The PRO-OPT project consortium consists of two research institutions (DFKI, Fraunhofer IESE), two SMEs (camLine, DSA), and one large automotive manufacturer (Audi), and thus represents the entire range needed to cover the complete supply chain in automotive production on the one hand, and the respective knowledge and experience needed for successfully conducting the project on the other hand.
AUDI AG stands for sporty, progressive, and high-quality vehicles with innovative technology. As a manufacturer of automobiles in the premium segment, the company focuses on the development of future-oriented technology. This increasingly includes electronics and mechatronics. Production processes are changing as a result of the use of state-of-the-art technologies. In addition, investments in research and technology are what promotes young talent and safeguards jobs at our sites in Germany. In recent years, Audi has increasingly engaged in research projects.
The German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI GmbH), which was founded in 1988, is the leading German research institute in the field of innovative commercial software technologies. The research department Smart Data & Knowledge Services (Prof. Dengel) develops technologies for processing information flows in the context of application processes, for semantic modeling of the relevant knowledge contents, and for the analysis and real-time processing of multimedia information in highly interconnected scenarios. The research department Innovative Factory Systems (IFS, Prof. Zühlke) studies the semantic modeling of data and their evaluation in production technology. The focus is on interoperability, flexibility, and efficiency of heterogeneous, data-based systems in factories. The demonstration platform for these topics is the SmartFactoryKL operated by IFS, which embodies the vision of ambient intelligence factory environments.
For more than 30 years, DSA has been providing and developing systems and IT solutions for optimizing business processes, improving product quality, providing proof of compliance with quality standards, and integrating information and data flows. DSA has evolved into one of the leading manufacturers of hardware and software systems for the testing and diagnosis of electric and electronic vehicle components in automotive manufacturing and in repair shops. DAS currently has more than 300 employees working in more than 30 countries.
Das Fraunhofer IESE in Kaiserslautern is one of the leading research institutions in the area of software and systems engineering, and has been collaborating with its partners for more than 20 years to develop pioneering key technologies. Fraunhofer IESE is driving the evolution towards Smart Ecosystems by working on scalable systems engineering methods for software and system development processes, system and software architectures, and systematic elicitation, specification, and evaluation of requirements. Quality assurance is an integral part of these research activities. To achieve it, the institute develops and implements model-based methods for ensuring functional safety, data and system security, and user experience. The application areas range from automotive and transportation systems via automation and plant engineering, energy management, information systems, and health care to software systems for the public sector. In the context of PRO-OPT, the research group Computer Graphics and HCI has been subcontracted by Fraunhofer IESE to do visualization and implementation in a demonstrator.
The research group Computer Graphics and HCI in the Department of Computer Science of the University of Kaiserslautern (Computer Graphics & HCI Group) performs basic and application-oriented research in the areas of computer graphics, scientific and information visualization, as well as Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). The focus of their research in the area of information visualization is on the context-sensitive, graphical representation of abstract data to enable intuitive comprehension of the structural interrelationships and relevant properties of data. In addition, the research group has far-reaching experience in the study and implementation of user interface scalability on a large variety of different platforms.
camLine GmbH located in Petershausen near Munich was founded in 1989 and is an independent software provider in the area of production and development for different industries, such as the semiconductor, electronics, and photovoltaics industry. Their work focuses on increasing the productivity of production and technology development through comprehensive IT services, including automation, factory and system integration, improvement of the information flows in production and between development and production, as well as improved data collection and analysis. camLine’s core competencies include the creation of customized software solutions based on a broad product portfolio, extensive links between production facilities and supply chain partners, as well as consulting, training, and support for customers.
