Logistics Intelligence in Manufacturing and Transportation

Secure Chains of Goods with Galileo Technology

LogMotionLab: Leading RFID and Telematics Lab

Modeling and Simulation in Logistics and Factory Planning

IFFOCUSLogistics Connects

1/2007

3

Dear Readers,

2007 is a special year for our institute.This year, w e are celebrating ourfifteenth anniversary and in June wewill be host ing the IFF Science Daysfor the tenth time, two extremelygratifying events that fill us withpride. We have achieved much in ourshort but dy namic history. Ouremployees’ dedication and commit-ment as well as their enthusiasm forresearch and new tech nologies haveenabled us to move into our secondnew building in just two years. Withour main building on Sandtorstrasseand our Virtual Devel opment andTraining Centre VDTC on Joseph-von-Fraunhofer-Strasse, we have two out -standingly equipped, state-of-the-artinsti tute buildings. At the same time,this is visual confirmation that wehave embarked on a successful andsustainable course with our institute’ssubstantive orientation. Since ourinception in 1992, we have beenpursuing the goal of planning fac -tories and their logistics systems moreefficiently and using new automationcon cepts to operate them reliably. Todo this, we bundle the reasearch anddevelopment ser vices of the differentdisciplines at our institute.

By moving into the VDTC where weprimarily concentrate on research anddevelopment of virtual technologiesand their potential applications, wehave made the space for the logis ticsand automation we urgently neededin our insti tute building on Sandtor -strasse. With our LogMotion Lab, a labfor the development, test ing andcertification of Auto-ID and telematictechnologies, we already have one ofEurope’s best equipped RFID labs hereat the Fraunhofer IFF. We will use thecapa cities being freed up in our test -ing facility for further expansion of

the LogMotionLab as well as for ew projects in fields of automation.With its development of automatedcleaning and Inspection systems forEmscher kanal our Robo tic SystemsBusiness Unit is working on one of he largest indus try projects in theFraunhofer-Gesellschaft. Our Measure -ment and Testing Technology BusinessUnit develops contactless optical 3-Dmeasuring systems that satisfy eventhe Deutsche Bahn’s strict standardsand have been ap-proved by itsCalibration and Testing Lab.

I invite you to get to know us betterand to find out about our institute’speople, current news, products andservices and I wish you much readingenjoyment.

Your,

Prof. Michael Schenk

Prof. Michael SchenkDirector of the Fraunhofer Institute for

Factory Operation and Automation© V. Kühne

Editor’s Page

News

610 Years of IFF Science Days

Wood Logistics: ImplementingPractical Solutions

7Logistics Presented by Industry Pros

Conference on Logistics ProcessQuality and Reliability in Moscow

8IFF Technology in the DHL InnovationCenter

GNSS-INDOOR: Inno vative Techno l -ogies for Localizing Persons andObjects in Buildings

9Lower Saxony and Saxony-AnhaltCooperate on Galileo

Agreement on Nationwide GalileoResearch Project Signed

10Fraunhofer IFF Presents RFIDInnovation at Industry Highlight

Fraunhofer IFF with RFID Solutions atLogiMAT

11From Biomass to Fuel Cells

International Coope ration on BiomassUtilization

12Saxony-Anhalt Presents Itself attransport logistic China

RFID in Maintenance

European Innovation Support: NewOpportunities for SME

13World Class Launch: ProducingAutomobiles More Successfully

Electron Beam Welding InnovationForum

Minister of Finance Steinbrückat the VDTC

Interview

14The Decision for Leipzig/Halle WasRightMichael Reinboth, DHL EuropeanAirfreight Hub Project Manager

Research andDevelopment

16Reliability in the Supply ChainDr. Klaus Richter

20The Latest from LogMotionLabHelmut Röben

22Lab for Testing Real-time LogisticsSystemsDr. Juri Tolujew and Tobias Reggelin

In this issue...

26Identifying and Assessing LogisticalRisks: Support for Strategic-TacticalSupply Chain PlanningHolger Seidel and Daniel Reh

28A Layout Option for Factories:Focusing on Engineering FlexibleManufacturing StructuresHolger Seidel and Rolf Walter

32RFID Technology for Maintenanceand Materials Management in theSteel IndustryEyk Flechtner, Sven-Uwe Hofmeister,Wolfgang Freihube and WolfgangJanatsch

36Continuous Factory Planning in theGenerator IndustryThomas Dengler and René Petri

39The Tuned In WarehouseBarcode and RFID for Receiving inMachinery and Plant ManufacturingDr. Klaus Richter and Cathrin Plate

42Faster to Products with IntelligentPrototypesJuraj Sulc, Susan Gronwald, Dr. UweKlaeger, and Prof. Karl-Heinrich Grote

Sharp Minds

44Fraunhofer in Saxony-Anhalt’sLogistics Advisory Council

Dr. Klaus Richter Is New SANASAChairman

State of Saxony-Anhalt 2006 ResearchAward

45Careers with Fraunhofer

46Master of the Elbe Dom

With Marie Curie to the FraunhoferIFF

Gallery

46Impressions of Business, Research andTechnology

54

Outlook

47

Editorial Notes

6 News

N E W S

The Fraunhofer Institute for FactoryOperation and Automation IFF inMagde burg will hold its 10th IFFScience Days from June 27 through29. 2007. For more than ten years,executives, developers and users havebeen meeting to discuss the latesttrends and developments in confer -ences, workshops and industry semi -nars and to learn about examples ofbest practice. The IFF Science Dayshave evolved into a vibrant meetingpoint for the institute’s clients, part-ners and friends at the interfacebetween business and research. Newideas are conjointly developed hereand projects are successfully initiated.

Two international conferences will beheld as part of the 10th IFF ScienceDays. The conference “LogisticsIntelligence in Manufacturing andTransportation” will take up a keyfocus of research at the Fraun hoferIFF. Given that Central Germany’s isclearly developing into an up-and-coming region of logistics, this is anexciting topic. Prime inter ests here willbe issues of Innovation in Transpor -tation, Logis tics in Intelligent Manu -facturing and Infrastructures forIntelligent Logis tics. Take advantageof this opportunity and learn aboutsuch current topics as satellite naviga-tion and energy efficiency in commer-cial transportation at the conferenceand in our Log MotionLab.

Picking up the direction of past years,there will also be a conference enti -tled “Virtual Reality and Augment edRea lity for Engineering, Testing andOperating Technical Systems” in2007. The newly opened VirtualDevelop ment and Training CentreVDTC will be inte grated in the confer -ence for the first time. Its various VRand AR labs not only provide optimalequipment to explain the poten tials ofvirtual technologies in theory but alsoto experience them in practice. As inpast years, not only research ers,specifically from the ViVERA Networkand the INTUITION Network ofExcellence, but also experts fromenterprises have also been invited tointensify the dia log between researchand business.

In addition, working meetings andindustry seminars in other fields ofwork such as service robotics or plantengineering will also be offered.

For more information on the ScienceDays, the program and online registra-tion forms, visit: www.wissenschaftstage@iff.fraunhofer.de

Wood Logistics:Implementing Practi cableSolutionsTogether with the Landesforst betriebSachsen-Anhalt, the Fraunhofer IFForganized the work shop “WoodLogistics: Implementing PracticableSolutions”. Key individuals from for -estry, the lumber industry and theservice sector met at HundisburgCastle near Haldensleben on April 18.The event focusing on practiceemphasized the complete logisticschain from the forest to the factory.Introductory presentations outlinedeconomic backgrounds and effects,research findings and technical con -cepts. Subsequent presen tationspresented logistical solutions for thewood processing industry: Lumberaccounting, deck management, fleetma na gement and an off-road naviga -tion system are intended to organizeoperations more efficiently and cutcosts in wood logistics. Above all, thepractical demonstration aroused greatinterest among the audience of

professionals. The experts were ableto see for themselves that the solu -tions were developed for practice andare optimally suited for use in thewood processing industry.

10 Years of IFF Science Days

Real demonstration. © V. Kühne

News 7

In order to be able to survive on themarket, companies are reliant onoutstanding logistics solutions amongother things. The Logistics GuestLecture Series being held for the tenthtime will address such continually newchallenges. From April 17 through 19,experts will deliver a total of eightlectures on “Logistics as a Field ofWork of the Future”. With over 2.6million jobs, logistics has become thethird strongest industry in Germany,achieving record sales of 166 billioneuros in 2006.

The industry is booming in Saxony-Anhalt too: “Central Germany hasevolved into one of the most impor-tant centers of logistics in all ofEurope,” asserted Dr. Karl-HeinzDaehre Minis ter of State Developmentand Transportation at the opening ofthe Guest Lecture Series.

The economy is profiting from theregion’s strengths: Three well knowncompanies have already relocatedtheir logis tics centers from Brussels toHalle-Leipzig Airport. Daehre under -scored the value of practically orientedlectures for an excellent education inlogistics: “The logistics program inMagdeburg is already in the vanguard

throughout Germany. With its firstrate speakers from the field, theGuest Lecture Series pro vides studentsfirsthand insight into corporate think -ing and action.”

The Guest Lecture Series is organizedby Prof. Michael Schenk (Director ofthe Fraunhofer IFF and ManagingDirector of the Institute of Logisticsand Material Handling Systems atOtto von Guericke University) in col -laboration with Prof. Karl Inderfurth(Holder of the School of Manage -ment’s Chair for Production andLogistics) and Prof. Dietrich Ziems(Chairholder at the School ofMechanical Engineering). It is underthe patron age of Minister Daehre. For current information on the GuestLecture Series, visit www.gvr-log.de.

Conference on LogisticsProcess Quality andReliability in MoscowThe international conference “Logis -tics Processes in the Aviation, Auto -motive and Transportation Sectors:Quality and Reliability” was held inMoscow on April 25 and 26. Morethan 120 attendees from Russia andGermany who participated in theintensive exchange of experiencesmade the event a successful kick-off.Predominantly developers, users,service providers and end customersfrom the aviation, automotive andtransportation sectors attended theevent to establish con tacts, exchangeideas and initiate new projects.

The high demands in the aviation andautomotive industries are making itparticularly important to assure thequality and reliability of logisticaloperations. Since sites of manufac -turing and use are globally distributed,new logistics concepts using state-of-the-art technologies are instrumentalin making products and processesreliable.

The conference organizer wasInterlogistica, a joint organization ofthe Fraunhofer IFF in Magde burg, theRussian Insti tute of Aviation Systems inMoscow (GosNIIAS) and the National

Tech nical University, MoscowAutomobile and Road TechnicalUniversity (MADI). The conference washeld in coope ration with the GermanLogistics Association (BVL) and wasunder the patronage of the RussianFederal Agency for Industry(ROSPROM) and the Russian Ministryof Transportation (MinTRANS).

Logistics Presented by Industry Pros

Dr. Karl-Heinz Daehre, Minister of StateDevelopment and Transportation at the

opening of the Guest Lecture Series.© A.-K. Wassilew

MADI Rector Vjacheslav Prihodko took advan-tage of the opportunity to invite Fraunhofer

Director Michael Schenk to deliver a guestlecture at the renowned research organization.

© S. Morozov

Interlogistica deals with aspects of reliabilityand quality in the field of logistics. © GosNIIAS

8 News

N E W S

Deutsche Post World Net has openedits lab for the future, the DHL Innova -tion Center in Troisdorf near Bonn.The DHL Innovation Center’s purposeand mission is to develop new, mar -ketable products with a high level ofinnova tion based on future logis ticstrends. To this end, the lab for thefuture unites all the positions thathave been working in the concern’stechnical innovation managementunder one roof.

Developments from the FraunhoferInstitute for Factory Operation andAutomation IFF in Magdeburg arealso on board. The Fraunhofer IFFdeveloped its Smart Box together withDeutsche Post World Net. This is anintelligent carrier that can keep anongoing inventory of its contents,register and document every packageloaded and unloaded, be locat edworldwide through various radio tech-nologies and interact with a controlcenter through integrated telecom -munication modules. The Smart Box is

intended for the secure trans port ofvaluable goods in international chainsof goods.

Researchers from the Fraunhofer IFFhave integrated other intelligent trans-port tech nology in the Sprinter van’sshelves. The cargo room equippedwith RFID an tennas continuouslymonitors the vehicle’s cargo. This isanother joint initiative to increasetransparency and security for parcelservice operation in the future.

