Department Production Management & Logistics
The Department Production Management and Logistics aims to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of production. One research focus is the development of methods of change and technology management as well as factory planning and analysis. In addition, the area is also researching competence-oriented work and production systems against the backdrop of demographic change and the increasing digitisation of the production environment. Another area of research is optimization in industrial practice, where production engineering issues (e. g. layout and route planning) are solved by the use of mathematical optimization methods.
Head of Department: Marc Wegmann
Research Competences
- Innovation management in production
The aim of the research field Innovation Management in Production is to explore and further develop the fundamentals of innovative production. This includes in particular concepts, models, methods and processes of technology and change management as well as factory planning and analysis.
Research Field Leader: Quirin Gärtner
- Human being in the factory
The aim of the research field of human beings in the factory is to investigate the interactions between production employees and the production system and to provide production management solutions for efficient and competent staff deployment in the increasingly digitized production environment.
Research Field Leader: Quirin Gärtner
- Data analytics in production management
The aim of the research field data analytics in production management is to improve the quality of solutions for industrial problems in the context of production management by using data analytics and methods of artificial intelligence.
Research Field Leader: Sebastian Kröger
Find out more on current projects.
Equipment in the Department Production Management & Logistics
In the department of Production Management and Logistics, a variety of tools are used in the processing of tasks and questions in research, industrial projects and teaching. In particular, software tools such as CrystalBall or Tecnomatix Plant Simulation are used for the evaluation of production sites or technologies under consideration of uncertainties as well as for factory, layout and material flow planning. Practical learning environments are becoming increasingly important for the direct transfer of research results to industry as well as for the training of students. With the Learning Factory for Lean Production (LSP), the Department of Production Management and Logistics has a modern training environment in which current didactic concepts are applied.
Today, holistic production systems represent the organizational backbone of industrial production. The knowledge about the principles of such a production system is imparted in the Learning Factory for Lean Production. In addition to theoretical treatment of the methods and philosophy of the Toyota Production System, the training concept focuses in particular on practical consolidation of the knowledge imparted in a real production environment.
- Learning Laboratory Man in the Factory (LMF)
The research field Man in the Factory deals with potentials and dangers resulting from the networking of man with the production system. To answer the question of how humans can be integrated as efficiently as possible into the increasingly digitalized and networked production environment, a learning laboratory has been set up at the iwb. This learning lab is used to conduct experiments and studies to validate hypotheses as well as prototypical implementation and evaluation of research content. It is also used as a platform for dialog with industry partners and transfer of research findings.
The equipment includes various smart devices, flexible assembly workstations and a camera-based assembly assistance system (Schlauer Klaus from OPTIMUM GmbH). This assembly environment can be modularly adapted to real-life use cases. At present, practical assembly situations can be simulated with sample products such as transmissions, frame side members with fender supports, and compressed air boilers.
- High performance computing: computation of complex mathematical optimizations, simulations and data analytics projects.
- Maturity assessment software tool: To assess opportunities and risks when integrating new production technologies, a technology maturity assessment is helpful. The software tool supports industry partners in the structured collection, processing and evaluation of data to support strategic technology management.
- visTABLE®touch Planning Tables - visTABLE enables intuitive, team-oriented factory planning and is used to optimize, evaluate and visualize a factory.
- Tecnomatix Plant Simulation - Plant Simulation is used to map and optimize complex production and logistics processes in a computer model.
- GaBi - GaBi (Holistic Balance Sheet) from PE International is one of the leading software solutions for the lifecycle-oriented evaluation of products and services and is used in particular for creating life cycle assessments.
