Description
The Cluster aspires to enable organisations in a networked world to deliver better products in a more efficient way faster to the market by enhancing the product and the product lifecycle processes using ambient intelligence technologies.
The strength of the European economy is substantially based on relationships among many enterprises, which together form agile networks, able to react to market demands in shortest time. These networks (sometimes formalized as virtual enterprise for a specific product) are still competing successfully on a worldwide scale with enterprises from distant countries which offer wages in completely different dimensions. This success can be kept, only, if the networks establish and maintain smooth communications which cover the complete life cycle of the product. Significant effort has been spent to synchronize the product development in such networks.
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Profile of participants
Today the cluster consists of the following eight projects:
- CO-DESNET: The European Virtual Institute on Collaborative Demand & Supply Networks
- ILIPT: Intelligent Logistics for Innovative Product Technologies
- MAPPER: Model-based adaptive Product and Process Engineering
- PABADIS’PROMISE: Product oriented manufacturing systems including RFID technology
- SPIDER-WIN: Supply Information Dynamic Exchange and Control by Web-based Interaction Network
- V-CES: The Virtual Cost Engineering Studio
- VERITAS: Virtual Enterprises for Integrated Industrial Solutions
- X-CHANGE: Flexible Change Management in a factory environment
Main achievements/results
- Publication of a book on “Strengthening competitiveness through production networks”, documenting early results of the cluster projects
- First analysis on how the co-ordination of European/national/regional activities and policies could be improved from a bottom-up thematic perspective (ERA)
Future plans
- Organisation of a conference (or participation in a work-stream) in 2006 addressing major issues in the domain of the cluster activities including RFID
- Integration of new projects resulting from IST call 4 and 5
- Continuation of reflections on ERA
- Looking ahead on future extended, intelligent and networked products as part of the preparation of FP 7
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