Knowledge-Based Decision Approach for Energy Monitoring and Sustainable Production in Medium-Sized Industry

Abstract

The goal of the BMBF-funded project (project name WisE-Pro) in the supporting line FHprofUnt is the development and implementation of a holistic concept for knowledge-based decision making for sustainable production. BMBF is Federal Ministry of Education and Research in Germany. For the production company, this means using energy and production data to gain an understanding of the efficiency of production and thus find potential for increasing efficiency and, as a result, greater sustainability.One way to create new systems - manageable for medium-sized companies - is to develop new web-based services, as is another goal of the High-Tech Strategy [4]. With cloud-based software solutions and associated business models that make software more profitable for small companies, combined with consulting services from experts, SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) can use the knowledge and experience of experts and continue to focus on their core business. The companies involved in this project see a competitive advantage in being able to optimize their production from a holistic point of view or to support their customers in this effort.This support can be provided by consulting services from energy suppliers. In times of the energy turnaround, the Energy Services Act obliges energy suppliers to inform their customers about energy efficiency measures [5]. Many energy suppliers see this as an opportunity to transform themselves into partners for energy. The Velbert region is characterized by a relatively high density of small and medium-sized metalworking companies that still maintain personal contacts with their energy suppliers. The municipal energy suppliers of Velbert and Heiligenhaus are showing interest in new business models and would like to remain a long-term partner for medium-sized companies in the region. The technical core of the development work is a system for energy data collection in combination with production data from the automated plants in order to send it via a CloudEdge controller to the cloud for evaluation. There, the data is available for use by the company, but also by consultants who provide targeted support for SMEs in saving energy, as well as in anonymized form by suppliers who will use it to optimize energy planning in the future. The long-term goal of the project is, on the one hand, to support SMEs in the local region and, on the other hand, to gain knowledge about digital transformation for the suppliers and the university.