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Meeting of the partners of the ...
31. 1. 2015 The Kick-off meeting of the FACTS4WORKER project was held from ...
Conversation about the European model ...
22. 12. 2014 On Tuesday 16th December 2014, SiEVA Development Centre organised ...
SiEVA Development Centre part of two ...
28. 9. 2014 We are most happy to report that SiEVA is actively participating ...
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Meeting of the partners of the European consortium FACTS4WORKERS
The Kick-off meeting of the FACTS4WORKER project was held from 12th to 13th January 2015 in Graz, Austria and it was hosted by the project coordinator, Virtual Vehicle Research Center.
The large scale European research project “FACTS4WORKERS” with a project volume of 7.9 million Euros and 15 European research partners over a time span of four years deals with the topic of “Industry 4.0” and focuses on the human component of modern production. The consortium lead by VIRTUAL VEHICLE Research Center wants to show, how to create attractive and intelligent work places in a factory of the future and how therefore Europe can be boosted as a production location. Improved training and increase of investment in factories will help bring Europe new and better jobs.
Production is moving constantly away from European high-wage countries to so-called “best-cost” countries or to locations with low energy cost. To fight this trend the European industry is challenged to develop intelligent added-value concepts for the field of production. The EU-commission wants to reverse “the shrinking role of the industry” and restore the “attractiveness of Europe as a production location”, says the responsible commissioner Antonio Tajani. With more investment in factories and research & development the amount the industry contributes to the European economic output should be increased from currently 15 to 20 per cent by 2020.
A large-scale research project now puts the worker into to the centre of future-oriented production concepts in order to render manufacturing jobs more attractive and help Europe to become more competitive. As of December 1st 2014 the VIRTUAL VEHICLE Research Center in Graz coordinates the project “Worker Centric Workspaces in Smart Factories (in short “FACT4WORKERS”). The four year long research initiative is being funded through Horizon 2020, which is a EU funding programme for research and innovation of the European Commission, running from 2014 to 2020.
Beside SiEVA the partners in the project are: VIRTUAL VEHICLE RESEARCH CENTER (AUT), HIDRIA TC (SLO), UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI FIRENZE (ITA), TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITÄT WIEN (AUT), THYSSEN KRUPP STEEL EUROPE (NEM), HIDRIA ROTOMATIKA (SLO), IMINDS (BEL), UNIVERSITY OF ZÜRICH (ŠVI), THERMOLYMPIC (ŠPA), EMO ORODJARNA (SLO), EVOLARIS NEXT LEVEL (AUT), INSTITUTO TECNOLÓGICO DE ARAGÓN (ŠPA), SCHAEFFLER TECHNOLOGIES (NEM), LAPPEENRANTA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY (FIN).
Conversation about the European model of public-private partnerships
On Tuesday 16th December 2014, SiEVA Development Centre organised a presentation of the CAPIRE Coordination Action (CA) that has been implemented under the Seventh Framework Programme.
The meeting was organised in Ljubljana, Slovenia, with the cooperation with the Slovene Chamber of Commerce. Attendees, among who were the representatives of the Chamber, the Government (Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology), the Slovenian Automotive Cluster and a number of representatives of Slovenian suppliers to the automotive industry, were given a detailed presentation of the CAPIRE CA and the European Green Vehicles Initiative by Ms. Emma Briec, director of the Innovation Strategy and Planning Department in Renault and also the director of the CAPIRE CA.
SiEVA Development Centre part of two international consortia chosen for co-financing under the new European Horizon 2020 development perspective.
We are most happy to report that SiEVA is actively participating in two international R&D consortia, chosen for co-financing under the 2014 Factories of the Future Calls, that are a part of the new EU Horizon 2020 development perspective. International calls under Horizon 2020 represent a highly competitive bid, that is always contested by the biggest and best organizations in the European R&D sphere. Succeeding in such a competitive environment represents a huge success, for which SiEVA can be immensely proud.
The COMBILASER project addresses testing and application of latest laser welding techniques in industrial processes in the automotive industry.
Manufacturing processes which include use of different welding technologies form today an ever more irreplaceable part of modern industrial processes in different industries. This is today even more evident in the automotive industry. An ever more advanced and complex technological solutions demand mastering of advanced laser welding processes that form some of the crucial steps in the manufacturing procedure.
The COMBILASER project is one of the chosen projects under the Factories of the Future call. This technologically extremely advanced project has a budget of almost 4 million euros and combines research potentials from different stakeholders (industry and academia represented) from 7 member states. One of the partners in the project is also the SiEVA Development Centre.
Apart from SiEVA development Centre, other partners in this R&D consortium include: Hidria AET (SLO), IK4-Lortek (ESP), Laser Zentrum Hannover (DE), Recendt (AUT), University of Sheffield (GB), Laserline (DE), Orkli S. Coop. (ESP), Talleres Mecánicos Comas (ESP), Mondragon Assembly (FRA), 4D (DE) and CAVITAR (FIN).
The FACTS4WORKERS project key goal is to improve manufacturing processes in contemporary European industry via application of advanced IT and smart-technology solutions that enhance the active cooperation activities of workers on the shop-floor and improve their working conditions.
The project acronym is based on the project title: FACTories for WORKERS. This project sees the manufacturing process from the viewpoint of an employee, worker. Its basic premise is that the workers on the shop-floor must be more actively included in decision-making and monitoring processes using a combination of advanced IT technology applications and advanced organizational approaches.
The project aims to increase well-being and self-fulfillment of workers on the shop-floor, which in turn increases their productivity and the productivity of the industrial plant itself. This will increase the overall productivity of the European industry making it easier for Europe to successfully maintain its industry and industrial products on contemporary globalized markets.
The project overall value is estimated at 8,5 million euros. Project partners include SMEs, large industrial enterprises and universities. Partners also aim in attracting representatives of workers on both national and international levels.
SiEVA’s role in the FACTS4WORKERS project is the role of a network based research hub that will actively employ its wide network and connections with industry, research institutions and governmental and inter-governmental organizations, thus acquainting the interested stakeholders and wider public with projects’ results.
SiEVA cooperates in the FACTS4WORKERS project with the following partners: Virtual Vehicle Research Center (AUT), Hidria TC (SLO), Università degli Studi di Firenze (ITA), Technische Universität Wien (AUT), Thyssen Krupp Steel Europe (DE), Hidria Rotomatika (SLO), iMinds (BE), University of Zürich (SUI), Thermolympic (ESP), EMO Orodjarna (SLO), Evolaris next level (AUT), Instituto Tecnológico de Aragón (ESP), Schaeffler Technologies (DE), Lappeenranta University of Technology (FIN).