Along with the Massachusetts Insti -tute of Technology’s (MIT) LogisticsInstitutes in Boston and Saragossaand other Fraunhofer Institutes, theFraunhofer IFF is one of DHL Inno -vation Center’s official R&D partners.Business innovation partners includeIBM, Intel and SAP. Some twentypermanent employees at the Centerare working on innovation projects.Employees from the inno vation andresearch partners fill another ten jobsthere.

IFF Technology in the DHL Innovation Center

The Smart Box jointly developed by Deutsche Post World Net and the Fraunhofer IFF at the DHL Innovation Center. © Deutsche Post World Net Pressebild

GNSS-INDOOR: Inno va -tive Technologies forLocalizing Persons andObjects in Buildings

Along with satellite positio ning bymeans of GPS as well as Galileooutdoors in the future, compatiblesolu tions for determining positio ninside build ings are increasinglyattrac-ting inte rest.

In the project GNSS-INDOOR, thepartners VEGA, OECON, Telematica,the Fraunhofer IFF, Scheller System -technik, Friedrich Schiller UniversityJena and the Cen trum für Satelliten -navigation Hessen (CESAH) are inten-sively analyzing and testing varioustechno logies for localizing persons,vehicles and goods in different typesof buildings. The performance of thecon cepts developed will be demon-strated in a joint field test with thepartners DHL and Leipzig/HalleAirport.

The project with a runtime of twenty-four months will focus on differentsystem architectures for logistics andsecurity applications. Industry isalready signaling a general need for alocalizing solution that functionsinside buildings. Potential fields ofapplication include securing chains ofgoods, registering pedestrian flows inpublic buildings and even event logi-stics.

The project GNSS-INDOOR is beingsupported by the German AerospaceCenter’s Space Agency with fundingfrom the Federal Ministry of Econom -ics and Technology under the projectidentification number 50 NA 0703.

News 9

this project supported by the federalgovernment and the State of Saxony-Anhalt. The project is developing atechnically innovative concept forcommercial and commercially relatedtransportation based on new inter-changeable trailers for 3.5 ton vans.The signing of the Best4City agree-ment in March of this year marked aninitial step in the domain of Galileoapplications in logistics.

During the forum, Daehre presented athree-stage concept aimed at develop -ing a core Galileo competence specia-licing in transportation and logistics inSaxony-Anhalt. The Saxony-AnhaltMinistry of State Development andTransportation will be in charge ofoverseeing this project and hasalready budgeted funds for it.

Agreement onNationwide GalileoResearch Project SignedOn March 8, Minister of Transporta -tion Karl-Heinz Daehre and FraunhoferIFF Director Michael Schenk signed theagreement on the project Best4City.The objective of the project is to easeinner city traffic in Germany. Theproject is being supported with180,000 euros from the federal gover-nment and 25,000 euros from theState of Saxony-Anhalt. Along withthe Fraun hofer IFF heading the consor-tium, the partners are the TU Darm -stadt and GZVB Competence CenterGmbH in Braunschweig. This collabor -ation of research part ners from differ -ent federal states underscores theproject’s national significance.

Prof. Michael Schenk (right) explains toMinister Karl-Heinz Daehre (middle) how a

truck with an intelligent interchangeable trailerfunctions. © H. Siegert

The increasing number of deliveries asdelivery sizes decrease has caused asurge in inner city delivery traffic inrecent years. The project Best4City willinvestigate how IT based organization -al and technical measures from a newconcept for interchangeable trailerscan contribute to organizing commer-cial transportation to be city friendly.To this end, Galileo’s precise positionfinding will be combined with RFIDtechnology to increase capacity utiliza-tion of vehicles, schedule routes opti-mally and improve navigation.

At the Forum for Telematics andNavigation during CeBIT 2007, LowerSaxony Minister of Economics, Laborand Transportation Walter Hirche andSaxony Anhalt Minister of StateDevelopment and Transportation Karl-Heinz Daehre discussed cooperationbetween the federal states of LowerSaxony and Saxony-Anhalt on Galileo.Against the background of Galileo’sprominent significance as the mostimportant joint civil project in Europe,Hirche called for bundling resourcesrelated to Galileo in Germany whilesimultaneously concentrating on corecompetencies.

As the first concrete collaborativestate project, Daehre made mentionof the application-based research project Best4City that started at thebeginning of the year and is integrat -ed in the state initiative Saxony-AnhaltGalileo Transport. Along with theFraunhofer Institute for FactoryOperation and Automation IFF inMagdeburg heading the consortium,the TU Darmstadt and Lower Saxony’sstate initiative SatNav are involved in

Lower Saxony and Saxony-AnhaltCooperate on Galileo

From l. to r.: Harry Evers, Managing Director of GZVB Competence Center GmbH/GAUSS, WalterHirche, Lower Saxony Minister of Economics, Labor and Transportation, Dr. Karl-Heinz Daehre,

Saxony-Ahnalt Minister of State Development and Transportation, Prof. Michael Schenk, Directorof the Fraunhofer IFF, Dr. Klaus Richter, Expert Group Manager at the Fraunhofer IFF. © H. Siegert

10 News

N E W S

At the BVL’s 23rd German LogisticsCongress, the Fraunhofer IFF present -ed an RFID system that operatesdependably even in unfavorablemetallic environments. Many compa-nies are already using RFID technologyeffectively, yet until now it reached itslimits in liquids and metallic environ-ments. The researchers at theFraunhofer IFF have managed to over-come this obstacle. Consequently,RFID technology can finally be used inmany container and transport systemsand the new system considerablyextends the feasibility of RFID. DirectorMichael Schenk asserts, “With thismethod, we have taken a crucial steptoward organizing international chainsof goods more securely, reliably andefficiently. With this reliable RFIDsystem for metallic environments, weare providing a solution relevant formany industries.”

In particular, the chemical, pharma-ceutical and beverage industries aswell as the automotive and aircraftindustries will profit from the newlydeveloped possibilities.

The new system’s UHF unit was de -signed in such a way that the metalbox, which previously was a source ofinterference, now has a positive effecton the read process. Tests with fullmetal beverage cans and plastic botlesran positively.

For over ten years, the Fraunhofer IFFhas been demonstrating its compe-tence in the development of RFIDsystems. It focuses on industrial appli-cations in the manufacturing environ-ment and for the security and reliabil -ity of international chains of goods.With its LogMotionLab, the institutehas one of the best equipped RFIDlabs. Years of experience developing,testing and certifying Auto-ID andtelematic technologies have alreadyproduced several patents. TheLogMotionLab is the ideal partner forindustry and SME clients implemen-ting RFID projects.

IFF with RFID Solutions atLogiMAT

The RFID order picking table eliminates pickingerrors and facilitates the workflow. © B.

Rohrschneider

LogiMAT International Trade Fair forDistribution, Materials Handling andInformation Flow was held in Stuttgartfrom February 13 through 15.Researchers from the Fraunhofer IFFpresented an RFID order picking tableand container management for indus -trial use.

The researchers integrated an RFIDreader in the Fraunhofer IFF orderpicking table and created an interfaceto corporate software that forwardspicking orders to employees. Since allthe items are tagged with an RFIDchip, they are automatically identifiedwhen placed on the table. As soon asan order has been picked, a lightsystem signals the status to theemployee and the soft ware receivesacknowledgement of the completionof the order.

In addition, IFF researchers presentedan RFID container management sys -tem designed for self-contained logis -tics cycles using reusable containers.The system’s decisive advantages arethe rewriteability of the data storagemedium and the distributed provisionof information directly on an object.

Fraunhofer IFF Presents RFID Innovationat Industry Highlight

A new process enables the Fraunhofer IFF RFID system to operate dependably even inmetallic environments and with such objects as metal cans filled with liquid.

© B. Rohrschneider

News 11

The Max Planck and Fraunhofer insti-tutes have commenced work on ajoint project in Magdeburg

Fuel cells predominantly run withhydrogen. In the future, biomass willincreasingly be employed as the basematerial, thus replacing the fossil fuelsused now. In the new research project"ProBio", researchers from Magde -burg and Dresden are investigatinghow renewable raw materials can beused effectively and environmentallycompatibly to generate power.

To construct a semi-industrial pilotplant later, the experts are now re -searching the optimal combination ofthe individual processes. The gasifica-tion of biomass such as wood orstraw produces hydrogen-rich fuelgases. Before they can be fed to afuel cell, they must be treated andcleaned in special processes. TheFraunhofer Institute for FactoryOperation and Automation IFF inMagdeburg will be developing theseprocesses for "ProBio" on the basis offluidized bed technology. The possibil -ity of flexibly using the fuel gas inmore than just fuel cells is particularlynoteworthy. Thus, for example, it can

also be used in furnaces to provideheat or in gas engines to generatepower. The researchers at the Fraun -hofer Institute for Ceramic Technolo -gies and Systems IKTS in Dresden areworking on using this fuel gas in ahigh temperature fuel cell. Parallel tothis, the Max Planck Institute forDynamics of Complex TechnicalSystems is investigating how fuelgases can be used in low temperaturefuel cells after novel gas cleaningprocesses. The fuels cells convertchemically stored energy directly intoelectrical energy. This process canachieve considerably higher powerefficiencies than conventional powerplant technologies can.What is more, the findings from allthe partners' experiments will con -verge at the Max Planck Institute.Researchers at the Max Planck Insti -tute will use them as the basis for acomplex simulation of the completeplant. WHen the first phase has beenevaluated positively, a second, threeyear phase of research will follow. Thetheoretical and experimental findingswill go into constructing and operat -ing a semi-industrial pilot plant. Thethree institutes in Magdeburg involvedwill share responsibility for its con -struction and operation.. The processindustry in Germany desperatelyneeds such plants because the energysector is developing at a rapid tempo.

As part of this research and innova-tion pact, both the Max Planck Societyand the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft haveannounced they will be intensifyingtheir varied collaborative activities.By closely linking basic and appliedresearch, these research organizationsintend for their joint projects to acce-lerate innovation processes. "ProBio"is one of their first projects beingstarted in all of Germany.

From Biomass to Fuel Cells International Coope rationon Biomass Utilization

The con ference “Perspective 2007-2013” was held in Valencia, Spain onFebruary 23, 2007. The con ference isbased on the interregional coopera-tion ini tiative Interreg IIIC and is beingsupported by the EU. The forwardlooking project “Interregional Coope -ration on Biomass Utilization” wasalso presented along with otherprojects. The Fraun hofer IFF is incharge of the collaborative partner -ship that includes the College ofNyiregyhaza (Hungary) and theValencia and Aidima Chambers ofCommerce (Spain). The objective is toprepare and hold a transregionalforum on the development andutilization of biomass in Nyiregyhazain November of 2007. Energy frombiomass is already being widely uti -lized in Saxony-Anhalt and Valencia.Other comparable regions still need tocatch up. Innovative services and prac-tical applications for sustainable bio -mass utilization will be presented tothese regions. Logistics and energyconversion will be significant topics.

As resources grow scarce and prices of rawmaterials rise, biomass is becoming tremen-

dously important a source of renewableenergy. © Fraunhofer IFF

The joint project ProBio is researching theutilization of biomass in fuel cells. Prof. Kai

Sundmacher, ProBio Spokesman and Directorof the Magdeburg Max Planck Institute and

Detlef Schubert State Secretary in the Saxony-Anhalt Ministry of Economics and Labor

(l. to r.) © P. Förster

12 News

N E W S

Saxony-Anhalt PresentsItself at transport logisticChinaAsia’s most important transportationand logistics trade fair is “transportlogistic China” in Shanghai and at -tended by numerous German exhibi-tors. Federal Minister of TransportWolfgang Tiefensee was also thereand visited, among others, the jointstand of the exhibitors from Saxony-Anhalt where Magdeburger HafenGmbH, Kranbau Köthen GmbH andthe Fraunhofer IFF were presenting.The researchers from Magdeburgpresented themselves as practicallyoriented research partners. Interna -tional visitors from over eighty coun-tries learned about the institute’scompetence and years of experienceas a developer of intelligent logisticssolutions.

Karl-Heinz Ehrhardt, Managing Director ofHafen Mag de burg GmbH; Wolfgang Tiefensee,

Federal Minister of Transport, Building andUrban Affairs; Daniel Reh, Research Manager at

the Fraunhofer IFF; Klaus Müller, ManagingDirector of Kranbau Köthen (l. to r.).

