Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO IAO-News May 2015
overview of topics Fraunhofer IAO The basis for all work undertaken at the Fraunhofer IAO is a deep conviction that business success in a globalized arena is contingent on an ability to profitably leverage new high-tech potentials. In order to optimally exploit these opportunities, companies must be capable of developing and implementing customer and employee-oriented technologies faster than their competitors. Work organization concepts must be simultaneously innovative and anthropocentric. A systematic design, in other words, is the outcome of pooled management and technical expertise. This holistic perspective when it comes to project processing ensures that equal consideration is given to commercial success, employees interests and social consequences. INDUSTRY 4.0: CHINA MOVES INTO THE FAST LANE Part of Fraunhofer IAO s China TechWatch research project involves analyzing developments in Chinese technology. The project s first white paper reveals that China is way out in front when it comes to patents for the basic technologies needed for industry 4.0. Purely in terms of the number of patents filed, China has now far outstripped the United States and Germany. INNOVATION IMPETUS FOR SOUTHEAST ASIA Fraunhofer IAO and SIRIM, a research institution in Malaysia, will work together to support small and medium-sized enterprises with their expertise in innovation and technology management in the future. In December 2014, Fraunhofer and SIRIM signed a declaration of intent for the cooperation. The first joint project with Fraunhofer IAO kicked off in March. SERVICES FOR INNOVATIVE URBAN SYSTEMS How can smart services help to create connected systems for the city of the future? The Smart Urban Services pilot project Databased service platform for tomorrow s urban value-added networks aims to identify the areas of most potential and develop a platform that profitably connects the various subsystems of a city. STUDY: R&D FIT FOR FUTURE Which trends and challenges will research and development (R&D) managers face in the years to come? Which approaches are successful in practice? In its current R&D Fit for future study, Fraunhofer IAO uses survey results, case studies and example proj ects to present a variety of ideas for how to design R&D to be future-ready. Through its close cooperation with the Institute for Human Factors and Technology Management IAT of the University of Stuttgart, Fraunhofer IAO unites basic university research with applied science and business practice. More than 14 200 m 2 of offices, laboratories and technical installations are available to carry out contracted research. Our customer-focused range of services is based on the following areas of business: Corporate Development and Work Design Service and Human Resources Management Engineering Systems Information and Communication Technology Technology and Innovation Management Mobility and Urban Systems Engineering www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en http://blog.iao.fraunhofer.de twitter.com/iaostuttgart
Photo: Bernd Müller, Fraunhofer IAO/traffic_analyzer istock Photo: Lothar Fischer, Fraunhofer IAO INDUSTRY 4.0: CHINA MOVES INTO THE FAST LANE INNOVATION IMPETUS FOR SOUTHEAST ASIA Cooperation between Fraunhofer IAO and SIRIM, the Malaysian research organization Fraunhofer IAO patent analysis shows China s lead in industry 4.0 In March of this year, the Chinese government announced a new strategic program Made in China 2025. This should grab the attention of local industry, since the national action plan is aimed specifically at promoting industry 4.0 technologies. China has been working hard on the technologies that underpin the fourth industrial revolution for years now. Since 2013, Chinese inventors have filed over 2500 patents in this field, putting China way ahead of the United States (1065 patents) and Germany (441). China TechWatch provides input for technology and sales strategy But by itself, the number of patents China has filed doesn t tell us all that much about the country s real innovative power. Experts estimate that only around 35 percent will actually meet the criteria for patentability. The challenge facing Western companies is to identify high-quality inventions without spending undue time and money. A detailed analysis of Chinese patents serves two purposes. First, it allows us to develop suitable competitive strategies and even workaround solutions should we need them. Second, patent documents contain important information about the future technology requirements of Chinese companies, which we should factor into our sales strategies, says Truong Le, a patent and innovation expert at Fraunhofer IAO. As part of its China TechWatch research project, the institute has developed new, partly automated methods of analyzing the quality of Chinese patents and the technology competence of Chinese players. Studies shed light on Chinese technology activities Fraunhofer IAO will use these