Efficient and sustainable production with E³ production

The E³-Production research project was dedicated to the development of sustainable production systems to ensure long-term international competitiveness. The focus was on optimizing value chains while at the same time reducing the use of resources.

Fraunhofer scientists from 13 institutes jointly developed a synergetic concept that combined three key elements: efficiency in production technology, efficient production facilities and efficient working environments. The aim was to design a sustainable factory of the future in which raw materials and energy are used in a networked way and people act as the central control unit.

Challenges and innovation approach

Production technology is facing challenges such as increasing environmental regulations, a shortage of raw materials and the need to make production processes more efficient. Until now, isolated individual solutions have often been developed, but these do not create sufficient synergies. E³-Production pursues a holistic approach that views sustainable factories as networked systems.

The project researched innovative methods, technologies and processes to save resources and increase productivity at the same time. Particular attention was paid to the development of Industry 4.0 technologies, which enabled the intelligent networking of machines, systems and people.

Technological implementation and key results

E³-Production brought about numerous technological innovations. One of the key developments was the linking of the "Logistics Mall" and "Virtual Fort Knox" cloud platforms, which enabled the end-to-end digitalization of production processes. These platforms were implemented as prototypes and integrated into real production environments.

Another key result was the optimization of store floor management to enable the direct exchange of production data between machines and digital platforms. This enabled operating processes to be designed more efficiently and production resources to be used more sustainably.

In addition, a communication technology platform was developed that linked production and operating data with higher-level IT systems. This platform ensured that information was processed in real time and forwarded directly to mobile devices or wearables. Employees thus received relevant production information in real time in order to control processes in a targeted manner.

Practical applications and benefits

The concepts developed as part of E³-Production were tested in four demonstrators at Fraunhofer sites in Germany. These real environments made it possible to test and validate new technologies and processes in a practical setting.

The knowledge gained enabled companies to optimize their production processes and make them more sustainable. In addition to an increase in energy efficiency, the flexibility of production was also increased in order to better adapt to changing market conditions.

Project partners and cooperations

The project was initiated by the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and jointly implemented by 13 Fraunhofer Institutes. In addition to the scientific partners, industrial companies were also involved in the project in order to ensure practical development and implementation of the results.