In the project Digital Stambanan, we are developing demonstrators of this kind to test functionality and share knowledge and experiences from the project with other companies and organizations.

The project is divided into different work packages. In the first work package (WP1), we are working with a value chain in the steel industry where steel from SSAB, together with C-parts (such as screws and nuts) from Bufab, is delivered to Nitator. Nitator processes, welds, paints, and assembles products for the automotive industry. The focus of WP1 is on logistics flows, the ability to meet customer deadlines, and the traceability of products and materials in the value chain. Various demonstrators are being created in the project to demonstrate the functionality of the developed techni. Together in WP1, four focus areas for data sharing in the value chain have been selected:

  • Product data
  • Delivery assurance
  • Understanding customer requirements
  • Visualization of climate impact

Of these areas, two different demonstrators have begun development. One aims to demonstrate the possibilities of digital platforms for increased sustainability and the other for delivery assurance. Two of the technology providers in the project are providing solutions for developing these demonstrators. The sustainability demonstrator is built on ChainTraced’s digital product passport platform, which provides traceability throughout a value chain. Rockwell Automation’s visualization platform FTOptix, an interface-based traceability solution, is used for the delivery assurance demonstrator.

As a part of a value chain, you are often dependent on someone else to plan and carry out your part of value creation. Being able to know as much as possible about when things are expected to be delivered creates conditions for planning and optimizing your own work. In the project Digitala Stambanan, a first version of a demonstrator is now being created to visualize and forecast when different deliveries will occur in a value chain, something we call delivery assurance.

The ‘delivery assurance’ demonstrator has been planned to be carried out in three stages. In the first stage, data will be extracted from ChainTraced onto FTOptix platform (Figure 1) to provide easy-to-understand data visualization that will provide insights and a proactive way of working for operators. FT Optix and APIs will be used in the form of Sankey Graphs (for sustainability-related efforts) or dashboards (to visualize production data). In stage 2, a wider perspective of the value chain will be considered where we will combine the insights from stage 1 to a DataOps platform for shared views. IT/OT and engineering functions will have simplified access to complex and large amounts of industrial data that is generated and managed across production systems. This makes data available, meaningful, and useful, enabling manufacturing organizations to get value more effectively and efficiently. Stage 3 will include MES and QMS functionalities. Stages 2 and 3 have not yet been planned in detail and requires further discussions around scope after stage 1 of the demo development is completed.

Opportunities of using of digital platforms for delivery assurance

There are several advantages to visualizing and sharing delivery data in a value chain:

  • It enables collaboration for each stakeholder in the value chain, anywhere within and outside the company and in the value chain. The platform keeps track of tasks performed and increases traceability and process efficiency.
  • Through various operator interfaces, data is collected in one place, creating a data source for machine learning and AI used to create the delivery forecast.
  • The platform helps create transparency in the value chain as the product’s journey is visualized.
  • Operators in the value chain can update the product status if something unexpected happens in the manufacturing process.

Figure 1 FTOptix HMI Visualization Platform (Source: Rockwell).

Challenges 

The main challenges in developing this demonstrator have been understanding what stakeholders in the value chain want to visualize in their perspectives and how the extracted data from the value chain can be stored in the cloud. The data from various parties in the value chain will be saved in the cloud (Microsoft Azure) along with an installation for IoT connections. The data from the various parties of the value chain will be saved in the cloud (Microsoft Azure) together with an installation for IoT connections.

Arpita Chari – WP-leader, Chalmers University.

Our quest to improve supply security through digitalization has led us through challenging but enriching innovative discussions. Working with this platform has strengthened our technical capabilities and ability to accurately and efficiently anticipate and fulfill customer needs. In addition, the platform will visualize the CO2 data that ChainTraced collected for the first demonstrator.

Read more about WP1 here.

Digitala Stambanan strengthens the Swedish industry through digitalization of value chains. The project is a collaborative project financed by Vinnova and participating companies. The work is now underway in two tracks through the strategic innovation programs PiiA (Processindustriell IT & Automation), which drives the Digitala Stambanan IndTech project, and Produktion2030, which runs the Digitala Stambanan Produktion project.