SKALA: A Project With Vision

SKALA pursues a consistently open approach: all software modules, AI models, smart contracts and interfaces developed in the project are to be published as open source. “We want to pave the way for real innovation − especially for small and medium-sized companies that could hardly afford such developments on their own,“ emphasizes Austerjost. The project is therefore not only aimed at technical excellence, but also at a broad transfer into practice.

The focus here is on the idea of technology convergence: the blockchain provides trust in the data as a tamper-proof infrastructure − and the AI ensures its intelligent evaluation, validation and use. This creates a digital bridge between players, systems and processes that previously had difficulty communicating with each other.

According to Maximilian Austerjost, building this bridge is essential in order to overcome existing system boundaries. “Many companies work with isolated IT solutions. We show how an open, interoperable network can be created that offers real added value − both technologically and economically.“

“Many companies work with isolated IT solutions. We show how an open, interoperable network can be created that offers real added value − both technologically and economically.“

- Dr. Maximilian Austerjost

One concrete example of this connection is GreenComplAI, a solution developed as part of SKALA for the continuous sustainability audit of supply chains. The system combines, for example, digital product passports, automated data collection and AI-supported plausibility analyses into a tool that helps companies to ensure their ESG and CSRD compliance as well as their resilience in general. In the future, the tool can also be used around risk management.

“GreenComplAI can assess in real time whether predefined requirements are being met and thus directly supports the sustainable transformation of companies and their supply chains,“ explains Austerjost. The highlight: the necessary evidence is generated automatically, inspection processes become more transparent and less error prone. This not only saves time and money, but also creates trust − both internally and externally.

Transparent, digital verification management is becoming a strategic success factor, especially against the backdrop of stricter legal requirements such as the EU taxonomy. GreenComplAI provides the right infrastructure for this − flexible, scalable and future-proof.

A second module in the SKALA portfolio is SiMBA − an intelligent system for dynamic pricing. It continuously analyzes capacities, market conditions and operational workloads and automatically adjusts prices. “SiMBA enables companies to react faster and more precisely to changes − a real efficiency driver in volatile markets,“ says Austerjost.

Individually definable regulations and integrated invoicing functions cover the entire process from quotation to payment. This not only allows sales potential to be better exploited, but also enables operational resources to be managed in a more targeted manner. Austerjost emphasizes: “SiMBA allows us to make efficient use of market dynamics and at the same time better align operational planning with short-term changes. This is an enormous competitive advantage in today's world.“

The system is particularly interesting for logistics service providers whose margins are under pressure. “With SiMBA, companies can not only operate more efficiently, but also develop new pricing models − such as capacity-dependent tariffs or dynamic remuneration systems.“

SKALA is also focusing on document management. InstaSCAN is an AI-supported system that automatically digitizes paper-based documents such as waybills, extracts relevant information and transfers it directly to IT systems. The difference to traditional OCR solutions: InstaSCAN recognizes content contextually and checks its plausibility − an important prerequisite for automated follow-up processes.

“38 percent of companies still work with paper processes. This is not only inefficient, but also risky,“ says Austerjost. InstaSCAN is designed to close this gap − without media disruptions, without manual post-processing and without integration hurdles.

The system also enables complete traceability and secure archiving of relevant documents − key requirements for audits, certifications and compliance checks. InstaSCAN is therefore a prime example of applied research into AI, says Austerjost.

The central basis for the applications of SKALA are so-called digital identities − i.e. unique, verifiable characteristics of products and actors in the supply chain. These identities make it possible to exchange information securely and traceably. Blockchain technology plays a key role here because it acts as a trustworthy register.

“Trust in data is essential if I want to digitize business processes,“ explains Austerjost. “Only if I know for sure that a data record has not been manipulated, I can trust it.“ The combination of AI-based validation and blockchainsupported storage creates this basis of trust at a technical level − and thus opens up completely new possibilities for automation and collaboration.

This technology is a real game changer, especially for complex supply chains with many partners. It not only enables greater transparency, but also greater resilience to disruptions because information flows faster and more reliable.

SKALA is more than the sum of its parts. All solutions follow a modular principle and can be combined with each other. They can also be integrated into existing IT infrastructures via standardized interfaces − another important aspect for SMEs. Numerous demonstrators and use cases are to be published by the end of 2025 to make it easier for companies to get started.

“We don't want this to be an ivory tower project,“ emphasizes Austerjost. “Our goal is to provide concrete answers − to real problems in real processes.“ This is precisely why the opensource approach is so crucial: it enables exchange, further development and genuine dissemination on the market. In addition to the modules already developed, the project team is currently working on further solutions − such as the automated evaluation of sustainability indicators or the integration of digital twins into logistics networks. Development always takes place in a practical manner and in close cooperation with companies from various sectors.

SKALA is also attracting interest from politicians. At the presentation of the funding decision, Oliver Luksic, former parliamentary state secretary at the BMDV, emphasized the importance of the project: “The combination of AI and blockchain holds enormous potential for optimizing processes, increasing transparency and significantly boosting efficiency in supply chains.“

SKALA is an ideal fit for the German federal government's digital strategy and could make an important contribution to strengthening Germany as a logistics location. The fact that the solutions are openly accessible and thus enable smaller companies in particular to access key technologies is viewed particularly positively.

Another key objective of SKALA is to enable new business models by combining different technologies. “Many companies today don't even know what is already technically possible − let alone how new value creation models can emerge from this,“ explains Austerjost. SKALA aims to build precisely this bridge: through demonstrators, consulting services and open-source modules that invite experimentation. To this end, Fraunhofer IML is working closely with its project partners, including the Fraunhofer Institute for Software and Systems Engineering ISST and two chairs at TU Dortmund University. Together, they are working on cross-sectional technologies that can be flexibly adapted to different sectors − from the manufacturing industry and retail to highly regulated areas such as healthcare.

What makes SKALA so special is its consistent focus on practicability. The architecture developed is scalable, the solutions adaptable and the software modules interoperable. Companies can test individual components, implement them step by step and adapt  them as required. This not only reduces technical risks, but also increases acceptance among the workforces. Austerjost: “These are de facto tools that solve problems in completely different places but in the same way. Dynamic pricing, for example, can be used for pallet pooling as well as for pricing in supply chains. And GreenComplAI can check sustainability data as well as other suppliers, while InstaSCAN can be used to analyze bills of lading, pallet bills and chemical certificates. That's what makes the whole thing so exciting.“

“Technology is only effective if people can understand and use it“

- Dr. Maximilian Austerjost

In addition, SKALA offers a unique learning platform: workshops, webinars and training materials accompany the transfer of knowledge and ensure that the solutions developed also reach a wider audience. “Technology is only effective if people can understand and use it,“ says Austerjost, explaining the reasons why Fraunhofer IML also offers corresponding support services.

With SKALA, Fraunhofer IML is demonstrating how future technologies such as AI and blockchain can be put to practical use. The project represents a new approach: not dogmatic, not abstract − but close to reality, close to the needs of companies.

Austerjost sums it up: “We are not developing solutions for the drawer here. Our aim is to enable companies to really work with them − and to make them more successful, more sustainable and more independent.“ The SKALA philosophy encourages companies to see digitalization not as a burden, but as an opportunity − for logistics that is not only more efficient, but also fairer and more resilient.