© Magde burger Hafen GmbH

The Forum Vision Instandhaltung FVIinitiated cooperation between leadinginstitutions from all of Germany toadvance the utilization of RFID tech -nology in maintenance. The Fraun -hofer Institutes IFF in Magdeburg andIML in Dortmund, the VDI Society forProduction Engineering (ADB) and theFVI are working on making currentRFID technology operational. Theresearchers at the two FraunhoferInstitutes are making their latest research findings available, the usersfrom FVI are contributing experiencesand user requirements. State-of-the-art solutions are intended to benefitmedium-sized enterprises in particular. In 1999, the Fraun hofer IFF alreadydeveloped a system with whichAIRBUS monitors and coordinates theuse of various airlines’ tools world-wide.

The Fraunhofer IFF developed the“memory motor” together with VEMmotors GmbH. An RFID chip directlyin the motor’s housing makes it poss -ible to store all the data needed formaintenance directly on an object.

With its LogMotionLab, the Fraun -hofer IFF in Magdeburg has one ofEurope’s best equipped RFID and tele-matics labs to develop new RFID appli-cations. Logistics processes are organ -ized more reliably and more trans -parently. Logistics operations can betested virtually at the VDTC beforebeing put into practice.The Fraunhofer IML has developedrecognized competence in mainte -nance in many years of cooperationwith the Department of FactoryOrganization at the University ofDortmund.

For over forty years, the VDI has beendisseminating practicable solutions formaintenance in its AdministrativeCommittee Maintenance.

As the maintenance providers’ net -work, FVI intends to bring researchersand practitioners into dialog.Knowledge and experience will bebundled in the network and madeavailable to industry.

What is more, maintenance providerswill use the maintenance integrationplatform (IPIH) on the Internet.

RFID in Maintenance

At the contract signing, Dr. Gerhard Müller from the Fraunhofer IFF presented the first generationof the digital nameplate used at Airbus worldwide since 1999.

© C. Plate

News 13

European InnovationSupport: NewOpportunities for SMESmall and medium-sized enterprises(SME) are the dynamo of the Euro -pean economy. In Europe, SME pro -vide 58% of the jobs in the proces-sing industry and produce 75% of allexport goods.

Despite their major economic impor-tance, SME have had unusual diffi-culty successfully accessing Europeanfunding for research. Small busines-ses’ lack of knowledge about thefunding system and the EU’s sizeablebureaucratic obstacles can doom aproposal. This is where the projectsmE-MPOWER headed by the Fraun -hofer IFF helps. It professionallysupports SME when they are submit-ting proposals, from the initial idea upthrough the concrete research project.The project has brought togetherpartners from ten European countriesand is being supported by the Euro -pean Commission.

World Class Launch:Producing AutomobilesMore SuccessfullyAgainst the background of fast pacedmarket and technology dynamics inthe automotive sector, effectively andefficiently developing new innovativeproducts is becoming a crucial com -petitive factor for sustainably effectivecorporate development. Hardly acompany in the automotive industryhas the requisite comprehensive,cross-company knowledge aboutstrategies, processes and methods forexcellent services along the entirevalue added chain.

In coope ration with the FraunhoferIFF, MBtech Consulting GmbH(Mercedes Benz) tackled this problemand compiled a global automotivestudy over ten years. Changes in OEMand supplier startups were studiedand their impacts on product develop-ment, the value added chain andstructures were inferred. The firststudy World Class Launch outlines themost important trends in the automo-tive industry and identifies the instru-ments essential for successful LaunchManagement.

World Class Launch establishes thefoundation for continuing stu dies thatwill be thematically oriented towardautomotive value added chains andidentify methods to increase effec-tiveness and efficiency based onanalyses of best practice.

Elec tron Beam WeldingInnovation Forum

More than 230 experts from all overGermany gathered at the InnovationForum “Electron Beam Tech no logyin Mechanical and Apparatus Engi -neering” on March 7 and 8. DetlefSchubert State Secretary at theSaxony-Anhalt Ministry of Economicsand Labor welcomed the attendees inBurg with an optimistic message:“Magdeburg and the surroundingregion of the Jerichower Land havehad a unique tradition in mechanicaland plant engineering in Germany forone hundred years. We are again aland of engineers whose knowledgeand creativity is creating the tech -nologies of tomorrow.” With its large chamber electron beamwelding system, pro-beam AG &Co.KGaA has the world’s largest civi-lian vacuum electron beam weldingsystem and is significantly contributingto the region’s innovation potential.On an excursion to Magdeburg, theattendees experienced another, world-wide one-of-a-kind technologicalhighlight: The laser projection at the

Virtual Develop ment and TrainingCentre VDTC where virtual develop-ment and trai ning methods and appli-cations are being researched

Minister of FinanceSteinbrück at the VDTC

On April 17, Federal Minister ofFinance Peer Steinbrück visited theVDTC in Magdeburg. Director Prof.Michael Schenk and Deputy DirectorDr. Gerhard Müller showed Steinbrückaround the Elbe Dom and other labsfor virtual reality and process andplant engineering. Afterward, theminister spoke there with represent -atives from business and research.In a roundtable discussion, Steinbrücktook advantage of the infor mal visit toget a picture of busi ness and researchin Magdeburg.

Prof. Michael Schenk, Director of theFraunhofer IFF; Peer Steinbrück, Federal

Minister of Finance; Dr. Gerhard Müller, DeputyDirector of the Fraunhofer IFF (l. to r.). © BMF

14

There are several good reasons forthis: Since additional takeoff andlanding ca pacities were needed andpolitical decisions made an expansionof the hub in Brussels impossible, thismeant finding a new location, a loca-tion that in the long run guaranteesplanning certainty, traffic laws andtwenty-four hour operation sevendays a week without restriction.Following intensive analyses, itbecame clear that Leipzig/Halle ismost attractive.

A decisive argument for Leipzig/Halle isits central geographic location and itsfirst rate transportation links. The heartis Leipzig/Halle Airport that will beexpanded by 2008 and have two take -off and landing runways independentof one another and fully utilizable forintercontinental transportation. It willenable every express freight airline andits customers to use the airport aroundthe clock without restrictions.

What is more, the combination of air,road and rail routes opens sizeableroom to maneuver and logisticalopportunities. Situated at the intersec-tion of two Autobahn axes (Berlin-Munich and Dresden-Magdeburg),Leipzig has its own freight handlingfacility (GVZ) equipped with a highcapacity terminal for combined railand road transportation.

The excellent transportation links areone thing. What is more, the Leipzig/Halle hub provides ideal conditions tofurther expand the airfreight busi nessin Central and Eastern Europe becauseof its excellent proximity to thesegrowth markets. The eastward expan-sion of the EU has moved this regionto the center of the European econo-mic area.

DHL is currently building its newEuropean airfreight hub at Leipzig/Halle Airport. Herbert Siegert fromIFFocus spoke with DHL EuropeanAirfreight Hub Project ManagerMichael Reinboth about sitefactors, changes in the logisticsmarket, technologcal innovationsand the challenges of such a large-scale project.

DHL decided to locate its Europeanhub at Leipzig/Halle Airport. Whatdo you see as Central Germany’smost significant advantages?

Deutsche Post World Net is buildingits new Euro pean DHL airfreight hubat Leipzig/Halle airport, which, alongwith Wilmington (USA ) and Hong Kong, will be one of the three junc-tions, so-called hubs, in its worldwidelogistics network. The concern isinvesting around 300 million euros inits largest construction project atpresent. It will commence operationsin 2008.Some people are surely asking them-selves why the European airfreighthub, until now in Brussels, is beingrelocated to Leipzig/Halle of all places.

The Decision for Leipzig/Halle WasRight

In addition, there are public authori-ties and political institutions workingquickly and effectively and, not least,an excellent pool of dedicatedworkers. Our collaboration with theemployment agencies, placementagencies and especially LeunaEducational Academy to recruitemployees is excellent.

What in your opinion is necessaryfor Central Germany to be able tofurther position itself as an inter -national logistics hub?

After more than two years of con -struction work on the DHL Leipzig/Halle airfreight hub, one can say thatDeutsche Post World Net’s decisionfor Leipzig/Halle was right. Everyexpectation of the region, its publicauthorities and the residents has beenmet. The region has a great futureahead of it as a logistics hub if thestate governments, districts and citiesand communities’ interstate collabora-tion continues. We will have to act inconcert in the world.

The infrastructure around the airportis excellent. This is a competitive edgein the region. However, there’s nodenying that rail transport still needsto catch up to the relations ofLeipzig/Halle-Erfurt-Frankfurt/Mainand Leipzig/Halle-Kassel. This meansquickly connecting the express andlogis tics hub Leipzig/Halle with thehubs in Frankfurt/Main and Kasselboth by road and rail in order to fly aslittle express cargo as possible. Atrimodal hub must be the goal.

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DHL will – along with creating 3,500direct jobs by 2012 – do everything toget Leipzig/Halle and its environsaccepted as a region of logistics.Crucial impulses are emanating frompolitics however and if everyone pullstogether nothing else can actually gowrong!

DHL is constructing a new hub inLeipzig. What are the particularchallenges of such a large scaleproject?

At prsent, construction of the DHLairfreight hub is Deutsche Post WorldNet’ largest building project world-wide. The dimension of the projectand its implementation in short timerequire stringent planning and imple-mentation mechanis ms and a team ofcommitted employees geared towardsuccess. What is more, the DeutschePost Bauen GmbH is a builder that isprogressing with the building projectvery rigorously.

Apart from the construction work,one important and major field is theselection and qualification of person-nel suited for the widest variety ofactivities and requirements in theexpress and logistics business. Thespectrum ranges from simple jobs as asorter or forklift operator up throughhighly qualified work as an aircraftmechanic or pilot. We have, for exam-ple, at present more than 46,000applications for one job at DHL. Whenconditions are equal, applicants fromthe region around the airport havebetter chances of being considered.

As of mid 2007, there will be a testand trial phase in which we put boththe technology and its interactionwith people to the test. This is soimportant to us because the start ofoperations in 2008 will present uswith great challenges. We intend tobring our hub online without difficul-ties, without customers even noticing.That is our aspiration and likewise ourambition.

Flows of goods are growing eversmaller in volume. Customerdemands regarding delivery timesand delivery dependability aremounting. What concepts is DHLusing to meet these challenges?

Smaller delivery quantities and uncon-ditional observance of delivery datesare only a part of what customers aredemanding today. Just providing thiswould already be too little. In otherwords: This is just as standard asshipment tracking on the Inter net.Above all, customers want to beserved from one source and are evermore frequently looking for a serviceprovider who provides them onesource solutions to their problems –and does so worldwide. Our paletteranges from pure transport of ship-ments of every size and class upthrough jobs such as warehousing,customs clearance, storage, collectionand billing. This holistic and integra-tive approach satisfies customerstoday.

What role do research andinnovation play here?

A large one – above all whereverunnecessary trans ports ought to beeliminated, energy consumption cutand stress on humans and the envi-ronment reduced. Forecasts of trafficincreases also and precisely in com -mercial transport in conjunction witha growing scarcity of resources iscompelling us to think about bund-ling, selecting the right route andsuchlike. The key to successful logis -tics concepts of the future lies here.

The DHL hub in Leipzig intendsto participate in the technologyplatform MIDAS. The objectiveof MIDAS is to provide newtechnology-based logistics solutionsthat enhance intermodality andlow-traffic logistics. Would you letus in on the innovative RFID andtelematic services planned for theLeipzig location?

We are implementing a trimodalhandling hub in Leipzig/Halle andintend to intelligently combine air,road and rail carriers. Precisely in sucha traffic intensive hub, this meanseliminating every unnecessary trans-port. Naturally, we are also bankingon other innovations such as elec -tronic ramp handling support. Lastbut not least, our sorting system is asignificant innovation since it allowsextreme flexibility when sorting andthus effectively bundling the trans -

ported volumes. With over 200,000shipments being sorted and forward -ed every day, RFID is not yet a bigtopic for us however. The sortingsystem is designed in such a waythough that it is capable of this too.

rief CV

Michael Reinboth, born on February11, 1953 in Walkenried in the Harzregion

1971 Starts working for the DeutscheBundespost, responsible for variousjobs: Programming and applicationplanning for diverse projects, organi -zation of budgeting, delivery, man -agement of operations in Heilbronnpost office.