methods to compile a four-part study entitled Industry 4.0 current developments in China, to be released over the next twelve months. The first part is devoted to patent analysis and shows in detail how China is not only ahead in terms of the number of patents, but has also developed highly innovative inventions. This is especially the case when it comes to energy-efficient wireless sensor networks and network structures areas in which Chinese research institutions are making remarkable progress. Part one of the study can be downloaded as a white paper free of charge. In parallel to this study, Fraunhofer IAO will be publishing a digital technology study entitled Chinese Industry 4.0 Patents in twice-yearly installments starting in June 2015. This study will evaluate some 1000 Chinese patents and examine the quality of the technology in the 50 most important Chinese patent publications for a six-month period, with the information translated and summarized in easy-to-follow profiles. The technology study can be ordered through the contacts listed below and costs 2000 euros. Installments will be dispatched on June 15 and December 15. Fraunhofer IAO, Truong Le, Dr. Thomas Fischer Phone +49 711 970-2108, -2037 truong.le@iao.fraunhofer.de thomas.fischer@iao.fraunhofer.de White paper: http://s.fhg.de/yyg Full study: http://s.fhg.de/8wb The kick-off in March 2015 signaled the official green light for the first collaborative project between Fraunhofer IAO and SIRIM, the Standards and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia. In the upcoming months, the two research organizations will work together to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) with innovation and technology management. For more than 40 years, SIRIM has helped companies in Malaysia with research, technology development and quality optimization, and it is an important certification institute with comprehensive industry expertise. One of SIRIM s most important activities is to boost productivity within SMEs. The cooperation with Fraunhofer IAO is expected to provide new momentum. First collaborative project scheduled to start soon Dr. Mohamad Jamil Bin Sulaiman, SIRIM s Vice President of the Research and Technology Innovation Division, was received in Stuttgart on March 19 together with his project team. They were greeted by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alexander Verl, Fraunhofer Executive Vice President Technology Marketing and Business Models, Monika Braun, responsible for the Southeast Asia region at Fraunhofer, Prof. Dr. Anette Weisbecker, Fraunhofer IAO s deputy director, and the Fraunhofer IAO project team. The project to foster Malaysian SMEs is the first important step in our cooperation with SIRIM, in that we can contribute our special expertise in the areas of innovation and technology management, says Prof. Dr. Anette Weisbecker. We re looking forward to working together over the next few months and the possibility to take part in further joint initiatives in applied research. In the coming weeks, the Fraunhofer IAO project team will start working on location with SIRIM and the Malaysian SMEs. In addition to a survey on the state of innovation management at the companies, there are also plans for technology audits and innovation workshops. Fraunhofer IAO will also advise SIRIM colleagues about the qualification of innovation centers based on the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft s successful model. Fraunhofer IAO, Liza Wohlfart Phone +49 711 970-5310 liza.wohlfart@iao.fraunhofer.de
Fraunhofer violetkaipa IAO/chaoss Fotolia.com XXX, - XXX storoch - Fotolia SERVICES FOR INNOVATIVE URBAN SYSTEMS Smart Urban Services pilot project gets under way in Chemnitz and Reutlingen STUDY: R&D FIT FOR FUTURE Study examines how companies design future-ready R&D systems The organic waste recycling depot in Reutlingen is full. A sensor captures this information and reports it immediately to a data platform. Ten minutes ago, the platform received a message from the new biogas plant reporting an urgent need for new supplies of biomass. Perfect timing a truckload of biomass will be shortly sent on its way. This isn t science fiction these kinds of smart urban services will soon make it possible to create networks linking previously unconnected urban infrastructures and subsystems, thus improving their cost-efficiency and consequently the quality of life for city dwellers. Smart services as the basis for the city of tomorrow It has become increasingly important for cities to organize their value-added systems as flexibly, effectively and efficiently as possible, because they have to compete on an international scale to attract new companies and qualified employees, ex plains Inka Woyke, head of the Service Management team at Fraunhofer IAO. She manages the Smart Urban Services pilot project Data-based service platform for tomorrow s urban value-added networks in which Fraunhofer IAO is collaborating with other research partners and selected