Manufacturing despite Corona

In der Pandemic, numerous factors lead to companies not being able to offer their regular portfolio, or to only do so to a limited extent. At the same time, there is an increasing demand for products that a company may not have manufactured previously – which could be an interesting addition to the company’s product range if manufacturing processes are adapted slightly.

This is where Fraunhofer IPK’s initiative "Manufacturing despite Corona" comes in. The Berlin institute supports the manufacturing industry in quickly and efficiently adapting to the changed framework conditions. "With our many years of expertise in production technology and process organization, we are exactly the right partners for this", says director Prof. Eckart Uhlmann. "Our expertise, for example in the areas of knowledge management, making processes more flexible and quick introduction of new manufacturing options, can help companies and prevent bankruptcy."

In this context, the institute is setting up a series of project initiatives to address some of the challenges companies are currently facing. In the coming weeks, they will successively be presented on the institute‘s website. Interested companies are invited to contact the institute.

First up is the "interactive situational awareness cockpit for manufacturing companies". The situational awareness principle has long been providing orientation for emergency services: External environmental information is linked with internal capabilities. On this base, alternative courses of action can be developed and implemented quickly in a targeted manner. Applied to the enterprise context, one example could be to assess whether new distribution channels contribute to medium-term liquidity while national borders are closed. It also becomes possible to quickly find solutions if a large number of suppliers and customers suddenly become unavailable or regulations are changed on short notice, for example for hygiene reasons. The technology creates an easy-to-understand picture of the current business situation for all parties involved, centered around the decision-maker.

COMPAMED-tradefair.com; Source: Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology IPK