Athene 4.0: Digital platform for crafts

Athene 4.0 has demonstrated how a digital platform can support processes in the skilled trades. The joint research project has digitally mapped the entire order processing process, thereby facilitating the exchange of information between companies, trades, and customers. Deliberately designed to be low-threshold, Athene 4.0 can be quickly integrated into companies. A digital coach supports employees in familiarizing themselves with the new environment, enabling rapid efficiency gains through the reduction of manual effort, particularly through the elimination of paper-based documentation. The development focused on a person-centered design of the technology. Requirements, business models, qualification, and transfer measures were jointly developed by partners from painting, electrical, and building services companies.

The results are aimed at decision-makers in the logistics and skilled trades sectors who want to strategically advance the digital transformation of SMEs. The results of Athene 4.0 were incorporated into the follow-up project "Minerva," where they were expanded to include chatbots and AR and VR applications.

The project goal of Athene 4.0 was the person-centered digitization of order processing and communication in the skilled trades. The joint research project designed a service platform that connects internal processes, mobile employee groups, and customers via digital channels. Based on a digitized order processing process, the project already considered interfaces to purchasing, warehousing, construction site management, and invoicing with

In the initial situation, the craft businesses surveyed complained in particular about paper-based processes. Information had to be transferred retrospectively to various software solutions, and communication channels were highly fragmented and riddled with media breaks. For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with a high degree of employee mobility on construction sites in particular, these shortcomings posed considerable risks to efficiency, service quality, and competitiveness.

The project took these challenges facing the digital craft sector as its starting point and developed a low-threshold platform solution that provides  SMEs with practical support  for their digital transformation. 

• Comprehensive digitization of the order processing process, from quotation to invoicing.
• Digital service modules and a service platform for documenting orders and creating risk assessments.
• Blueprints for business, operating, and funding models.
• Trial operation, acceptance study, and optimization of the software in model companies.
• Qualification opportunities, digital coaching, and training for employees in the field.

Contact the Athene 4.0 project team now

"Craft businesses can benefit in several ways from the Athene 4.0 digital platform: The intuitive process guidance and digital coach help you integrate the solution into your business and quickly improve your order processing. Athene 4.0 reduces processing times, media breaks, and errors, thereby increasing efficiency and transparency in your business. "
Michael Lücke, project manager for Athene 4.0, is conducting research into the digital transformation of SMEs at the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML.

The solution consists of a digital service platform that digitizes order processing and promotes the exchange of information between craft businesses, customers, and trades on the construction site. At the start of the project, the partners gathered requirements in workshops with model companies and customers. Order processes were documented using the Dortmund process chain toolkit. At the same time, the state of the art in the companies was recorded and commercially available digital offerings were classified. On this basis, service modules were designed along the process chain and the specifications were presented in a requirements specification in accordance with VDI 2519 and VDI 3694.

This was used to develop a functional specification and implement a prototype of the platform. At Fraunhofer IML, test scenarios were defined, functional and integration tests were monitored, and a detailed concept was agreed upon with the users. In test operations at the model companies, the partners ran through scenarios involving different trades, construction site types, and activities. In an acceptance and participation study, the experiences of the user groups were collected and additional requirements were derived. At the same time, the Social Research Center at TU Dortmund University analyzed qualification requirements, developed training courses, and defined content for a digital coach, which is integrated into the platform as a support feature. 

The project partners from electrical, painting, and building services companies played a central role in the project. In a first step, the order processing procedures from quotation to invoicing were recorded. The teams thus made the technology used, media breaks, and information flows on construction sites and in the office visible. On this basis, the software partner cobago provided an initial version of the platform.

Employees recorded order data on mobile devices, documented status information, and answered queries from the office. Customers used the platform to express additional requests, share real-time photos from the construction site, and coordinate product samples. The project partners accompanied the assignments, conducted training, and documented weaknesses. Based on their observations, they prioritized must-have and nice-to-have functions. Validation with the participants showed that communication channels had been shortened and information on the project status was available more quickly to all parties. 

Parallel to the technical development, the partners at the Social Research Center at TU Dortmund University analyzed barriers to use in the everyday life of the companies. In the pilot phases, employees reflected on their experiences in workshops, interviews, and online questionnaires. The study revealed barriers, obstacles, and application problems with digital tools and allowed concrete qualification needs to be derived.

A training concept was developed that combines company-specific seminars and integrated support via a digital coach. The digital coach provides step-by-step instructions, explanations of functions, and tips on work design directly on the platform, thus facilitating the intuitive use of the Athene 4.0 platform. Supplementary training courses in the model companies deepened the content and took up feedback from the participants. This feedback led to the optimization of the training offerings and laid the foundation for the long-term use of the solution. 

Multipliers were involved in the project consortium at an early stage to disseminate the platform in the skilled trades. Representatives from chambers of crafts, trade associations, vocational schools, city administrations, and regional craftsmen's associations participated in roundtable discussions. These committees validated requirements, reflected on the quality of the project work, and addressed acceptance issues. At the same time, consultation circles with craftsmen and customers took place.

Both users and non-users were brought together to specify the needs of both groups. On this basis, a roll-out concept was developed that described concrete implementation steps. In addition, further fields of application and trades were identified and preparations were made for future integration into the digital platform. In the circles, the participants discussed incentives for use, evaluation options, and the need for certification. These discussions formed the basis for a dissemination and exploitation plan that prepares for widespread use of the platform in the skilled trades. 

The Athene 4.0 project brought together a wide range of expertise at the intersection of logistics, business models, and work design in the skilled trades. One focus was on the digitalization of order processing. The platform shortened communication channels between companies, trades, and customers and made information on the project status transparent. Competitive advantages have emerged for skilled trades companies because they were able to record additional requests in a structured manner and document project progress in real time.

From a scientific perspective, the partners prepared methods, best practice examples, and recommendations for action for the digitization of the skilled trades and Skilled Trades 4.0. These results offer starting points for digital transformation in the skilled trades and other industries. The project has thus laid the foundations for research-based services and new projects for the digitization of logistics and service processes.

Publications on the project:

Fraunhofer Publica publica: Entering the digital world with Athene 4.0, 2021

Springer Nature: Athene 4.0: Design, development, and testing of a software solution for the digitization of small craft businesses, 2023

Handwerk.NRW – Download Results report

German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), program "Innovations for Tomorrow's Production, Services, and Work."

Project Management Agency Karlsruhe (PTKA) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.