6. February 2017

PSI software controls research structure on RWTH Aachen Campus

PSI Logistics GmbH, a member in the Smart Logistics Cluster on RWTH Aachen Campus, is cooperating with the Center Connected Industry on the implementation of a demonstrator for applications of the Internet of Things (IoT). The solution will be presented in February at the 15th Hamburg Logistics Conference.

The goal of the cooperation with the cross-sector Community in the Center Connected Industry is “to bring Industrie 4.0 to life in logistics”, explains Dr. Giovanni Prestifilippo, Managing Director of PSI Logistics. Within the framework of the center’s “Smart Parcel” project, PSI software is supporting a showcase for applications of the Internet of Things under live conditions in the associated “Demonstration Factory”. To accomplish this, modules of the PSItms transport management system communicate with IoT beacons. A prototype live system will be presented with the focus on bringing Industrie 4.0 to life at the Hamburg Logistics Conference on the 15th and 16th of February. The data flow starts with decentralized sensor elements that forward the real-time data of transport goods and means to the PSItms application. The relevant information is provided by mobile apps directly on the site of the action so as to optimize transport processes and intra-logistical material flows.

The Center Connected Industry – Next Level Information Logistics converts new technologies and opportunities of the Internet of Things directly into productive use by means of early evaluation and testing. The center’s infrastructure with the 5G ApplicationLab and the associated Demonstration Factory for Industrie 4.0 offers a real production environment for the development and immediate, onsite evaluation of new combinations of technologies and solutions in practice-like use cases. In this context, FIR’s general manager Prof. Dr.-Ing. Volker Stich points out the importance of the time factor: “Together with Ericsson, we have the opportunity to sound out 5G for its concrete industrial application potential even prior to its market introduction. So this key technology of industrial networking will be able to generate productive benefits right from the start.”

About the Center Connected Industry

At the Center Connected Industry, scientists of RWTH Aachen Campus test and combine innovative technologies and procedures of the Internet of Things together with partners from the industry.
Since 2009 RWTH Aachen Campus has been contributing significantly towards highlighting the research competence available on RWTH University. The experts research defined relevant topics. The long-term research areas are represented in clusters. These are subdivided into centers, in which interdisciplinary teams of scientists and industry consortia work together on specific issues of the future developing visionary solution approaches.

About PSI

On the basis of its own software products, PSI AG develops and integrates complete solutions for energy management (energy networks, energy trading), production management (mining, metals, automotive, mechanical engineering, logistics) and infrastructure management for transport and safety. PSI was founded in 1969 and employs 1,650 persons worldwide.

About FIR on RWTH Aachen Campus

The Institute for Industrial Management FIR at RWTH Aachen University is a non-profit, intersectoral research institution concerned with business organization and corporate development with the aim to establish the organizational basis for the digitally integrated company of the future. The institute provides research, qualification programs and lectures in the fields of service management, information management, production management and business transformation. As a member of the German Federation of Industrial Research Associations, FIR promotes research and development for the benefit of small, medium-sized and large businesses. Since 2010 FIR’s general manager, Professor Volker Stich, is also Cluster Director of the Smart Logistics Cluster on RWTH Aachen Campus. Within the Smart Logistics Cluster, FIR enables a hitherto unprecedented form of cooperation between representatives of research and industry. In order to strengthen North Rhine-Westphalia as a hub of research and innovation, FIR also supports the federal state’s research strategy and participates in its research clusters.