IMPROVING SUPPLY CHAIN RESILIENCE WITH AAS + DTI

INTRODUCTION

In today’s dynamic landscape of global business, the need for a robust and adaptable supply chain has never been more crucial. The merging of innovative technologies, like Asset Administration Shell (AAS) and Digital Twin Infrastructure (DTI), presents a huge opportunity to improve supply chains.

Recognizing this, the Re_KI_lienz project, funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research, emerges as a pioneering initiative aimed at developing intelligent methods to help the way businesses perceive and manage their supply chains.

Central to the success of Re_KI_lienz are the contributions of the Asset Administration Shell and the Digital Twin Infrastructure, acting as foundational elements in the development of a standardized, transparent, and dynamically adaptable supply chain ecosystem. Their important roles involve standardization, seamless data exchange, real-time monitoring, predictive analytics, and collaborative decision-making.

Global supply chain

PROJECT GOALS AND SCENARIOS

The primary goal of the Re_KI_lienz project is to develop and test intelligent methods, tools, and holistic design approaches for the implementation of resilient and adaptable value creation networks. The project aims to address the complexities inherent in global production and supplier networks, using AI-assisted analysis, assessment, monitoring, and strategy development for businesses operating on an international scale. The tools for analysis, assessment approaches and design options are undergoing practical testing with application partners across three specific application scenarios (AS):

  • Resilient Global and Local Supply Chains (AS A):
    • Focus: Redesigning pre-production chains.
    • Companies involved: Ahlers, Marquardt, Trumpf.
    • Objective: Early detection of dependencies and risks, creating a dynamic balance between stability, efficiency, and agility.
  • Adaptive Roles of Production Sites in the Global Production Network (AS B):
    • Focus: Agile realignment of internal value chain networks.
    • Companies involved: Ahlers, Feinguss Blank.
    • Objective: Restructuring innovation and manufacturing competencies, systematically adapting and innovating site roles.
  • Elastic Make-or-Buy Decisions (AS C):
    • Focus: Strategic and dynamic decisions on in sourcing or outsourcing.
    • Company involved: Sartorius.
    • Objective: Determining a strategically adequate and dynamically adaptable value creation depth.

NEOCEPTIONS ROLE : IMPROVING SUPPLY CHAIN DYNAMICS

Within the Re_KI_lienz project, Neoception stands as a driving force, specializing in the implementation of Asset Administration Shell (AAS) technology. Here’s an insight into our contributions:

  • Implementation of Asset Administration Shell (AAS) Technology: We are responsible for the incorporation of AAS technology, a technology essential for establishing standardized and transparent communication across the supply chain. This standardized approach enhances efficiency and resilience.
  • Algorithmic Optimization of Supply Chains: We are employing advanced algorithms to extract actionable insights from diverse data sources along the entire value chain. This optimization ensures streamlined operations and facilitates data-driven decision-making.
  • Collaborative Data Integration: We are integrating data from multiple stakeholders, encouraging collaborative data exchange. This inclusive approach ensures that the supply chain ecosystem operates cohesively, benefitting from real-time information and enhancing adaptability.
  • Optimization of Supply Chains with Digital Twin: We are implementing the Digital Twin Interface (DTI) to optimize and enhance supply chain operations. Neoception’s role involves integrating DTI technology into the supply chain framework, allowing for the creation of digital twins for various assets along the value chain. This implementation enables real-time data exchange and communication between different entities within the supply network.

Our expertise in implementing AAS technology and optimizing supply chains with algorithms adds a layer of intelligence to the Re_KI_lienz project, contributing significantly to its mission of improving resilience of supply chains.

IMPACT ON SUPPLY CHAIN RESILIENCE

The impact of the Re_KI_lienz project on supply chain resilience is expected to be transformative. Here are key expected impacts on supply chain resilience:

  1. Early Risk Identification:
    • Resilient Global and Local Supply Chains (AS A): The project aims to develop tools that facilitate the early identification of dependencies and risks in supply chains. This proactive approach enables businesses to recognize potential disruptions and vulnerabilities before they escalate, allowing for timely mitigation strategies.
  2. Agile Response to Market Dynamics:
    • Adaptive Location Roles in the Global Production Network (AS B): Re_KI_lienz focuses on creating methods and tools for agile realignment of internal value creation networks. This adaptability ensures that businesses can respond swiftly to changing market dynamics, customer demands, and external pressures, enhancing overall supply chain resilience.
  3. Strategic Decision-Making in Make-or-Buy:
    • Elastic Make-or-Buy Decisions (AS C): The project aims to provide intelligent tools for strategic decision-making in Make-or-Buy scenarios. This includes considerations of operational costs, supply security, risk of dependencies, and flexibility. The goal is to enable businesses to make informed decisions that contribute to the strategic resilience of their supply chains.
  4. Dynamic Stability-Flexibility Balance:
    • Re_KI_lienz seeks to establish a dynamic balance between stability, efficiency, and agility in supply chain operations. By addressing the complexities of global production networks, the project aims to create a more resilient system that can adapt to changing conditions without compromising stability.
  5. Innovation and Adaptability in Global Networks:
    • The project emphasizes the importance of innovation and adaptability in global value creation networks. By restructuring innovation and manufacturing competencies, businesses can stay ahead of the curve and respond effectively to evolving market trends.
  6. Overall Supply Chain Improvement:
    • Through the comprehensive testing and validation of these methodologies and tools across various application scenarios, Re_KI_lienz aims to contribute to an overall improvement in supply chain performance. This includes increased efficiency, reduced vulnerabilities, and enhanced strategic decision-making capabilities.

CONCLUSION

As Re_KI_lienz moves forward, it holds the promise of not just solving the problems faced by its partner companies, but also creating generic methods and human-centric approaches that can transfer knowledge and solutions to other businesses. The integration of AI, data-driven methodologies, and a collaborative network approach positions Re_KI_lienz at the forefront of transforming supply chains into resilient, adaptive, and future-ready entities.

If you’re interested in the idea of improving the resilience of your supply chain to face the challenges of tomorrow, we invite you to get in touch.