ZVEI – Manufacturing-X: VDMA and ZVEI present “Construction study: data room Manufacturing-X”.

August 2, 2023

A study by the Fraunhofer Institutes ISST, IOSB and IPA commissioned by VDMA and ZVEI shows for the first time how a data room for the data ecosystem Manufacturing-X could be designed, which is considered the next big step for the implementation of Industry 4.0.

The study primarily takes into account the specific requirements of medium-sized manufacturing companies and their expectations of a secure and valuable digital data economy.

“The construction plan study provides an important impetus for the future data room Manufacturing-X and is a milestone for its conception and development,” says Hartmut Rauen, Deputy General Manager of the VDMA companies can pull out of the data space to make optimal use of production data and thereby increase efficiency.”

Focus on flexibility and data security

In order to be able to create an innovative and secure data room from the outset, the study chose a comprehensive approach that, in addition to the digital architecture, also takes into account the basic services and organizational aspects. Great importance is attached to the flexibility and scaling of the data room. The aim is also to design Manufacturing-X in such a way that the specific requirements of the participating companies can be immediately incorporated and dynamically further developed.

“Small and medium-sized companies in particular will be able to exchange their data more easily in the future and also be able to share it equally with third parties. The sovereignty and security of the data are preserved. With Manufacturing-X, we build on existing standards, be it the Asset Administration Shell, the OPC UA standards in the umati environment or the use of so-called EDC connectors. Ultimately, it’s about maximum interoperability for the integration of as many players as possible,” emphasizes Gunther Koschnick, ZVEI Division Manager Industry. “The construction plan study shows how this interaction can take place.”

Boris Otto, Executive Director at the Fraunhofer Institute for Software and System Technology ISST, is convinced of the benefits of data ecosystems and the rapid spread:

“Data rooms allow the shared use of data while maintaining confidentiality and data sovereignty of the participants and without lock-in effects of traditional platform architectures. The resulting data ecosystems create benefits for a large number of different participants – which is very much in line with the structure of mechanical engineering and the electronics industry. Manufacturing-X is a unique opportunity for the industry to increase its resilience, competitiveness and sustainability. With Catena-X and the IDS and Gaia-X work, many foundations have also been laid that allow for rapid implementation.”

Deepening together with corporate partners

In the next step, the blueprint study for Manufacturing-X will be refined in close cooperation with partners from the manufacturing industry. The feedback and lessons learned from these deep dives will be used to further refine the final implementation of Manufacturing-X to ensure it meets the specific needs of the industry.

About Manufacturing-X:
Industry 4.0 requires easily available, secure and consistent data networking. Manufacturing-X should make this possible. The aim is to establish a federative data ecosystem that enables trustworthy data exchange between companies based on open standards and offers companies digital sovereignty. The federal government is promoting Manufacturing-X with a current call for tenders from the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection and is continuing on the successful path to Industry 4.0.
Manufacturing-X aims to make the added value of digital technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning even more usable in order to develop new business models and increase the competitiveness of the industry.

With the establishment of Manufacturing-X, an alternative to central platform solutions is to be created. This should help companies of all sizes to develop their digital value-added services.

SourceZVEI – Germany’s Electrical Industry

EMR Analysis

More information on ZVEI: See the full profile on EMR Executive Services

More information on Wolfgang Weber (Chairman of the Executive Board, ZVEI): See the full profile on EMR Executive Services

More information on Dr. Gunther Kegel (President, ZVEI): See the full profile on EMR Executive Services

More information on Gunther Koschnick (Managing Director, Automation Division, ZVEI): See the full profile on EMR Executive

More information on Dr. Andreas Gontermann (Chief Economist, ZVEI): See the full profile on EMR Executive Services

More information on the Manufacturing-X Initiative: https://www.plattform-i40.de/IP/Redaktion/EN/Downloads/Publikation/Manufacturing-X_long.html + Manufacturing-X is intended as a cross-sectoral industrial policy initiative aimed at developing and establishing a decentrally organised data economy for German and European industry.

Key points for the implementation of Manufacturing-X in the goods-producing sector to secure Germany’s position as a competitive location for industry. Download the Whitepaper.

Industry 4.0 requires easily available, secure and consistent data networking. Manufacturing-X should make this possible. The aim is to establish a federative data ecosystem that enables trustworthy data exchange between companies based on open standards and offers companies digital sovereignty. The federal government is promoting Manufacturing-X with a current call for tenders from the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection and is continuing on the successful path to Industry 4.0.
Manufacturing-X aims to make the added value of digital technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning even more usable in order to develop new business models and increase the competitiveness of the industry.