1991 Collaborates on “Eastern Develop -ment” in Halle regional office

1993 Project manager “Development of aNew Freight Concept”

1994 Branch manager of Leipzig parcelcenter

1997 President of Post headquarters in Halle

1999 Manager of the North-East Region ofparcel post in Germany

2003Manager of Parcel Operations at theheadquarters in Bonn, member ofDHL Express Germany’s regional board

Since January 2005 DHL Airfreight Hub Europe projectmanager

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Reliability in the Supply Chain

Dr. Klaus Richter

The business of logistics is sensitive, time critical and susceptible to disruptions. Special services such as same day logistics and emergencylogistics close the gap between logistics service providers’ standardizedcore processes and customers’ special demands. Reasons for the growthof these “special services” lie in general trends of globalization andoutsourcing, in ever narrower cycles set for manufacturing chains andin the trend toward smaller shipping units.

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Many and diverse value added servicesare offered for the courier, expressand parcel services sector, which,given the specifics of the particulargoods, specify different requirementsfor personnel, technology and under-lying infrastructure. For instance,special safety requirements in compli-ance with IATA aviation transport andADR road transport regulations applyto hazardous goods. The challengewith temperature sensitive goods istransporting them with a consistentlyconstant temperature. Perishablegoods such as food and plants mustalso be handled with special care. Thisholds equally true for the transport ofliving animals. By contrast, usingsophisticated security transports toprotect goods is a priority for valuablecargo and goods threatened by theftsuch a electronics. Along with trans-porting the goods, transmitting therequired informati on represents agreat challenge. Recipients want anexact delivery time and informati onabout potential delays as early aspossible before goods arrive. Whengoods are sensitive, both the shipperand the recipient have an increasedinterest in completely documentingthe progression of the transport andprocessing the transport in accor-dance with regulations. Therefore,every change in the means of trans-port not only represents an additionalchallenge for the physical transport ofthe goods but also for the upstream,accompanying and downstreaminforma tion flows.

From the perspective of informationtransmission in multimodal transpor -tation, differences in the individualsand objects operating betweenaccompanied and unaccompaniedcombined transportation have to betaken into account. While, whentransportation is accompanied, adriver oversees the transport of thecarrier of goods the entire time andconsequently can function as a com -mu nication interface, when transpor-tation is unaccompanied, the means

of transportation and when necessarythe carrier are swapped repeatedly forone shipment. In this respect, themanagement of information on theidentity, current position and condi-tion of goods, loading equipment andmeans of transportation as well as thenear real-time availability of this datain material planning systems assumesa central role in the unaccompaniedtransportation of goods.

According to DHL Danzas Air & Oceanand Lufthansa Cargo’s joint ventureLifeConEx, studies have revealed thatforty-seven percent of all complaintsrelated to the transport of life scienceproducts are due to nonfunction ingprocesses at airports. A need to bettertrain ground personnel and familiarizethem with the special requirements oftemperature-controlled shipments canbe inferred from this.

In 2005, the Institute for MobilityResearch ifmo outlined scenarios forthe development of passenger andcommercial transportation in 2025.Some of these relate to the transportof small volume, valuable goods:– The value of the transported goods

steadily increases from West toEast and at airports,

– Goods easily turned into cash arevulnerable to criminal assaults,

– Valuable goods are carried inpartial shipments as a concealedtransport,

– Localization and communicationtechnologies facilitate trackingshipments on sublevels,

– Modular systems enable loading acommercial transport individuallyfor the shipper,

– Intermodal transportation usesstandardized container variants forsmaller shipment sizes,

– Value added services are subject tocontinuous monitoring,

– Routing information is based oninformation customized for adriver.

MIDAS Logistics PlatformIn order to utilize new technolo gies tofurther consolidate Germany’s leadingposition in the logistics sector, theFraunhofer Institute for Factory Opera -tion and Automation IFF in Magde -burg initiated an application andindustry-specific platform for logisticswith MIDAS. The objective of MIDAS(Central German Logistics’ Develop -ment, Testing, Trans fer and MarketingPlatform, Especially IncorporatingTelematic Services Supported byGalileo) is to initiate and provide newtechnology-based logistics solutionsto improve intermodality and “low-traffic” logistics. The solutions areessentially defined by intelligent logis -tics assets and person-borne mobilebusiness devices.

The unique feature of MIDAS is theavailability of real, productive testenvironments in logistics nodes thatreproduce the later operating condi -tions of new techno logies. The poten-tial to perform tests in the productiveenvironment reflects the solution’sunique capability of testing prototypesunder load. This distinguishes MIDASfrom lab research. Consistently inte-grating partners to reproduce inte -grat ed, inter modal supply chains inthe phases of engineering, construc-tion and operation ensures MIDAS willachieve its ambitious goals.

logged for the purpose of a runninginventory. Access sys tems with cardreaders can monitor access to thegoods. A GSM module sends theintelligent carrier’s position and everyaccess ope rati on to a control center.The electro nics are normally installedin an intermediate floor.

Since 2004, the Fraunhofer IFF Mag -deburg has been continuously perfor-ming functi onal tests with intelligentcarriers by employing proto types andfeasibility studies to demonstrate for aclient or project a particular technicalprinciple of RFID monitoring and thetransmission of events and statusinfor ma tion to a control center. This isdone at the RFID and telematics labLogMotionLab, which houses thelatest technologies in these fields andits own shop for prototype construc-tion (www.logmotionlab.de).

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Contact:Dr. Klaus RichterMaterial Handling Engineering andSystemsTel. +49 (0) 391/4090-420Fax +49 (0) 391/4090-432Klaus.Richter@iff.fraunhofer.de

The focus on Central Germany is aresponse to special logistics require-ments of handling small volume, valu -able goods the growing Eastern Euro -pean transportation and the environsof Halle-Leipzig Airport will generate.The MIDAS logistics platforms can fallback on traffic management data andhigh-tech traffic infrastructures suchas the Central German Loop.

Intelligent CarriersThe intelligent carrier is the technolog -ical model for tracking shipments onsublevels. Intelligent carriers arereusable containers with RFID antenna structures and an autonomous powersupply. Assets furnished with RFIDlabels are automatically identifiedwhen they are put in or taken out andthe contents of the container is

The intelligent carrier as a guiding model for intermodal transportation.

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LogMotionLab tests and neutrallyevaluates the practicability of RFIDtech nologies for specific company processes. The lab considers itselfa service facility for enterprises,providing every client customizedRFID and telematic solutions tooptimize logis tics processes. Apartfrom the extensive equipment atits Magdeburg location, the lab’smobile compo nents allow functio-nal tests at clients’ facilities underreal operational conditions. Inaddition to RFID, LogMotionLabtests and develops other Auto-IDand telematic techno logies andcomponents. Driven by increasingglobalization, the inte gra tion ofsatellite na viga tion technologiesand services is growing increas -ingly important in this context.

Extensive investments in differenttesting and measurement tech -nology will make it possible toperform more detailed and moreprecise tests of the functionality ofRFID components in LogMotion -Lab in the future and obtainbetter results in this field.Targeted investments have alsomade it possible to successfullyget more deeply involved in thedevelopment of individual,customized logistics solutions.

The LogMotionLab is one of Europe’s leading development, testingand certification labs for RFID and telematic technologies. Theresearchers at the Fraunhofer IFF develop industry-ready applications –customized, innovative and technically state-of-the-art. Investmentsin LogMotionLab’s infrastructure are enabling the Fraunhofer IFF toactively shape research and development trends in the fields of RFID,Auto-ID and telematics.

The Latest fromLogMotionLab

Helmut Röben

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Accelerated advances in RFID, sensorand telematic technologies necessitateconstantly keeping the LogMotionLabup-to-date technologically. Only thencan existing and new technical solu -tions coming out of the LogMotionlabbe successfully established as ad -vanced pilot solutions. External feed -back has demonstrated that the com -bination of RFID, sensor and telematictechnologies in particular and theirintegration in standardized completesolutions are steadily attracting morecustomer interest. The continuallyincreasing diversification of targetmarkets is making it necessary todevelop customized new products andservices and act on the market as asystem supplier. Rapid and cos t effec-tive development based on existingsolutions is particularly important, yetis upgraded with additional services inthe fields of RFID, sensor and tele -matic technologies.

Secure Chains of Goods andTechnology Applications inDifficult EnvironmentsThe LogMotionLab’s developments fallunder two major headings: On theone hand “secure chains of goods”and on the other hand the integrationof RFID technology in technically diffi-cult environments. The issues surrounding secure chainsof goods involve various characteris -tics of active and passive RFID technol -ogy and satellite-supported telematicsolutions in equal measure. This the -matic complex also encompassesLogMotionLab’s developments inindoor localization based on differentradio technologies and the develop-ment of integrated sensor technolo-gies. Other stages of development arebuilding upon the developments forthe Smart Box equipped to contin -uously monitor its contents with dif -ferent RFID, sensor, GSM and telema-tic technology. Thus, there are alreadydevelopments that introduce technicalcomponents in flexible structures tofacilitate con tinuously monitoringgoods and items in transport contain -ers that do not have to have a specif -

ically stipulated shape or size. This is acrucial advantage because emptycontainers can be used for returntransport, thus saving space andresources. Another line of develop-ment for logistics services involves nolonger monitoring individual assets inthe future but rather recording andevaluating the overall quality of trans-ports. To do so, the technical solutionwas miniatur ized in several steps. Inthe meantime, a level of developmenthas been reached which allows simplyadding such devices to a transport.The data recorded is collected andevaluated centrally. If such Auto-IDsolutions are linked with routing andnaviga tion applications, routing andmonitoring of individual transportscan be executed automatically andintelligently.

The second emphasis of work at theLogMotionLab is the inte gra tion ofRFID technology in technically difficultenvironments, which particularly treatsmetallic environments in industrialapplications. The foundations alreadydeveloped a few years ago are nowbeing reverted to to support transfer-ring these findings to new frequencyranges too. One example is the“Alubox” solution developed in 2006,which, with a frequency of 868 MHz,enables a nearly 100% read rate inmetallic environments. This develop-ment is considered the basis for trans-ferring this solution to industrial envi-ronments to achieve a nearly 100%read rate even when identifying diffi-cult packaging.Expansion to various locations inMagdeburg is planned in the courseof developing LogMotion Lab because,on the one hand, space is needed forthe individual fields of developmentand, on the other hand, new fields ofactivity, specifically locating technolo -gies, to be integrated in LogMotion -Lab make expansion to different sitesurgently necessary. Attention will beparticularly paid to integrating satel-lite, radio-based and optical positionfinding techno logies. These invest-

ments in infrastructure will enable theLogMotionLab to develop solutionsthat meet clients’ requirements andexpectations in the future too.

Contact:Helmut RöbenLogistics and Factory SystemsTel. +49 (0) 391/4090-485Fax +49 (0) 391/4090-622Helmut.Roeben@iff.fraunhofer.de

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State-of-the-art data acquisition systems based on RFID and locating technology frequentlydeliver very substantial quantities of data with which neither party concerned – computerscientists and logisticians – feels happy. The computer scientists do not know what to usethe data for and the logisticians ask themselves “What do we, the expediters and managers,have from this data?” The basis is still lacking for a theoretical model that facilitates effectivedialog between computer scientists and logisticians when they are designing and implement -ing real-time systems. LogModelLab, a joint lab of the Fraunhofer IFF and Otto von GuerickeUniversity’s Institute of Logistics and Material Handling Systems, is able to establish this basis.The prerequisite to doing so is having both parties view the temporal aspects of processesbeing observed and analyzed from an event-oriented perspective and the spatial aspects froman object- oriented perspective.

Lab for Testing Real-timeLogistics SystemsDr. Juri Tolujew and Tobias Reggelin

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Early warning systems are a specialkind of information system aimed atadvance detection of future develop-ments and events with significance fora company, i.e. before any damageoccurs. This creates the capability toapply preventive measures to antici-pate such (normally negative) develop-ments. Rapid early warning generatesa forecast of the development of asystem’s key data for a specifiedperiod (one hour, one day, etc.). Anearly warning system uses processconcomitant simulation models toreproduce a real system’s processes atcyclical intervals for a brief forecastperiod. The system’s real-time data isutilized to initiate the model. Whenselected state variables of the modelexceed specified limit values in thesimulation, then the appropriatemeasures must be put forth by theearly warning system and in turnevaluated by means of simulation.

