, Munich, Germany, November 16-17, 2015, Revised Papers 4, 2016
Abstract:
A major task in the context of Industry 4.0 is the vertical integration of the layers of automation and information technology to make today’s structures in production plants more flexible. While the necessity of such a step is easy to see from an administrative perspective, the technical realization is difficult, since it requires emergent software systems and implies the coupling of heterogeneous systems with different technological constraints. In this paper, we present an approach to realize this step. It is based on the coupling of adaptive components and services, which range from the field level to the management level and include wireless sensor networks, autonomous robots, and multimedia systems for remote maintenance, with an ERP system. By presenting the application in a demonstration production plant bottling liquid soap, we provide evidence of the approach’s economical and technological benefits.