R3GROUP

The environment in which industry operates has changed markedly as a result of various economic crises, and the pandemic in particular. Production systems, in particular those designed for medium and large volumes, can only be resilient if they can adapt to an unstable and uncertain environment and if their production and distribution chains can be reconfigured rapidly.

Objectives

The goal of R3GROUP is to develop reconfiguration strategies to improve businesses’ resilience to external events, and to demonstrate how they can be applied. The project will involve manufacturing demonstrators in various sectors (including the automotive industry, and metal and garment manufacturing), which will be subjected to various reconfiguration challenges (market variability, supply chain shortages, complex products, etc.).

R3GROUP will follow the six reconfigurability principles to develop technologies based on five factors that promote resilience:

• Data architecture: Develop a platform to support AASs (Asset Administration Shells) to facilitate reconfiguration via horizontal and vertical integration.
• Modular production methods: Employ a reconfigurable machine-tool concept to develop tools and production technologies.
• Digital tools: Use multi-level digital twinning to roll out a digital toolkit to rapidly evaluate the impacts of reconfiguration.
• Performance management: Integrate innovation tools that detect the trigger for reconfiguration and also provide information on the state of the rest of the value chain.
• People-centric approach: Ensure all solutions developed are people-centred and designed to facilitate the adoption of these new technologies; focus on retraining.

Funding

The R3GROUP is funded by the European Commission as part of the Horizon Europe programme, under grant agreement 101091869. It involves 24 European partners. Four are French, including IPC, which is project coordinator.

Partenaires

University of Patras-Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems & Automation • Asociación de Investigación Metalúrgica del Noroeste • École Nationale Supérieure D'arts et Métiers • Amvalor • Universidade de Coimbra • Fundación Zaragoza Logistics Center • Universitatea Tehnică „Gheorghe Asachi” din Iaşi • Netcompany-Intrasoft S.A. • Symvouloi Kai Proionta Logismikou AE • Emphasis DigiWorld AE • Fill Gesellschaft mBH • Avenir Vision Industrie Srl • GLN Molds S.A. • Sourcebook GmbH • Made2flow GmbH • Innovation Engineering Srl • FundingBox Research APS • FundingBox Communities SL • EIT Manufacturing South East Single Member P.C. • GLN Plast S.A. • Autotech Engineering SL • ElvalHalcor Hellenic Copper and Aluminium Industry S.A. • Katty Fashion Srl • Gorenje