Independent of the class of the real-time system, a logistician analyzing aprocess must primarily be well able toimagine the (physical or abstract)objects to which the analysis applies.About WHAT does the logisticianwant to know something? This is nota trivial question since most logisticalobjects of analysis (simply objectsbelow) are freely definable abstractobjects. The so-called object-orientedapproach can support an analystabove all in the phase of definingpertinent object classes. The so-calledevent-oriented approach is needed tobe able to exactly imagine what isactually a state, an event or a situa-tion.

Classes of Real-time LogisticsSystemsMonitoring, event manage ment andearly warning can be consideredphases of development of real-timelogistics systems.

Monitoring primarily visualizes real-time data, the spatial relations be -tween a material handling system’scomponents being represented asanimations and the numeric data asconsecutive plots. As regards trackingand tracing, monitoring predominant -ly performs the “tracking”. Monitor -ing is very often regarded as an ele -ment of logistics controlling. Since keydata is the foundation of any control-ling, the key data required for control-ling is calculated periodically as part ofmonitoring.

A system configured for monitoringalready constitutes a logistics controlcenter that incorporates pertinentsoftware and hardware. Such logis ticscontrol centers are common in bothtrans portation and warehouse logis -tics. Among others, the concept of asupply chain cockpit (SCC), whichdenotes a special graphic user inter-face, was introduced for logisticsnetworks.

The purpose of event managementis to automatically recognize pre -defined situati ons in the system beingob served and monitored and to retro -spectively search (i.e. trace) for situa -tions specified by a user. The termsupply chain event management isvery often used in conjunction withevent manage ment. This text deliber -ately employs the term event manage-ment since it more expansive and notonly covers events in a supply chain.

– Analysis: What possibilities doesthe existing data acquisition systemprovide to interpret processes inthe material handling system?

– Synthesis: What data has to beacquired where so that processesin the material handling systemcan be interpreted as desired?

Log ModelLab’s software componentscan be divided in three groups. Thegroup “Generation of Real-time DataFlows” encompasses simulationmodels that reproduce the functi on -ing of a data acquisition system. Dataflows can be generated in a standard -ized format either specifically for RFIDor readable for people. The other soft -ware components form the group“Conversion and Storage of Moni -tored Information”, also often calledmiddleware. A real-time database acts

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as a storage medium for the primaryprotocol data, temporarily stored in astandardized format. As long as themonitored information remains in thedatabase, it can be directly interpretedin an online mode.

Monitored information is simulta-neously forwarded to the datawarehouse where it is converted intovirtual protocols, stored for a longertime and made available for all poten-tial offline interpretati ons.

Among others, the following types ofonline data interpretation are possiblefor work in the monitoring mode:– Visualization of moving objects’

changes of position

– Visualization of state variables(e.g. inventory levels)

– Recognition of predefinedsituations

The following analysis jobs are part ofoffline interpretation of data stored asprotocols:– Calculation of freely definable key

data

– Retrospective analysis of capturedprocesses including recognition offreely definable situati ons

– Preparation and running ofselected animations

LogModelLabLogModelLab is jointly operated bythe Fraunhofer IFF Magdeburg andOtto von Guericke University Magde -burg’s Institute of Logistics andMaterial Handling Systems (ILM) andclosely cooperates with LogMotion -Lab, a development, testing and certi-fication lab for RFID and telematictechnologies. LogModelLab’s primaryobjective is to develop and test novelmethods to model and interpret real-time logistics data flows. The lab is acollection of tools for the detailedmodeling of both elements of everyconcrete real-time logistics system: Aspatially distributed material handlingsystem including data acquisition anda logistics control center that inter-prets the captured data (see diagramon p. 25). Two problems related to amo deled real-time logistics system canbe formulated and resolved:

Real-time logistics processes can be analyzed by means of abstract network models.© S. Franke

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The primary goal of experimentingwith LogModelLab is to quickly andvividly demonstrate a real-time systemto potential users, which would pro -vide new possibilities for the analysisand control of processes in theirnetwork if implemented.

Demonstration experiments can bebased on reference mo dels suppliedby the lab’s operator. Naturally, a newsimulation model based on a client’sdemands, which fully incorporates thedistinctive features of the client’s logi-stics system, must be developed forevery concrete application.

Contact:Dr. Juri TolujewLogistics and Factory SystemsTel. +49(0) 391/4090-310Fax +49(0) 391/4090-622Juri.Tolujew@iff.fraunhofer.de

Capturing and interpreting real-time logistics data flows.

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Identifying and AssessingLogistical Risks Support for Strategic-Tactical Supply Chain Planning

Holger Seidel and Daniel Reh

By now it is common knowledge that manufacturing enterpriseshave to be globally oriented to be successful. This present dayrequirement frequently has familiar consequences: diminished depthof value added, increased intransparency of supplier networks andincreased complexity of processes. Logistics – whether interlogisticsor intralogistics – is one of the key factors. It must withstand changesand intelligently grow with them. Yet are today’s methods sufficientto react to such changes appropriately in the context of planningsupply chains and their logistics processes? Are not methods thatproactively identify potential problems during logistics planningand send a planner a signal of potential risks needed instead?

Commercially available, monolithicand functionally oriented planningsystems do not satisfy requirements.Very few are proactive and even sup -ply chain event manage ment systemsonly react to predefined events in thesupply chain after they have alreadyoccurred. Earlier, strategic identifica-tion of a risk during planning and thusits elimination before it occurs wouldbe better than operative monitoring.

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Current solutions and methods usedwhen planning decisions about alter -ing supplier relationships, especiallywith regard to future location andnetwork structure, are usually soleybased on – relatively elaborate –business management approachesand are consequently too limited.Assessments of suppliers in the nar -rower sense also primarily focus onfinancial evaluations and on qualityand product features a supplier has toprovide. A risk assessment for logisti-cal purposes, which allows for thepotential supplier’s supply network, islacking.

As a result, either logistical risksremain undetected or even identifi -able logistical risks are scarcely or onlyfinancially incorporated in any analysisand evaluation of a situ ation.

There is not enough transparency toassess the impact of logistical risks ina system. Supplier-customer relation -ships have in the meantime becometoo complex to be able to provideclear information about them. Theincreas ing division of labor in theeconomy is fostering this trend. As aresult, com panies are again findingthemselve in a situation in which theimpacts of corporate decisions oncross-company logistics pro cesses canonly be evaluated to a limited extentand statically.

The practical challenges defi ne therequirements of scientifically develop -ing new planning aids and concepts.The goal is not to merely evaluatelogistical risks financially but also, asregards logistical indicators such asdelivery reliability or capability, tooperationalize risks in a suitable form.The new metho ds to be created toadaptively plan and evaluate logisticssystems will have to be quickly andsituationally applicable and supporteasy integration of data and manage -ment knowledge to facilitate thegeneration of interactive decision sce -

narios. They will have to be designedto be suitable for SME as well as easilyand quickly implementable and appli-cable.The Fraunhofer IFF is also pursuingthis approach in its research projectLogRisk. With support from the stateof Saxony-Anhalt, a tool-aided meth -odology is being developed for riskassessment in manufacturing and sup -plier networks. The tool environmentwill integrate a data model to logisti-cally design a manufacturing andsupplier network and an approach toevaluating logistical risks based onFMEA. Combining logistical variablesof evaluation and logistically quanti-fied risks enables employing the meth -odology to already identify and evalu -ate logistical risks in the phase of stra-tegic-tactical supplier network plan-ning. Existing data, probability distri-butions and experts’ know-how canbe used to parameterize the model.

Thus, responsible planners or ma n -agers can be sensitized to potentiallogistical difficulties in a supply chainsince they obtain information on anet work’s potential logistical perfor-mance, risks and critical paths at anearly stage in the planning process.Further more, they can define differentplanning sce narios that compareimpacts in an evaluation and use thisas the basis to define measures orreconcentrate the focus of planningwork on selected trouble spots in thenetwork.

This enables companies to performrisk assessments of their supplier rela-tionships, act to minimize risks andevaluate corporate decisions.

The aforementioned developments inthe field will increasingly affect smalland medium-sized German enterprisesin particular. Specifically, those enter-prises being integrated in Europeanand global company networks willincreasingly have to scrutinize theirown supplier relationships but also be

dependable partners for their custo-mers. Identify ing logistical risks in thesupplier chain at an early stage andresolving their own difficulties proac-tively with their customers willbecome particularly important in thefuture.The project LogRisk is making a keycontribution to critically examiningexisting planning and implementationand to identifying potentials and risksin advance of relocating productionfacilities and changing a producti onprogram long-term. The developmentof a methodology for logistical riskassessment of industrial supplier net -works is intended to create a futurecapability to take action in logisticalcorporate relationships at an earlystage to control them. Consequently,reorganizations of company networkscan be evaluated for logistical purpo-ses and logistical risks can be reactedto appropriately. Only a changeover ofpresent day systems to the modular,process-oriented solutions expected inseveral years will establish a betterbasis to meet these requirements. Yeteven then, new methodologicalapproaches to identification andevaluation will be needed. It is essen-tial to develop them today.

Contact:Daniel RehLogistics and Factory SystemsTel. +49 (0) 391/4090-143Fax +49 (0) 391/4090 93-143Daniel.Reh@iff.fraunhofer.de

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Option forFactories:Focusing on Engineering FlexibleManufacturing Structures

Holger Seidel and Rolf Walter

No other product has had such an impacton society over the last decades as theautomobile. Whether as a means of trans-portation or a status symbol, a car isalways - consciously or unconsciously -associated with individual and flexiblemobility. Moreover, customers have wide-ly varying ideas about the functionalitiesand requirements they expect a vehicle tohave and satisfy. Hence, carmakers (OEM)are confronted by constantly varyingneeds to which they have to react specifi-cally for each customer. In addition,trends (e.g. new technologies, work timemodels) and legal regulations (e.g. emis -sions regulations, the scrap vehicle ordi -nance) that fundamentally impact generalcompetition also have to be considered. In order to be able to operate successfully,companies must establish market-specificstructures that ensure manufacturing isflexible yet stable. Against this back -ground, factory planning has the task ofreintegrating flexibility in the existingstructural and operational organizationand allowing for this in future plans rightfrom the start. How can this be donethough? Above all, how much flexibility isfeasible and what costs does it incur?

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The carmaker's vision is to develop astandardized factory in which allvehicle classes and vari-ants equippeddifferently can be manufactured onone production line in an unrestrictedprod-uct mix and, where potentiallynecessary, process can be adapted(without requiring much time forconversion) without problems.Realizing this vision is anything buttrivial: A factory consti-tutes a com -plex system of various trades andprocesses, which affect each otherinterdisciplinarily or are intensely inter-dependent. Hence, it is nearly impos -sible for factory planning to holisti-cally consider all the specifics relevantfor planning without aids. This is whyfactory planning requires specificmeth ods and tools that not onlyenable interdisciplinarily treatingthe various factory elements andincorpor ating internal and externalinfluences but also quantitatively andqualita tively evaluating the generatedsolutions at an early stage.

One of these specific tools is theVirtual Development and Training(VDT) platform developed by the

Fraunhofer IFF in years of work. Theplatform enables creating and simu -lating realistic digital models and con -sequently provides support through-out the entire product life cycle. TheVDT platform can thus reproduce afactory and its processes and resourc -es two and three-dimensionally.Should the input information (e.g.products, processes, requirements)change however, adapting a particularmodel requires great effort. To orga-nize this process more efficiently,possibilities to partially or completelyautomate adaptation and to developthe tools needed to do so weresought in cooperation with a Germanautomaker.