With the establishment of Manufacturing-X, an alternative to central platform solutions is to be created. This should help companies of all sizes to develop their digital value-added services.

More information on VDMA: https://www.vdma.org/en/ + With 3,600 members, the VDMA is the largest network organization and an important voice for the machinery and equipment manufacturing industry in Germany and Europe. The association represents the common economic, technical and scientific interests of this unique and diverse industry.

With our broad-based organizational structure and the know-how of more than 500 employees worldwide, we support you in making the right decisions in your company.

The VDMA is an important voice for the mechanical and plant engineering industry, it is a pioneer for its members and the largest networking platform for the industry in Europe. In order to successfully fulfill all these tasks and offer its members real added value, the association is divided into a wide variety of organizational units.

The VDMA bundles the know-how and competence of its entire organization in eleven topic areas and offers you support for your entrepreneurial decisions – from daily business to the political representation of interests to the recruitment of young talent.

More information on Karl Haeusgen (President, VDMA): https://www.vdma.org/viewer/-/v2article/render/304544

More information on Thilo Brodtmann (Executive Director, VDMA): https://www.vdma.org/imprint

More information on Hartmut Rauen (Deputy General Manager, VDMA): https://www.linkedin.com/in/hartmutrauen/

More information on the Fraunhofer Institutes and Research Units: https://www.fraunhofer.de/en/institutes.html + The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, based in Germany, is the world’s leading applied research organization. Prioritizing key future-relevant technologies and commercializing its findings in business and industry, it plays a major role in the innovation process. A trailblazer and trendsetter in innovative developments and research excellence, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft supports science and industry with inspiring ideas and sustainable scientific and technological solutions and is helping shape our society and our future.

More information on Prof. Holger Hanselka (President, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft): https://www.fraunhofer.de/de/presse/presseinformationen/2023/mai-2023/prof-dr-ing-holger-hanselka-neuer-praesident-der-fraunhofer-gesellschaft.html + https://www.fraunhofer.de/de/ueber-fraunhofer/profil-struktur/vorstand.html + https://www.linkedin.com/in/holger-hanselka-327872152/

More information on Fraunhofer ISST: https://www.isst.fraunhofer.de/en.html + Our expertise in three business units

Digital innovations emerge from concrete challenges that have to be overcome. Our customers include large-scale enterprises along with small and midsize businesses in many different industries. Fraunhofer ISST also works with universities and other research institutes, domestically and abroad.

We want to develop Germany as a business location for the common good in cooperation with industry representatives, SMEs, and industry associations.

Data Business: Data marketplaces connect participants through digital platforms
Healthcare: Data as a valuable resource in the treatment process
Logistics: Digital real-time representation as a competitive advantage in distributed production

More information on Prof. Dr.-Ing. Boris Otto (Executive Director, Fraunhofer ISST): https://www.isst.fraunhofer.de/de/institut/institutsleitung.html + https://www.linkedin.com/in/boris-otto-5701b51/

More information on Fraunhofer IOSB: https://www.iosb.fraunhofer.de/en.html + Developing innovative vision systems including the necessary laser light sources. Making best possible use of sensors and interconnecting them. Processing and evaluating the resulting data streams. Using this data to efficiently support humans in making sound decisions, improving processes and controlling autonomous systems in an intelligent way: This complete process and value chain is our domain. It combines the core competences reflected in our name – optronics, system technologies and image exploitation – to provide optimum benefits for a wide range of applications.

More information on Fraunhofer IPA: https://www.ipa.fraunhofer.de/en.html + Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA.

More information on the Asset Administration Shell (AAS): https://www.plattform-i40.de/IP/Redaktion/EN/Downloads/Publikation/Details_of_the_Asset_Administration_Shell_Part1_V3.html +

The Asset Administration Shell (AAS) is the digital representation of an asset. The AAS consists of a number of submodels in which all the information and functionalities of a given asset – including its features, characteristics, properties, statuses, parameters, measurement data and capabilities – can be described. It allows for the use of different communication channels and applications and serves as the link between objects and the connected, digital and distributed world.

The structure of the AAS is defined via a technology independent metamodel and several technology specific serialization mappings such as XML, JSON or OPC UA. Its contents are defined via domain-specific submodel templates.

