What problem does Drive 4.0 solve?

Schmidt: Digitalisation and networked value creation enable, among other things, resilient supply chains, better availability of raw materials and a sustainable economy in a globalised world. However, this potential has so far only been partially utilised due to the complex networking of different players and objects and the often proprietary nature of existing solutions. This leads to isolated data silos that hinder comprehensive transparency and the utilisation of data for analytics applications and value-added services.

Schuster: The joint project "Reallabor Antrieb 4.0" aims to develop manufacturer-neutral solutions in close cooperation with drive manufacturers that can serve as the basis for data-driven services. Our aim is to establish standardised networking within the drive systems in order to improve data availability, transparency and interoperability - as a basis for the development of new services and service-oriented business models.

How did the idea for the project come about and what were the first steps?

Schuster: The idea came about after a preliminary project in which the white paper "Drive 2030" was developed in 2019. It formulated twelve theses that describe changes in business models, value creation and value creation systems in the context of the drive system by 2030. The "Drive 4.0 real-world laboratory" project aims to get one step closer to these goals by developing innovative collaborative solutions.

Schmidt: In line with our open-ended approach, we started by identifying potential use cases that offer both economic and ecological added value. The next step was a pre-selection of 36 use cases by our partners, focussing on scientific innovation and the research interests and resources of our partners. In the final phase, drive manufacturers, machine and plant manufacturers and plant operators used an online survey to evaluate the ten prioritised use cases from the pre-selection. The assessments of the drive manufacturers were often surprisingly close to the assessments of their potential customers.

So it has now been decided which of the original 36 use cases will be realised?

Schuster: The specific use cases have now been defined: "Digitalised asset management" and "Holistic, energy-efficient design of drive solutions". Digitalised asset management enables the central provision of all relevant information about an asset throughout its entire life cycle in a standardised format. This enables plant manufacturers and operators to maintain an overview of the increasingly complex plant structure. The second use case deals with the energy-efficient design of drive systems by plant manufacturers. This is done by combining drive components from different manufacturers in order to fulfil a load and movement profile specified by the operator as energy-efficiently as possible.
 

What happens after the selection of use cases in the project?

Schmidt: Now the technical specifications for the various system components are to be derived. At the lowest level, this includes the technical framework conditions for manufacturer-independent communication of drive systems. The data collected at field level is to be provided in a standardised form in a data room and exchanged bilaterally between different stakeholders.

Schuster: At the same time, we are endeavouring to implement the use cases as prototypes in a real-life laboratory demonstrator. The focus here is on demonstrating horizontal and vertical networking as well as a modular hardware concept that can be operated cooperatively at different locations. This enables us to bring the developed use cases to life in the real world and to present the advantages of the developed solutions for the entire value creation network in a pre-competitive environment. By generalising the IT infrastructure, tools, data analytics and AI methods, these models can be used independently of manufacturers and transferred between different drive systems.

Where is the drive system data stored?

Schmidt: As part of the project, we are endeavouring to develop a data space that complies with the Gaia-X principles. Gaia-X is a European initiative for a secure and trustworthy data infrastructure that can be used for a wide range of applications. This data space should include both static and dynamic data, taking into account the principles of data sovereignty in accordance with the Gaia-X principles.

Who will benefit most from Drive 4.0?

Schuster: There are opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular. The implementation of energy-efficient drive solutions and digital asset management systems can help to reduce operating costs, increase productivity and optimise maintenance processes. Because these solutions are manufacturer-independent and standardised, SMEs can also familiarise themselves with the systems more quickly. This lowers the barriers to entry and helps SMEs to benefit from the advantages of Industry 4.0 and Drive 4.0. This helps to ensure that smaller companies can also take advantage of the opportunities offered by advancing digitalisation in the industrial environment.​​​​​​​