The project that intended to implement Industry 4.0 technologies in European SMEs has come to an end
The closing meeting of the BEinCPPS project – Business Experiments in Cyber-Physical Production Systems was held in Brussels on 12 December. It aimed at promoting the implementation of cyber-physical production systems in Small and Medium-Sized enterprises (SME).
The Portuguese team of the BEinCPPS project, which was developed by INESC TEC’S Centre for Enterprise Systems Engineering (CESE), presented two main results: 1) a solution for the footwear industry, composed by software and hardware elements involving the acquisition and further in real-time processing of data through sewing threads for shoes in order to detect physical failures in the corresponding logistic systems and their real-time monitoring; 2) the creation of the iMan Norte Hub, a digital innovation network for the industry in Northern Portugal. Similarly, cyber-physical production systems were developed in the regions of Lombardy (IT), Rhone-Alpes (FR), Baden-Wurttemberg (GE) and Basque Country (SP).
The BEinCPPS project was funded through the European Union Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020. The INESC TEC team that was involved in this project included César Toscano, Rui Dias, Ana Barros, Rui Rebelo and Roberto Vita.
CPPS Systems – Cyber-Physical Production Systems
The BEinCPPS project aimed to adopt cyber-physical production systems based on the Future Internet across all Europe, through the creation and promotion of regional innovation ecosystems composed by competence centres, production companies and SME in the information technologies area.
It is expected that the cyber-physical production systems, by using the most recent developments in computer science, information and communication technologies on the one hand, and technologies and research in the production area on the other, will consolidate the direction of Europe in the so-called 4th Industrial Revolution.
In addition to CESE, Kyaia and the Footwear Technology Centre of Portugal represented Portugal, integrated in more than two dozens of partners from Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Serbia, Switzerland and Austria, coordinated by the Polytechnic University of Milan.
iMan Norte Hub – digital innovation network for the industry
Another result of BeinCPPS was the creation of the iMan Norte Hub, a digital innovation network for the industry in Northern Portugal, aiming to foster the digital transformation of manufacturing companies and to nurture their respective innovation ecosystem of the region.
By promoting the digital transformation of manufacturing companies of the northern region of Portugal, namely through the adoption and dissemination of advanced production technologies, the iMan Norte Hub intends to develop key areas, namely digitalisation and robotics, and combining the existence of scientific and technological skills and infrastructures in order to strengthen the existing businesses and encouraging the creation of new ones.
Besides INESC TEC, the entities responsible for the creation of this network are: PRODUTECH (Production Technologies Cluster), UPTEC (Science and Technology Park of University of Porto), CATIM (Portuguese Technological Center for the Metal Working Industry), CITEVE (Portuguese Technological Center for the Textile & Clothing Industry), CTCP (Portuguese Technological Footwear Centre) and CTCOR (Cork Technology Centre). The general coordination is led by PRODUTECH. During the BEinCPPS project, the iMan Norte Hub was recognised with the fully operational status in the catalogue of Digital Innovation Hubs of the European Commission.
The researchers mentioned in this news piece are associated with INESC TEC.
