The Research Institute for Operations Management at Aachen University of Technology (RWTH), is a non profit membership research organization. The institute currently has 145 industrial members representing a wide array of industries (from raw materials over production to service industries). The institute is a centre of excellence in the fields of rationalization and operations management and focuses on user-oriented research. Currently employing 40 PhD students it operates in national and international networks and cooperates with different associations and institutes. FIR develops models, methods and concepts which are implemented in cooperation with project partners in both industrial and service enterprises. The FIR is specialized in production management, supply chain design, green logistics, service management and information management.

Further information: www.fir.rwth-aachen.de

FUJITSU TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS GmbH

FUJITSU TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS GmbH is the leading European IT Infrastructure Provider with about 10500 employees and about 6.6 billion Euros revenue. The offering of FTS extends from notebooks through desktops to enterprise-class IT infrastructure solutions and services offerings. FTS has a presence in all key markets across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with infrastructure services extending coverage approximately 170 countries worldwide. The company is a pioneer in providing environmentally conscious technology and processes, throughout the lifecycle of each product, and is a member of the Climate Savers Computing Initiative and Green Grid organizations.

Further information: www.ts.fujitsu.com

IDEKO S. COOP.

IDEKO S. COOP. is an industry driven Spanish Technological Centre, specialised in machine tools and manufacturing technologies. It is part of the DANOBAT Group, the main Spanish machine tool group, and Mondragon Corporación industrial group. Founded in 1986, with over 90 highly qualified engineers with proven experience in the sector, IDEKO has the skills to understand, assimilate and develop new technological solutions, with a clear orientation towards the development of new products and the improvement of production processes.

Further information: www.ideko.es

Otto Junker GmbH

Established in 1924, OTTO JUNKER GmbH is the parent company of the global OTTO JUNKER Group. With a staff of more than 900 employees working in 14 companies in Germany, the U.K., North America, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Czechia, China and the United Arab Emirates, the group is globally represented by service agencies, manufacturing co-operations and sales offices in more than 30 countries. The product range embraces equipment for aluminium and copper/brass foundries and semi-finished products as well as equipment for iron and steel foundries. Beyond that, the in-house special-steel foundry in Lammersdorf produces finish-machined castings ready for installation.

Further information: www.otto-junker.de

POLITECNICO DI MILANO

POLITECNICO DI MILANO is the most important technical university in Italy and one of the biggest in Europe. Since 1850. POLIMI di Milano has been active in several scientific and technical fields. The Department of Economics, Management and Industrial Engineering (DIG) will be involved in this  project with its specific competences in the fields of Manufacturing Strategy, Digital Business, Product and Service Development, Manufacturing Systems Design, Production Management, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, in which the Department can be considered the leader among the Italian Universities and Research Centres. DIG staff is composed by 48 professors and 99 researchers (also considering PhD students). The Department has been involved in several European and international research projects such as PLANTFABER, MAIN-E, IMS-GEM, CE-NET, PROMISE, PRIME, InCoCo-S and Socrades. Furthermore it has been the coordinator of the IMS NoE.

Further information: www.polimi.it

SAP AG

SAP AG has grown to become the world’s leading provider of e-business software solutions. Today, more than 75,000 customers in more than 120 countries run SAP applications – from distinct solutions addressing the needs of small businesses and midsize companies to suite offerings for global organizations. SAP employs over 51,400 people in more than 50 countries.

SAP Research is the technology research department of SAP and as an integral part of SAP’s R&D activities, SAP Research is responsible for identifying, researching, developing and evaluating new and emerging technologies, processes and e-business solutions that strategically influence the future of SAP business applications. SAP Research is a Global Business Unit under the direction of SAP AG, operating Research Centres in various countries.

In the context of this document, SAP refers to SAP AG and its SAP Research business unit.

Further information: www.sap.com

UCIMU-SISTEMI PER PRODURRE

The objective of UCIMU-SISTEMI PER PRODURRE (the Association of Italian Manufacturers of Machine Tools, Robots, Automation Systems and Ancillary Products) has always been to protect the interests of the industry and to promote the growth and spread of an entrepreneurial culture through the supply of services that are constantly updated to meet the requirements of the companies operating in this particular sector. The members of the Association produce around 70% of the output of the industry and UCIMU provides expert support for all aspects of corporate activities, including the special skills of its subsidiaries. In addition, as the official representative of the industry, the Association acts as a worldwide ambassador for some of the latest technology developed in Italy.

Further information: www.ucimu.it

ASOCIACION ESPAÑOLA DE FABRICANTES DE MAQUINAS-HERRAMIENTA

ASOCIACION ESPAÑOLA DE FABRICANTES DE MAQUINAS-HERRAMIENTA is one of the most relevant industrial associations in Spain, and one of the most active among the machine tool associations in the world.

One of AFM’s core activities is to promote cooperation among companies and research centres, to create added value for the sector and the society.

AFM provide different services for Machine Tool Manufactures: International Promotion (Trade Shows, Trade Missions and Events), Technology, Industrial Safety, Environmental Isues, Quality Management, Fostering Cooperation, Institutional Relations, Training and Education, Studies and Statistics, Advice, Marketing and Communication.

Further information: www.afm.es

DIN e.V.

Deutsches Institut für Normung e.V. is a not-for-profit organisation recognized as a German National Standards body and representing Germany in European and international standardization activities. Inherent to standardization and thus as well to the activities implemented in research projects by DIN, are among others, the principles of rationalization, quality assurance, safety and security, understanding, globalization.

Standardization is considered a strategic instrument to support economy and the society in general. It reduces the need for legislation and supports convergence in technology whilst allowing for a wide range of local solutions if needed.

Further information: www.din.de

ESTARTA RECTIFICADORA S. COOP

ESTARTA RECTIFICADORA S. COOP is an independent Spanish SME which has over 75 years experience in the conception, design and manufacturing of centreless grinding machines. With a staff of 60 people, it designs and manufactures machines for "through-feed" and "in-feed" grinding with the automation level required by the customer, machines equipped with simple tools for short series and fully automatic production installations for large series.

ESTARTA grinding machines have been exported all over the world for over 40 years, and the quality of its products has been avowed by such clients as Citroën, Ford, General Motors, Mercedes Benz, Nissan, Opel, Peugeot, Rover or Volkswagen, in the Automobile sector; GKN, INA, Monroe, Saginaw Steering Gear or ZF in Components, and Agria, Eaton, Iveco, Enasa-Pegaso and Yamaha, amongst others.

The expected benefits of inTime project at ESTARTA are the improvement of order traceability, improvement of multi-order management and agil order (re)-scheduling, preparing the company for a future multi-plant production environment in an emergent market outside Europe.

Further information: www.estarta.com

FIDIA SPA

FIDIA SPA is one of the European leaders in manufacturing Numerical Controls and High Speed Milling (HSM) Machines for dies and moulds making. The company has also developed and offers CAM modules suitable in particular for on line generation of part programs (HIMILL), and high performance servo drives. FIDIA opened a company site located in Bari (Italy) totally dedicated to research activities.

FIDIA is committed to developing solutions aiming at improving the NC and machine tools performances in several directions: Dynamics, Process Control, NC Architecture.

Further information: www.fidia.com