EMO Hannover Lunch-Talk Let’s Talk Science: Production Planning Becomes Predictable

Automated production planning using intelligent hybrid methods

EMO Hannover hosts an insightful Lunch-Talk Let’s Talk Science session on March 29, 2023, at 11:30 am where researchers will present their findings on automating production planning.

“Efficient manufacturing stands and falls with its planning. And it is a highly complex process,” emphasizes Dr Martin Erler, Institute of Production Engineering (IF), Dresden University of Technology. “Automation of production planning is therefore the next 'big thing' in production. This is because production is becoming increasingly flexible, all the way to batch size 1, so its planning is becoming more and more complicated. In addition, planners have had to make many decisions up to now, the effects of which on production they can't even accurately predict.” Erler and his team have been researching methods and technologies for automation for more than a decade.

Dr Martin Erler, Head of the Department Technologies of Separating Production Engineering and their Planning at the Institute of Production Engineering (IF) of the Dresden University of Technology

The importance of flexibility in manufacturing has increased immensely. Customer needs are changing faster than ever before, and online commerce is doing the rest. Companies must constantly adapt their production to remain competitive. “Human-based planning work can't do all that,” Erler cautions. “Planners need digital tools and agile methods to meet the challenges. And last but not least, employees must, after all, be trained in the new processes.”

Manufacturing planning automation is therefore a key technology of the future. It runs fast, is standardized, and is based on extensive data. Since planners save significantly on capacity, they can in turn improve detailed planning and thus minimize any imponderables. At the Institute of Manufacturing Engineering (IF) in Dresden, researchers are using a new hybrid approach of graph theory and solid modeling to make all this possible.

In the March edition of the EMO Hannover 2023 monthly lunch talk, attendees will have the opportunity to find out how far the development of automated manufacturing planning has come and how they can benefit from it. Let’s Talk Science will provide cutting-edge insights into this new key technology. Experts will be available to answer any questions that attendees may have.

To register, please follow the link: https://emo-hannover.com/lets-talk-science

Image Source: Institute of Production Engineering TU Dresden