On May 23rd-24th, Timoleon Farmakis, researcher at our project partners at ELTRUN, The E-Business Research Center of the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB), participated in the International Digital Transformation Society Conference (DTS 2024) in Naples, Italy, and presented a paper titled “Identifying the Value Proposition of Modular Manufacturing Information Systems for Digital Transformation.” This conference provided an exceptional platform to connect industry insights with academic research, bringing together 140 international participants, 110 papers, and representatives from 18 countries.
ELTRUN’s research focuses on the transformative potential of modular manufacturing information systems, providing insights into how these systems can drive efficiency and agility and support industries’ digital transformation efforts. This research is grounded on a focus group implemented in the context of the MODAPTO project involving the technology partners and the managers on behalf of the pilots. ELTRUN evaluated the qualitative data to further examine the pilots’ jobs, pains, and gains, as well as the products and services (to be developed) that serve as pain relievers and gain creators. The objective was to identify the various value proposition trajectories introduced by such a system in connection with the observed product-market fit, while simultaneously mapping the potential digital transformation outcomes.
Digital Transformation and Shop Floor Integration
The insights gathered reveal that a reconfigurable manufacturing system, enabled by digital transformation, can unlock numerous value propositions and facilitate process, customer, and business model transformation. Nevertheless, based on the findings, certain technologies are indispensable in realizing the full potential. These technologies include:
- Digital Twins: Digital Twins provide real-time, virtual representations of physical processes and allow for continuous monitoring and analysis of production systems. As a result, it enables instant troubleshooting and informed decision-making to ensure optimal performance.
- Simulation: Simulation technology allows testing, analyzing, and optimizing production processes in a virtual environment to identify potential issues without disrupting operations.
- Optimization: Optimization ensures production systems operate at peak performance by identifying the most efficient ways to utilize resources and streamline processes.
- Predictive Maintenance: Predictive maintenance, with its proactive approach, anticipates equipment failures before they occur, allowing for scheduled maintenance, minimizing downtime and ensuring continuous operation.
- Production Design and Reconfiguration: Finally, by facilitating quick adjustments to production lines and processes, manufacturers can remain agile and responsive to market shifts, empowering them to adapt swiftly.
This research is related to the business and exploitation task of the MODAPTO project and involves the four real-life industrial cases of MODAPTO pilots.
The co-authors are presented below:
- Stavros Lounis (Eltrun, AUEB, Greece)
- Efstathios Plitsos (University of Piraeus, Greece)
- Giulio Vivo (CRF S.C.p.A., Italy)
- Julien Mascolo (ILTAR ITALBOX, Italy)
- Olivier Jotz (SEW USOCOME SAS, France)
- Tobias Hohmann (FFT Produktionssysteme GmbH & Co. KG, Germany)
For more detailed information on this research and to access the full paper upon publishing, please contact Timoleon Farmakis at timoleonfarmakis@aueb.gr or Stavros Lounis at slounis@aueb.gr.