The interaction with the AAS can follow different patterns which have different technical requirements, i.e. file exchange, server-client and peer-to-peer interaction.

More information on Catena-X: https://catena-x.net/en/ + Catena-X: The first open and collaborative data ecosystem.

Catena-X sees itself as a rapidly scalable ecosystem in which all participants in the automotive value chain participate equally. The goal: to provide an environment for the creation, operation and collaborative use of end-to-end data chains along the entire automotive value chain.
Our members are made up of providers and users in the automotive value chain and cover a wide range of company sizes. Our special focus is on the integration of small and medium-sized enterprises.

More information on Oliver Ganser (Chairman of the Board of Catena-X Automotive Network e.V. + Head of Catena-X Consortium + Head of Programme Data Driven Value Chain BMW AG, Catena-X): https://catena-x.net/en/about-us + https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliver-ganser-5842067a/

More information on Gaia-X: https://gaia-x.eu/ + A Federated and Secure Data Infrastructure

Gaia-X strives for innovation through digital sovereignty.

Our goal is to establish an ecosystem, whereby data is shared and made available in a trustworthy environment.

Our intention is that we give the control back to the users by retaining sovereignty over their data.

Our outcome will not be a cloud. It is a federated system linking many cloud service providers and users together in a transparent environment that will drive the European data economy of tomorrow.

Gaia-X is an initiative that develops, based on European values, a digital governance that can be applied to any existing cloud/ edge technology stack to obtain transparency, controllability, portability and interoperability across data and services.

Gaia-X is not a market operator, nor will it operate directly or exclusively any of the services required by the governance.

More information on Francesco Bonfiglio (CEO, Gaia-X Association): https://gaia-x.eu/who-we-are/at-a-glance/ + https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesco-bonfiglio-a068562/

More information on IDS (International Data Spaces): https://internationaldataspaces.org/ + The future of the data economy is here. The International Data Spaces Association (IDSA) is on a mission to create the future of the global, digital economy with International Data Spaces (IDS), a secure, sovereign system of data sharing in which all participants can realize the full value of their data.

IDS enables new ”smart services” and innovative business processes to work across companies and industries while ensuring that the self-determined control of data use (data sovereignty) remains in the hands of data providers.

We are more than 140 organizations – innovators across industries – who share a vision of a world where data providers enjoy true data sovereignty and realize the full value of their data in secure, trusted, equal partnerships. We are working together to make this vision a reality.

More information on Dr. Reinhold Achatz (Chair, IDS (International Data Spaces)): https://internationaldataspaces.org/we/board/ + https://www.linkedin.com/in/reinhold-e-achatz-414a7235/

More information on Fraunhofer ISST: https://www.isst.fraunhofer.de/en.html + Our expertise in three business units

We want to develop Germany as a business location for the common good in cooperation with industry representatives, SMEs, and industry associations.

Data Business: Data marketplaces connect participants through digital platforms
Healthcare: Data as a valuable resource in the treatment process
Logistics: Digital real-time representation as a competitive advantage in distributed production

More information on Fraunhofer IPA: https://www.ipa.fraunhofer.de/en.html + Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA.

EMR Additional Notes:

Industry 4.0:
- Industry 4.0 has been defined as “a name for the current trend of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies, including cyber-physical systems, the Internet of things, cloud computing and cognitive computing and creating the smart factory”
- Industry 4.0 aims at transforming the manufacturing and engineering sectors by introducing factories where cyber-processing systems communicate over the Internet of Things, assisting people and machinery to execute their tasks within the shortest time possible.
- Industry 4.0 technology helps you manage and optimize all aspects of your manufacturing processes and supply chain. It gives you access to the real-time data and insights you need to make smarter, faster decisions about your business, which can ultimately boost the efficiency and profitability of your entire operation.
- The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is a term coined in 2016 by Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF).
- 4 Industrial Revolutions:
  - First Industrial Revolution: Coal in 1765.
  - Second Industrial Revolution: Gas in 1870.
  - Third Industrial Revolution: Electronics and Nuclear in 1969.
  - Fourth Industrial Revolution: Internet and Renewable Energy in 2000.
- The Fifth Industrial Revolution, or 5IR, encompasses the notion of harmonious human–machine collaborations, with a specific focus on the well-being of the multiple stakeholders (i.e., society, companies, employees, customers)

OPC UA:
- OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA) is a machine-to-machine communication protocol used for industrial automation and developed by the OPC Foundation