The starting point was the manufac -turing process in the automotive indu-stry. This process was segmented intothe areas of press shop, bodywork,paint shop and assembly. Owing tothis seg-menting, the areas could beconsidered in detail virtually indepen-dently from one another. In order toreduce the level of complexity, theanalysis was solely based on the mainassemblies. In addition, the product

line and the requisite daily output forthe factory and the manufacturingprocess were specified in advance.Taking these premises, the relevantvehicle structures and manufacturingtechnologies were analyzed. Thisanalysis served as the basis for investi-gating and mapping the influencesand effects of trends and newrequire ments on the existing manu-facturing process. Scenario techniques were drawn on torepresent the influences. These enabledetailed mapping of the various influ-ences and effects on the particularproducts and processes. Here too, thescope of the treatment was initiallylimited to three scenarios. Scenario 1encompassed present day vehiclemanufacturing. Scenario 2 focusedthe reduction of value added depthand the re-lated reduction of internalmanufacturing processes at the com -pany. Scenario 3 analyzed the impactsof an innovation on the product andprocess structure. The scenarios weredigitally re-produced with the Micro -soft Project Server (MSPS), which isused as the planning component inthis context. The processes are repre-sented with the help of project plans,the requisite re-sources and boundaryconditions being assigned to the indi-vidual operations. So that the MSPScan execute the planning, the requi-site information, e.g. manufacturingprogram, the manufacturing sequenceand the machine layout strategy, mustbe entered through an input maskspecially generated to do this. Theinput information is the basis forgenerating the data needed for thevisualization and is transmitted to theVDT platform through an interface,which in turn interprets the resultstwo and three-dimensionally. Usersare able to interactively intervene andcorrect the machine layout.

VDT platform enables visualizing and adapting a layout in 2-D and 3-D.

increased so that the variety of poten-tial influences can be representedrealistically. Layout methods will beimplemented in order to be able tomore closely analyze the impacts ofprocesses on the overall layout. Thevisualization also provides a startingpoint for further development. Thedevelopment of a feedback loop isplanned here so that data can also beretransmitted to the project server.Finally, further indicators will beimplemented to increase the informa-tive value of the generated layouts.

This project succeeded in developing aconceptual approach for a planningtool and successfully prototyping it for

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the automotive industry. The demon-stration of the practicability of thedeveloped concept in the automotivesector opens an opportunity totransfer it to other sectors such asmechanical and plant engineering orthe aerospace industry.

Contact:Rolf WalterLogistics and Factory SystemsTel. +49 (0) 391/4090-139Fax +49 (0) 391/4090 93-139Rolf.Walter@iff.fraunhofer.de

Users can use the prototype toprepare and compare different factorylayouts and plans allowing for diverseinfluences. The parameters, total areaof the factory layout, total machinefloor space and degree of spaceutilization represented by the VDTplatform can be referenced to evalu-ate the layout. Thus, qualitative andquantitative conclusions about areasand costs incurred by flexible manu-facturing can be inferred.

This tool will be successively upgradedin follow-up projects. The level ofcomplexity will be raised by repro -ducing the processes in more detailand the number of scenarios will be

Factory planning with virtual reality is no problem in the Elbe Dom, the large projection system atthe Fraunhofer IFF Virtual Development and Training Centre VDTC in Magdeburg. Pictured here is

an automotive supplier's manufacturing facility. © V.Kühne

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RFID Technology for Maintenanceand Materials Management in theSteel Industry

Eyk Flechtner, Sven-Uwe Hofmeister, Wolfgang Freihube and Wolfgang Janatsch

Maintenance and materials management have grown greatly in importance inrecent years. Controlling increasingly networked, highly complex and automatedproduction requires similarly oriented and high qualified maintenance. This is theonly way companies can maintain their competitiveness since maintenance andmaterials management determine approximately forty percent of a company’scosts today. Consequently, maintenance is not only a cost factor but also a valueadding subprocess that contributes to a company’s competitiveness.

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Maintenance always moves into thelimelight whenever a system stopsunscheduled, a crash occurs, availa -bility is not maintained or scheduleand budget are exceeded. Never -theless, a plant’s smooth functioningis usually assumed.Maintenance and material manage-ment have to deal continuously withtechnical innovations and their conse-quences. RFID technology has tremen-dous potential to accelerate and sim -plify processes, to minimize identifica-tion errors and to improve the infor-mation basis for an individual com -pany as well as for the entire valueadded chain. Arcelor Eisenhüttenstadt and theFraunhofer IFF jointly studied thepotential uses of RFID technology inconjunction with mobile data acquisi-tion.Studies to capture the actual statefocused on:– Recording operational organization

in the maintenance and materialmanagement units,

– Basic tests of the use of RFID orbarcode identification systemsand thus definition of the basicconditions and

– Analysis of the tasks defined formobile data acquisition.

The main goal of implementing RFIDis to improve operational organizationand internal and external logistics processes. In detail, this means iden-tifying materi als, machinery and toolsand their technical positions clearlyand quickly as well as handling dataand information simply, durably andeasily. Mobile data acquisition is in -tended to additionally save time whendata is being entered. The scope ofanalysis covered all the processes inmaintenance and materials manage-ment as well as inspection andmeasurement management in thevarious plants, in the sintering plantand around the blast furnace. Theintegration of external firms such assuppliers and service providers wasalso scrutinized.

Taking the actual processes as theirstarting point, researchers from theFraunhofer IFF developed RFID con -form target processes incorporatingthe target criteria compiled. Thetarget processes generally describedthe sequence of process es and theinteraction of software solutions. Inmaintenance for example, the joborders including detailed workflowsand instructions for action are down -loaded directly onto the mobiledevice. The download occurs in arange of seconds or minutes depend -ing on the volume of data and themobile handheld device’s connection(radio, USB, etc.) to the main system.Once the data transcription has con -cluded, the job order is delivered andthe employee can begin with thework. Identification and condition determi-nation on the object can be used toexecute the order with checklists orwork schedules displayed on thehandheld device. Once the work iscompleted, the worker reports thecompletion of the work on site on thehandheld device. Once every inspec-tion has ended, the inspection joborders are then reported finished bydata upload in the main system.Should faults be detected during aninspection, a damage catalog on the

handheld device is used to identifyand classify the fault, directly allo -cating it to equipment or a technicalposition. The related maintenanceorder can also be created and thenactivated by uploading the data onto

Arcelor Eisenhüttenstadt GmbH

Arcelor Eisenhüttenstadt GmbH is asuccessful and highly productivemember of the Arcelor Mittal Group,the largest steel company in theworld. Founded fifty years ago asEisenhüttenkombinat Ost, an iron-works with six blast furnaces, today itis a state-of-the-art integrated steelmill with highly mechanized systemsand technologies. As the largestcenter of industrial development inEastern Brandenburg, it employsapproximately 3,000 highly trainedworkers in the production of pig ironthrough the finishing of high gradeflat steel products.

View of the sintering plant from the blast furnace. © E. Flechtner

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tenance and materials management.

Unquantifiable effects and potentialsfor savings were also taken intoaccount, e.g.:– Improving the identification of

parts, equipment and materials,

– Tracking useful life,

– Creating a base of data for longrange evaluations and faultanalyses,

– Reducing process times andhandling work,

– Reducing inventory times andinventory work,

– Reducing time underway andsearching and incorrect entries,

– Implementing componentserial ization to organizeprocesses more efficiently,

– Reducing manual identificationwork and

– Entering inventory in near real-time.

Cold rolling mill. © E. Flechtner

Blast furnace tapping. © E. Flechtner

RFID Technology and Process Optimization

Introducing RFID based processoptimization requires a progressiveapproach that covers ana lysis, systemdesign, object de sign, implementa-tion, sys tem integration, testing andstartup. The actors must be integratedin the development of the overallsystem. Often, a development teamfocuses too much on the details of atechnical solution rather than on theintended results.

the server in the main system andmust be released only then.

The specia lists from the Fraunhofer IFFselected RFID and barcode technolo-gies suitable for implementation. Themetallic environment, the temperaturerange and the “rough” industrialsetting with mechanical stresses andvibrations, dust with high iron contentand oily and acidic fumes representthe greatest challenges here.Additional requirements from theuser’s perspective were simple hand -

ling and durable handheld devicessuitable for industry. The new solutionwas intended to simplify processesand increase transparency. Afterward,the mounting points on the deviceswere deter mined, the data struc turedefined and the required memoryestablished. Once the IT concept hadbeen formulated, every software andhardware requirement for implement -ing the concept had been defined sothat cost and labor could be estimat -ed. Along with the expenditures forsoftware and hardware and the costsof train ing, the cost-benefit analysisincluded quantifiable benefits in main-

35

Arcelor Eisenhüttenstadt GmbH andthe Fraunhofer IFF successfully com -pleted the first phase of the projecttogether and were thus able todemonstrate the feasibility, cost effec-tiveness and benefits. Conse quently,the prerequisites to company-widerollout have been established.

The development solution is intendedto have the following system features:– Interoperability: Heterogeneous

application com ponents will beable to interoperate.

– System integration: It can be inte-grated with cooperating systems.

– Transaction processes: Methodsare available for data entry, versionand variant management andother tasks.

– Application upgrades: Softwarecan be modified.

Their experience in the field of processoptimization and RFID tech nologiesmake the specialists from the Fraun -hofer IFF in Magdeburg outstand inglyqualified to support such pro jectsfrom their planning up through theirsuccessful implementation.

About the authors:Wolfgang Freihube is DP ManagementProject Manager and WolfgangJanatsch is Head of ElectronicProcurement/IT Systems at ArcelorEisenhüttenstadt GmbH.

Contact:Eyk FlechtnerLogistics and Factory SystemsTel. +49 (0) 391/4090-125Fax +49 (0) 391/4090 93-125Eyk.Flechtner@iff.fraunhofer.de

36

Continuous FactoryPlanning in the Generator IndustryThe Fraunhofer IFF is providing Siemens Power Generation supportas it optimizes and develops its Erfurt facility.

Thomas Dengler and René Petri

As markets rapidly grow especially in the Asian region, the demandfor energy, electrical energy in particular, is also rising. Covering thismounting demand will require a large number of widely differing powerplants that use generators to convert kinetic energy into electrical energy.Generators represent an important capital good, now and in the future.

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Growing numbers of manufactureditems, improved production technolo-gies and changed product specificsmake it necessary to continuouslyadjust production. Hence, SiemensGeneratorenwerk in Erfurt mustadapt both its technical equipmentand the orientation of its processesand infrastructure continuously. Themeasures necessary to do so include:– Refurbishing and reconstruc ting

existing equipment and buildings,

– Integrating new equipment inexisting structures,

– Expanding production units and

– Modifying the logistics conceptinside and outside buildings.

To implement these measures, theFraunhofer IFF is providing SiemensPower Generation support in part ofthese necessary tasks. The spectrumof work completed by the FraunhoferIFF ranges from the preparation ofcon cept studies to rough planningand up through detailed planning ofproduction units and oversight of theirimplementation. Depending on thetype of job, rough and detailedlayouts, moving plans (for equipmentand accessories), cost and action esti-mates or schedules have to be prepa-red. This work was completed in closecollaboration both with individualsfrom the company involved in theproject (e.g. technologists, foreper-sons and workers, media andconstruction specialists, etc.) andother external partners (e.g. electricalengineers, structural engineers).

Since large dimensions (size andweight) typify the products manufac-tured in Erfurt, two restrictions essen-tially governed the work of factorydesign: Floorspace and logistics, i.e.the transport and handling of theproducts.

Particular requirements of floorbearing capacities or crane lift loadslimit the placement of particularmanufacturing units in certain floor-space beforehand. Hence, floorspaceneeded for expansion can often onlybe created by reorganizing andrestructuring space or compressing ormoving other manufacturing units.Apart from consultations with indivi-duals inside the company with knowl -edge about a building’s structure, astructural engineer frequently has tobe integrated in planning to verify thesuitability of floorspace and to identifylimits and potentials.

Logistics plays the second fundamen-tal role in planning work. So that thelater connection to overall plant logis -tics is guaranteed, one of the first andmost important jobs in the planningprocess is capturing the process flows.This is done by analyzing work plansor surveying and discussing newprocesses with technologists andindividuals responsible for manufac -turing. In turn, the logistical potentialsat the site influence the placement ofmanufacturing units. Given theproducts’ dimensions, potential trans-port routes are largely fixed or canonly be changed with unreasonablygreat time and effort. Hence, planningat the Erfurt site was often done fromthe perspective of integrating proces-ses in existing floorspace under opti-mal logistical conditions.

The timeline on the following pagedemonstrates how Siemens PowerGeneration continuously has to facethese and other challenges at itsErfurt site to ensure the facility con -tinues to develop. The Fraunhofer IFFis providing active support to do so.

