We are delighted to announce the commencement of our pilot operations in March 2024. This pivotal phase marks the beginning of execution activities, driven by the involved end users. A key prerequisite for this phase was reaching milestone 1 (MS1), which entailed a comprehensive definition of the MODAPTO scope. This included detailed descriptions of the three pilot programs, their associated user stories, and the completion of the initial set of business requirements, specifications, and KPIs.
The detailed descriptions of the three MODAPTO pilot projects are outlined as follows:
- Use Case 1, led by FFT: This pilot focuses on developing enhanced capabilities for robotics and production systems. It aims to improve interoperability and extend functionalities to include sustainability analytics and energy optimisation.
- Use Case 2, led by SEW-USOCOME: This pilot exploits the key concepts of modularity and re-configurability by developing flexible production lines. These lines are enhanced with the ability to simulate and optimise operations, incorporating production module self-awareness, predictive maintenance needs, and considerations of human factors.
- Use Case 3, led by CRF and ILTAR: This pilot addresses modularity through the use of modular, intelligent logistics containers provided by ILTAR and flexible, modular operations in final assembly processes in the automotive sector, implemented by CRF.
Overall, pilots activities will be conducted in two rounds of operations. In the first round, from March 2024 to February 2025, the three pilots will be operated at a sufficient level of maturity, allowing to demonstrate up to 2 on 3 of the technical and assessment KPIs. The second round, from March to December 2025, will allow to operate the pilots and assess their performance completely, reaching all technical and business related KPIs. The focus of the two iterations includes Use Case execution, training, evaluation, impact assessment and lessons learnt, and the reason for conducting the operations within two cycles of activities relies on different reasons: first, this will permit to achieve a good level of functionalities and demonstrability, at the end of the first cycle, with the focus more oriented towards the technological and technical achievements, allowing to gather the lessons learnt, and to actually implement them, during the second cycle, whose overall focus will be more oriented to stress the business oriented KPIs.
Furthermore, within MODAPTO, existing technologies, platforms, and tools will be used and integrated to create the proposed innovative results and reach at least the Technological Readiness Level (TRL) of 6, which is corresponding to the demonstration of the developed assets in relevant industrial environments. Given that many of these innovative components are completely new, the sufficient degree of testing and validation can not be completed in a single iteration.
Finally, the availability of a functional set of prototypes well before the end of the project, will permit to promote and exploit these assets, based on achieved and valuable actual results, among the stakeholders and interested actors, by means of the dedicated MODAPTO dissemination and exploitation channels.