Fourth award for Fraunhofer IPA

In the simulation game "Digitalized Production Control," one player takes on the role of the customer, another as the production manager — and up to five more act as workers. (Source: Fraunhofer IPA / Photo: Rainer Bez)

The players assemble mobile toy robots – in round 1 according to the criteria of lean production, in round 2 under the conditions of a digitalized production. (Source: Fraunhofer IPA / Photo: Rainer Bez)

The Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Housing and the Industry 4.0 Alliance Baden-Württemberg today awarded the simulation game "Digitalized Production Control" at "100 Places for Industry 4.0 in Baden-Württemberg." It is already the fourth honor for Fraunhofer IPA since the competition began in 2015.

In the production manager's office, the phone rings. An important customer is on the line. They have placed an order and are inquiring about its status. The production manager cannot give an immediate answer. He promises to get back to them shortly, jumps up, hurriedly checks all assembly stations, and questions the employees. Eventually, he finds the goods, half-finished, in an intermediate storage. The technician at the next station is not ready yet. The schedule cannot be maintained.

Many employees in production are likely familiar with this situation. It also appears to players in the simulation game "Digitalized Production Control," developed by researchers from the DigITools Competence Center at Fraunhofer IPA. Their task is to assemble mobile toy robots — in Round 1 according to Lean Production criteria, and in Round 2 under the conditions of digitalized production. One player takes on the role of the customer, another the production manager — and up to five others act as workers. The rules: 1. The roles are maintained across both rounds. 2. Those who produce defective parts have no chance to fix the mistake later.

Experience the benefits of Industry 4.0 playfully

In the first round, the customer places their order by phone. The production manager receives the order and passes it on to the workers. There are order slips, intermediate storage, and paper assembly instructions. Depending on which toy robot is to be assembled — there are six different versions — the workers must follow different instructions. Occasionally, a worker picks the wrong one and, for example, installs LED lights instead of ultrasonic sensors.

In the second round, the customer orders via the online shop. The Manufacturing Execution System (MES) creates an order, and the workers' tablets display the current assembly instructions. The individual work steps are documented in real-time, and the production manager always knows which order is being processed at which station and can provide spontaneous information when the customer calls. Paper and intermediate storage are eliminated.

Each round lasts approximately one hour. At the end of the game, there is a feedback session. The players review their performance together. "Usually, they conclude that they worked faster and made fewer mistakes in Round 2," says Ozan Yesilyurt, who supervises the simulation game along with his colleague Viorel Petrut Draghici. "The workers are reassured that they can handle the tools of digitalized production. They also realize that digital transformation does not threaten their jobs but supports them in their tasks. Production managers and CEOs get an impression of the efficiency gains that investing in Industry 4.0 applications could bring them."

Simulation game is the fourth location for Industry 4.0 at Fraunhofer IPA

State Secretary Katrin Schütz from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Housing Baden-Württemberg today afternoon awarded the "Digitalized Production Control" simulation game at the New Palace in Stuttgart during the "100 Places for Industry 4.0 in Baden-Württemberg" competition. It is already the fourth honor for Fraunhofer IPA. In previous years, the Ministry of Economics and the Industry 4.0 Alliance Baden-Württemberg have already awarded the Industry 4.0 Application Center, the Future Work Lab, and the Virtual Fort Knox cloud IT platform.

Anyone wishing to play the "Digitalized Production Control" simulation game does not need to visit Fraunhofer IPA in Stuttgart. "We are happy to come by," says Yesilyurt. "A regular meeting room with U-shaped tables is completely sufficient. We bring everything else with us."