2004Layout planning for the reorganizationof preformed coil manufacturing

2005Concept and layout planning for theinte gration of a rotor slot millingmachine and the related restructuringof manufacturing units

Floorspace development concept forgrowing numbers of manufactureditems

2006Concept for reorganizing the materialwarehouse and planning the layoutand move of a drying kiln forgene rators

Contact: Thomas DenglerLogistics and Factory SystemsTel. +49 (0) 391/4090-142Fax +49 (0) 391/4090 93-142Thomas.Dengler@iff.fraunhofer.de

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Generatorenwerk ErfurtGeneratorenwerk Erfurt has been partof Siemens since 1991 and is integrat -ed in the international manufacturingnetwork Siemens Power Genera tion.

For over ten years, the Fraunhofer IFFhas been supporting Siemens PowerGeneration at its Erfurt facility as wellas the company’s internal manufactu-ring, warehouse and transport plan-ning teams and infrastructur e servicesin operative and strategic planningwork.

A selection of the planning work sofar:

1996-1997Layout and relocation planning forsingle rod manufacturing

1999Layout planning for the constructionof a complete impregnating plant forgenerators

2001-2003Layout survey and updating

View of Siemens AG Power Generation’s generator plant in Erfurt.© Siemens AG, Power Generation Generatorenwerk Erfurt

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The Tuned In WarehouseBarcode and RFID for Receiving in Machinery and Plant Manufacturing

Dr. Klaus Richter and Cathrin Plate

Traditionally, machinery and plant manufacturing directly identify materials with manual labelingmethods using an edding marker or steel stamp numbers on an object or combining parts withattached labels (metal tags, plastic tags) to allow identification in the different stages of machining.The disadvantage of these methods is their failure to support the auto mation of identificationor information flows. Paper documents and manual keyboard and terminal entries are the orderof the day. This is where technolo gies such as barcode, direct part marking or radio frequencyidentification (RFID) come in with the goal of increasing identification certainty, enabling theautomation of identification and logging processes and preventing media failures.

manage machining and constructionprocesses with broad trans parencyand high quality. After a detailedanalysis of the relevant logis tics proc -esses in receiving up through theconstruction site at a client’s facilities,management and project manage-ment were certain that the combina-tion of bar code and RFID wouldaccelerate internal processes andsimplify the complexity of part identifi-cation. In addition, the internal reor-ganization project at FAM had to takeaccount of a large percentage ofpurchased material and equipmentand an SAP system implemented for

40

several years in which the new tech-nologies could organize already imple-mented workflows more efficiently.

Since the logistics chain in the com -pany begins with the receipt ofgoods, a subproject analyzed thebenefits of RFID in the warehouse.The finding was that delivered goodscan not always be uniquely identifiedeither because the labels on thegoods and delivery documents differ(goods are delivered differently thanordered) or because information suchas the FAM order number are missingon the packing slip. In the past, thecompany printed plaintext warehousereceiving, issuing and shipping labelswith which automatic identification isnot possible. At present, cos t is still anargument against employing RFIDdata media in logistics, especiallywhen the extensive as sortment ofparts has to be identified based oncustomers. Hence, the project resor-ted to barcode technol ogy (EAN 128)for pure material iden ti fi cation. Theadvantage is the availability of particu-lar barcode labels to suppliers throughan Internet portal and the suppliersability to print these when shipping sothat in the future the materi als can bedelivered to FAM with barcode labelsalready applied.

Barcode can likewise support theactual process of reconciling a deliverywith an order, the inspection ofdelivered parts’ quality and theirphysical storage. Simply scanningthe barcode with a mobile terminaldecodes the coded information in thebarcode and identifies the materials.This is especially important since, as amanufacturer of complex one-of-a-kind systems, FAM only has a fewrepeat parts and employees mustreadjust to”unfamiliar “material inevery delivery. Barcode scans eliminateinvolved manual reconciliation offrequently long series of digits onpacking slips and object labels. Errorsin notation are reduced.

A project at FAM MagdeburgerFörderanlagen und BaumaschinenGmbH involved identifying potentialsfor improvement by using a newmethod of identification and imple-menting the corresponding technicalsystem. Its one-of-a-kind systemscompel FAM to meet high productquality requirements in global compe-tition and adhere to a project’s timeand cost objectives. This affects thephases of equipment and plant manu-facturing, construction and commis-sioning. Rapid and reliable identifica-tion of requisite parts and compo-nents purchased from suppliers helps

Receiving valuable goods at FAM. © B.Rohrschneider

FAM employees work with mobile terminals with barcode and RFID functionality. © FAM

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Along with furnishing materi als withbarcodes, storage locations in thereceiving warehouse were equippedwith RFID tags (passive, 13.56 MHz,200 characters). This eliminatesmanually noting and checking storagelocation numbers. If SAP proposes a

particular storage location for a mate-rial, the RFID scan of a storage loca-tion tag checks whether it was storedin the correct location. If not, an errormessage is issued. Employees in thewarehouse can also use the mobileterminal to divide quantities betweendifferent storage locations and toqualify them with appropriate scans ofmaterial (barcode) and location (RFID).Material issues from storage locationscan be documented the same way.

The data from the respective SAPmodules and the mobile terminals ofemployees in the warehouse andquality assurance is reconciledmanually depending on the processand throuh defined interfaces. FAMimplemented the interfaces for thisitself.

sS far, the implementation phase inthe company has demonstrated thatthe combination of barcode and RFIDis an excellent option to control proc -esses in receiving and constitutes animprovement of the initial situ ation.The cost of barcode on items is justi-fiable when compared with the total

value of a plant project. Expendituresfor mobile terminals and storage loca-tion tags represent a one-time invest-ment. The automation of parts identi-fication is now intended to be conti-nued in the subsequent processes ofmanufacturing up through theconstruction of a plant at a construc-tion site.

Contact:Material Handling Engineering andSystemsDr. Klaus RichterTel. +49 (0) 391/4090-420Fax +49 (0) 391/4090-432Klaus.Richter@iff.fraunhofer.de

The receiving cycle in principle.

Labeling storage locationswith RFID tags. © FAM

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Products Faster withIntelligent Prototypes

Juraj Sulc, Susan Gronwald, Dr. Uwe Klaeger, Prof. Karl-Heinrich Grote

The markets of the future are already demanding more efficient prototypes in the early phases of productdevelopment. Their features should match series component as exactly as possible. At the same time, moreand more functions are being integrated in less and less space. Product requirements are mounting.

Prototypes Are Growing SmarterDepending on the type of product,the road to marketability can be long.A product’s features and functionshave to be tested on a large numberof prototypes before mass productioncan begin. This development phaseoften costs a great deal of time andmoney. It goes faster when the proto-type is already very similar to the final

product and performs certain neces-sary functions. This significantly shor-tens the path to the finished product.Developers expect “intelligent” proto-types to considerably cut time andcosts by reducing the number ofiterations for optimization. How canprototypes be made more intelligentthough?

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The installation of electronic sensorand actor technology makes thispossible: Structural components canbe manufactured to handle stressesand outfitted with useful functions.

Integrating mechatronic elements inprototype components brings crucialadvantages. Embedded sensor mod -ules can capture data on a componentand the behavior of process para -meters and process this further aselectronic information. Installed actorscan even control a component andthus adjust the necessary parameters.

The installed electronics provide sucha prototype numerous functions.Sensor, data processing and evenactor, i.e. control, elements canalready be used on a prototype inearly phases of development. Productdevelopment is speeded up consider -ably.

There are a number of methods formanufacturing prototypes. Along withvacuum casting and fiber compositetechnology, generative rapid proto -typing in particular is becoming moreimportant. It can even manufacturecomponents with complex geometry

cost effectively. Since generativemethods can manufacture anygeometry, they are especially suitedfor integrating sensors.

Vacuum casting employs two-component casting resin and meltablewax materials to produce suitablematerial combinations and functionalmaterials. Prototype manufacturingonly requires low temperatures andpressures so that every electrotechni-cal function is retained during casting.Thus, sensitive sensors can also beeasily integrated. A combination ofboth methods makes it pos sible tomanufacture a prototype from diffe-rent materials (hybrid structure).

Rather than having to be attached tothe surface later, electronic controlelements can be integrated directly ina component during manufacturing.

Faster to Production Thanks toCleverer PrototypesThe machining of optical lenses is acomplex process in which the pressuredistributed on a lens was not knownuntil now. Together with a manufac-turer of equipment for precisionmachining of optical com ponents,Fraunhofer IFF researchers developeda prototype to precisely polish opticallenses. Mechatronic elements that usesensors to exactly measure pressuredistribution during polishing wereintegrated in the pol ishing tool andprovide workers immediate informa-tion on the polishing process.

“For the first time, it is now possibleto already measure various processparameters during operation. Theexact measurements enable us tosatisfy our client’s demand for optimalsurface quality of the lenses. Thatsaves time and naturally money,” saysDr. Christian-Toralf Weber, ManagingDirector of IGAM mbH quite pleased.

Parameters such as pressure, tempera-ture or acceleration can be measureddirectly on prototypes and this infor-mation can be directly received oreven stored. Integrated actors make itpossible to speedily and cost effec-tively manufacture controllable proto-types with moving components. Themetrology operates reliably even inflexible materials. Moreover, measure-ments can also be taken in functionaloperation even at difficult to accesspoints. A geometrically unchangingsurface is particularly important forprototypes in which the design orhaptics have priority.

Even RFID chips can be integratedwithout adversely affecting a com -ponent’s surface. Thus, a componentcan be localized and tracked. Acomponent’s “history” can also bestored.

Prototypes become more efficientwhen they are outfitted with elec -tronic components. The additionalfunctions acquired can shorten aproduct’s development phase con -siderably. Complex components canbe manufactured quickly and inexpen-sively. Thus individual customerdemands can be satisfied fully.

Prof. Karl-Heinrich Grote is Dean ofthe School of Mechanical Engineeringat Otto von Guericke UniversityMagdeburg.

Contact:Susan GronwaldVirtual EngineeringTel. +49 (0) 391/4090-820Fax +49 (0) 391/4090- 596Susan.Gronwald@iff.fraunhofer.de

The different colors provide information aboutthe compressive load.

© IGAM mbH Barleben

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44 Sharp Minds

Holger Seidel. © V. Kühne

Saxony-Anhalt Minister of StateDevelopment and TransportationKarl-Heinz Daehre appointed HolgerSeidel to the state’s Logistics AdvisoryCouncil. According to Daehre, theLogistics Advisory Council, establishedin a constitutive session on March 28,2007, is intended to ensure a contin -uous exchange of information andlively dialog between the state gov -ernment and business, research andassociations. Daehre added that thepractically oriented support and im -plementation of research findings inthis field is a fundamental prerequisiteto Saxony-Anhalt’s competitiveness asa center of logistics in the long-termtoo.

Seidel was also appointed to theSaxony-Anhalt State Chapter of theCDU Business Advisory Council's StateTechnical Committee for Transpor -tation and Logistics. In particular,the commission chaired by Karl-HeinzEhrhardt will work on rigorouslyfur ther developing and marketingSaxony-Anhalt as a center of logistics.

Seidel manages the Logistics andFactory Systems Business Unit at theFraunhofer IFF. Having majored inFactory Planning and Logistics, heacquired his first professional experi-ence at a heavy machinery manufac-turer in Magdeburg. He helped pre -pare the founding of the FraunhoferIFF in 1991 and since then has man -aged research and indus try projects,primarily in factory planning, logistics,supply chain management and reor -ganization.

Dr. Klaus Richter Is NewSANASA Chairman

Dr. Klaus Richter. © Microsoft Pressebild

Dr. Klaus Richter was elected chair-man of Satellite Navigation Saxony-Anhalt (SANASA). SANASA is Saxony-Anhalt’s state initiative related to theEuropean satellite navigation systemGALILEO. With estimated investmentsof 3.2 to 3.4 billion euros, Galileo isthe largest collaborative civil project inthe EU at present. The goal of theassociation SANASA is to promotecommercial and scientific develop-ment of satellite navigation andimportant fields of application forGlobal Monitoring for Environmentand Security (GMES) in Saxony-Anhalt.