urban authorities. Its aim is to study the ways in which new, intelligent online services could help to create connected city systems and establish a basis for an integrated approach to value-added urban networks. According to the project partners, this domain offers the greatest potential for future innovation and synergy effects in order to actively create a sustainable and worth-living city. The project partners intend to identify new approaches to value creation and service innovation in concepts for the city of tomorrow and test their viability in pilot projects. In the areas that show most promise, smart urban services will be developed and their benefits in terms of employment and social development will be investigated. In Reutlingen, one of the two selected German cities (the other is Chemnitz), the areas in question include utility supply and waste disposal networks and traffic management. Integrated platform connects urban subsystems To set up the smart services, a platform is being designed to link together the various subsystems and the urban authorities that operate them, which will be implemented as a prototype. This value-added network can also be used by local communities, companies and residents. The integrated platform consists of a physical sensor infrastructure, a data and a services platform. The system brings communication between the organic waste recycling depot and the biogas plant a big step closer to reality. Smart Urban Services is managed by a consortium led by Fraunhofer IAO that includes the Institute for Human Factors and Technology Management IAT at the University of Stuttgart, Input Consulting GmbH, and the cities of Chemnitz and Reutlingen. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and coordinated by the Project Management Agency of the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Fraunhofer IAO, Inka Woyke, Jens Neuhüttler Phone +49 711 970-5109, -5311 inka.woyke@iao.fraunhofer.de jens.neuhuettler@iao.fraunhofer.de Industrial research and development (R&D) changes quickly and constantly due to new technologies and market developments. Accommodating these ever growing and shifting requirements means being both well prepared for change and able to recognize the opportunities and risks inherent in strategic design options. New solution methodologies to meet industrial R&D s requirements Fraunhofer IAO s R&D Fit for Future study tackles current issues, presenting not only the latest findings about trends and success factors in research and development but also tried and tested company practices and methods. Customer orientation is becoming increasingly important More than 160 industrial R&D professionals from Germanspeaking regions participated in the trend survey mainly in the mechanical engineering, automotive and medical technology industries and evaluated the most important R&D trends. According to the respondents, at the moment more and more companies are increasingly orienting themselves towards their customers and customer needs. One major tendency showing a pronounced customer orientation and clear focus on customer benefit is to involve customers directly in development. Another is to develop employee skills in a targeted manner. Strategic orientation and effectiveness are once again a central issue for R&D management, as established in the 2009 survey. Experts also cited that designing R&D processes was one of the most important topics. Successful implementation and Fraunhofer IAO s R&D assessment In its third section, the publication features case studies of effective industrial R&D as well as Fraunhofer IAO s R&D assessment service to provide detailed insights into the practice and analysis of key R&D topics. It uses six separate cases to present different companies recipes for success. Fraunhofer IAO s R&D assessment service offers a holistic approach to improving industrial R&D, analyzing strengths and weaknesses within the five dimensions of R&D: strategy, organization, processes, methods and tools, and employees. Fraunhofer IAO, Erdem Gelec, Prof. Dr. Frank Wagner Phone +49 711 970-2055, -2029 erdem.gelec@iao.fraunhofer.de frank.wagner@iao.fraunhofer.de www.rdm.iao.fraunhofer.de /en.html Print version of the study (German) http://s.fhg.de/fue2015 E-Book version of the study (German) http://s.fhg.de/fue2015e
Published by Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO Public Relations Nobelstrasse 12, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany Phone +49 711 970-2124, Fax +49 711 970-2299 presse@iao.fraunhofer.de www.iao.fraunhofer.de/press Editorial staff Verena Krug, Juliane Segedi, Yeama Bangali, Katrin Bohnenberger, Natalie Bongartz, Jan Ehrhardt Layout and typesetting Sarah Henning Cover page Fraunhofer IAO/chaoss - Fotolia.com Sign up for our online newsletter Reprints free of charge. A voucher copy would be appreciated in case of publication. This bulletin is also available in German as IAO-News. https://informationen.iao. fraunhofer.de/anmeldung. php?lang=en&id=12