Dr. Klaus Richter heads the MaterialHandling Engineering and SystemsExpert Group at the Fraunhofer IFF.He earned his degree in mechanicalengineering with a specialization in

material handling and earned hisdoctorate from the Department ofMaterial Handling at the TechnicalCollege of Magdeburg in 1985.Afterward, he worked as an engineerfor the computerized planning anddesign of material flow systems in aloading and transport systems com -pany in Leipzig. From 1991 to 1999,Richter researched and taught CADindustry software and material hand-ling engineering and systems at Ottovon Guericke Univer sity Magdeburg.He has been working at the Fraun -hofer IFF since 2000.

State of Saxony-Anhalt2006 Research Award

Assistant Professor Stefan Heinrichand Dr. Mirko Peglow from theSchool of Process and SystemsEngineering at Otto von GuerickeUniversity Magdeburg won the Stateof Saxony-Anhalt’s 2006 ResearchAward for Applied Research. The twoaward winners have worked in thefield of particle-forming fluidized bedprocesses for years. Their joint workhas been instrumental in drawingnational and international attention tothe research work on fluidized bedtechnology in Magdeburg.

Saxony-Anhalt Minister of Education andCulture Jan-Hendrik Olbertz (r.) with the award

winners Dr. Mirko Peglow (m.) andAsst. Prof. Stefan Heinrich (l.).

© K. Lange, Universität Magdeburg

Fraunhofer in Saxony-Anhalt’sLogistics Advisory Council

Sharp Minds 45

Since earning his degree in ProcessEngineering and Ther mal MechanicalEngineering with a specialization inApparatus and Environmental Engi -neering from Otto von Guericke Uni -versity, Heinrich (36) has been pursu -ing an academic career. From 1996 to2000, he was a researcher in theDepartment for Apparatus and Envi -ronmental Engineering and in 2000he earned his doctorate under Prof.Lothar Mörl. Heinrich was appointedAssistant Professor for Dynamics ofSystems with Distributed Properties inSolids Process Engineering in theSchool of Process and Systems Engi -neering and habilitated in 2006.

Peglow (33) earned his degree inIndustrial Engineering with a specia-lization in Process and Power Engi -neering from Otto von Guericke Uni -versity. Following a one year researchresidence at Niigata University inJapan, he was a researcher in theDepartment for Apparatus and Envi -ronmental Engineering from 2001 to2004 and has headed the ProductDesign and Modeling project group atthe Fraunhofer IFF since 2004. Peglowearned his doctorate under Prof. Mörlin 2005 and is currently a habilitationcandidate under Prof. EvangelosTsotsas, Thermal Process EngineeringChairholder in the Department ofProcess Engineering.

Careers with FraunhoferThe Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft offersyoung researchers outstanding oppor-tunities for development. Graduateswho majored in technical and naturalsciences find ideal opportunities toqualify themselves for responsiblework in business and research.Practice-related and project-basedwork provides preparation for thedemands of modern business opera -tions. Excellent networking with theresearch community offers outstand -ing opportunities for an academiccareer. Some former Fraunhofer IFFemployees’ career moves are presen-ted here.

Call to TU IlmenauProf. Steffen Strassburger followed acall to the Technical UniversityIlmenau where he has been Chair ofBusiness Information Systems forIndustrial Enterprises in the School ofEconomics’ Department of BusinessInformation Systems since April 2007 .His research specializations are simu -lation, distributed simulation andmethods and tools for the digitalfactory with a special focus on theirapplication in manufacturing plants.

Prof. Steffen Strassburger. © V. Kühne

Strassburger earned a degree inComputer Science from Otto vonGuericke University Magdeburg anda doctorate with his dissertation ondistributed simulation from its Schoolof Computer Science’s Department ofSimulation and Graphics in 2001.Afterward, he worked on putting theresearch findings from his dissertationinto practice at DaimlerChrysler AG inUlm from 2001 to 2003. Emphaseswere the digital factory and simula-tion. From 2003 until his call to TUIlmenau in 2007, Strassburger wasHead of the Department of VirtualDevelopment at the Fraunhofer IFF.Thematically his work focused onvirtual reality, simulation, VR systemdevelopment and VR applications inproduct and process design.Strassburger views close cooperationand partnership with business as hischair’s leitmotif. He fondly recalls histime at the Fraunhofer IFF and seesmany points of contact for futurecooperation.

Head of Logistics at SchuberthGmbH

Manuela Wahl. © private

Since March 2007, Manuela Wahlhas been the manager of MaterialPlanning and Work Scheduling atSchuberth GmbH. In this position, sheis responsible for every componentbeing at the right place at the righttime in the right quality and the rightquantity. Schuberth GmbH is aglobally operating high-tech developerand manufacturer located in Magde -burg and Braunschweig and producesprotective helmets and accessories.

Wahl earned a degree in IndustrialEngineering for Production Engineer -ing with a specialization in Logistics,Production Planning and Control fromOtto von Guericke University Magde -burg. During her undergraduatestudies, she acquired her first profes-sional experience as a Diplom degreecandidate and student assistant at theFraunhofer IFF. From 1998 to 2004,Wahl simultaneously worked as aproject engineer at IFB logistics &process consulting GmbH and aproject manager in the Depart ment ofLogistics and Factory Planning at theFraunhofer IFF. From January 2005until her departure for SchuberthGmbH, Wahl was the deputy managerof the LogMotionLab, which primarilyworks on RFID in logis tics, identifica-tion, localization and navigationsystems.

S H A R P M I N D S

46 Sharp Minds

Fraunhofer as a Career SteppingStoneDr. Rico Wojanowski is responsible forcentral process optimization in pro -duction and logistics management atGilde meister. WIth degrees in indu-strial and mechanical engineering andbusiness administration, he earned hisdoctorate in engineering in 2002.Wojanowski was a project manager atthe Fraunhofer IFF from 1999 to 2004and completed a postdoctoral degreeat McGill Uni versity in Montreal in2002 and 2003.

Dr. Rico Wojanowski. © B. Rohrschneider

His experiences during his early yearsof work at the Fraunhofer IFF wereparticularly important for the secondphase of his career. At the FraunhoferIFF, Wojanowski learned on the job toindependently structure and completeprojects, integrate himself in a projectteam and work oriented toward goalsand schedules. The Fraunhofer IFF wasthe ideal launching point for him.

Master of the Elbe DomThe Elbe Dom, a large laser projectionsystem, is the heart of the VDTC.Specialists from Jenoptik and theMagdeburg Fraunhofer Institute jointlydesigned it and are working on devel -oping it further to open up new fieldsof application. This high level of tech-nology requires intensive support andthe complex systems have to be con -tinuously maintained and updated.Steffen Masik attends to this cruciallyimportant job at the VDTC, mainlysupporting and further developingboth soft ware and hardware. Masik isadditionally involved in bringing inand working on projects.

Masik majored in ComputationalVisualistics at Otto von Guericke Uni -versity and while studying completeda six month internship at the Univer -sity of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho, USA.Directly after receiving his degree in2005, Masik started as a ResearchManager at the Fraunhofer IFF.

Steffen Masik. © A.-K. Wassilew

With Marie Curie to theFraunhofer IFF

Ivan Pechenizkiy from Kharkiv,Ukraine has been supporting theMeasurement and Testing TechnologyBusiness Unit at the Fraunhofer IFFsince March 1, 2007. The degreeholding engineer who specializes inaircraft manufacturing technology willbe researching a process model andclosed process control loop for auto-mated riveting processes in theaircraft industry initially for twelvemonths. The Fraunhofer IFF alreadyhas extensive experience in this fieldsince it has already produced severalfully automatic optical 3-D measuringsystems to inspect the quality ofaircraft hull rivet joints.

Ivan Pechenizkiy. © B. Rohrschneider

Pechenizkiy earned his degree in stressmechanics from the National AviationUniversity in Kharkiv from 1998 to2004. He acquired his first profes -sional experience at Aviakontrol devel -oping software to inspect onboardsystems for aircraft. Afterward, untiltransferring to the Fraunhofer IFF, heworked on research, initially as anassistant and later as an engineer forthe Chair of Aircraft InstrumentManufacturing Tech no logy in theDepartment of Aircraft Engineering atthe National Aviation University.His current stay is made possible bythe EU’s Marie Curie Program, aEuropean training program for youngresearchers.

Editorial Notes

IFFOCUS 1/2007This magazine appears biannually and is

available at no cost to clients, partners, employees,

media and friends.

ISSN 1862-5320

ISBN 978-3-8167-7381-8

PublisherFraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation

and Automation IFF

Prof. Michael Schenk

Director

Sandtorstr. 22

39106 Magdeburg

Tel.: +49 391/40 90-0

Fax: +49 391/40 90-596

info@iff.fraunhofer.de

www.iff.fraunhofer.de

www.logmotionlab.de

Editorial StaffHerbert Siegert

Anna-Kristina Wassilew

Nicolai Butzki

Photos, Images and GraphicsUnless otherwise credited

© Fraunhofer IFF

Title photo and inside cover: © ESA, NASA

Conceptual DesignAnna-Kristina Wassilew

Bettina Rohrschneider

Herbert Siegert

Sabine Conert

LayoutBettina Rohrschneider

TranslationKrister Johnson

PrintingDruckerei Schlüter GmbH & Co. KG

We wish to thank the employees of the

Fraunhofer IFF and our project partners for their

support during the preparation of this publication.

© Fraunhofer IFF, June 2007.

48 Gallery

G A L L E R Y

At the DHL Innovation Center, Deutsche Post World Net(DPWN) develops and tests new products and services.DPWN and the Fraunhofer IFF jointly developed theSmart Box.

© D

euts

che

Post

Wor

ld N

et

Gallery 49

50 Gallery

A glimpse of the earth from space is not only breathtakingly beautiful but also reveals a scientific side.The Galileo satellite navigation system will help usorganize our lives more securely and comfortably.

G A L L E R Y©

ESA

, N

ASA

Galyery 51

52 Gallery

G A L L E R Y©

V.

Küh

ne

Gallery 53

The off-road navi ga tion systemdeveloped by the Fraunhofer IFFruns on any commercial PDA.

Here it is being demonstrated atthe Fraunhofer IFF workshop“Wood Logistics: ImplementingPracticable Solutions” in Hundisburgon April 18, 2007.

O U T L O O K

Outlook 54

June 12-15, 2007 Transport Logistic 2007Munich

June 13, 20072nd Consolidation and GrowthTrade FairHalle/Saale

June 14-15. Juni 2007Workshop on Augmented andVirtual Reality in ProductDevelopmentPaderborn

June 19-20, 200728th VDI/VDEh Maintenance Forum2007 “Maintenance Put to the Test”Stuttgart

June 27, 200710th IFF Science Days Workshop: Robot Technologies forUse in Everday EnvironmentsFraunhofer IFF, Magdeburg

June 27-28, 200710th IFF Science Days4th Virtual Reality Conference “Virtual Reality and AugmentedReality for Engineering, Testing andOperating Technical Systems”Fraunhofer IFF, Magdeburg

June 27-28, 200710th IFF Science DaysInternational Conference “Logistics Intelligence inManufacturing and Transportation”Fraunhofer IFF, Magdeburg

June 28, 2007Seminar with Practical Training“Optical 3-D Metrology for QualityAssurance in Manufacturing”Jena

July 10, 2007Practical Workshop on ReliablePro cess Chains in the Creation ofValue AddedMunich

July 11-12, 2007Training Workshop“Improving Business Performancethrough Sustainability: CSR Con-cepts and Applications”Penang, Malaysia

July 12-13, 2007Seminar with Practical Training “Inspecting and Characteri zing Sur-faces with Image Processing”Braunschweig

September 18-21, 2007A+A 2007 Trade Fair for Safety,Security and Health at WorkDüsseldorf

September 18-22, 2007HUSUMwind Leading Wind EnergyTrade FairHusum

September 25-27, 2007INTERGEO Conference and TradeFair for Geodesy, Geoinfor mationand Land ManagementLeipzig

October 17-19, 200724th German Logistics CongressBerlin

October 25 - December 5, 2007Guet Lectur Series“Virtual Reality: Human and Machine in Interactive Dialog”Fraunhofer IFF, Magdeburg

November 7-08, 2007TA Cook Conference “RFID in Maintenance”Berlin

November 13-16, 2007ISMAR 2007 6th IEEE InternationalSymposium on Mixed andAugmented RealityNara, Japan

December 5, 2007SME Day “Virtual Engineering”Fraunhofer IFF, Magdeburg

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Life Cycle Management– Dynamic condition documen tation

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