AMI-4-SME

From AMI@Work Communities Wiki

[edit] Abstract

The AMI-4-SME project is aiming at finding new technological and organisational approaches to enable Manufacturing SMEs to use Ambient Intelligence Technology for Systemic Innovation. The next revolutionary step in process innovation in industry is to radically innovate the whole industrial working environment, by focusing it upon the main actor in industry: the human actor, and by applying emerging systemic innovation approaches. The application of Ambient Intelligence (AmI) Technology can be considered as a key enabler to achieve such advances in the working environment. And especially SMEs need to be systematically enabled to actively take part in this revolution. Therefore, the AMI-4-SME project is aiming at the realisation of the following key results:

• Easy reusable technological solutions – AMI-4-SME Building Blocks – enabling to realise intelligent features in manufacturing processes.
• A coaching oriented methodology, for supporting SME type organisations in the systemic innovation of their processes.

From technology point of view the AMI-4-SME Building Blocks will specifically address multi-modal services, RFID tags as well as speech recognition. The required ICT expertise is provided by Telefonica, PRO DV and Softronica, which are representing both large as well as SME type ICT vendor industry. And as a key contribution to their strategic business objectives, they are envisaging strategic potentials on the one hand with respect to the AmI building blocks, facilitating reuse of know how when enhancing their products and services. On the other, they want to support a strengthening of innovation culture in European SMEs as their customers in presence and future.

Moreover, the basic assumption of AMI-4-SME is that the realisation of new AmI based environments will allow to create new needs and potentials to radically re-organise the work in industry, bringing considerable benefits regarding motivation of employees, flexibility, productivity, cost efficiency, performance and robustness, and, therefore, providing a breakthrough in the competitiveness of European SMEs. Therefore, AMI-4-SME aims at proposing a new scheme for systemic innovation of industrial working environments in SMEs by deploying AmI potentials in daily operation. The RTD activities will consist in the development and validation of new models of business processes for flexible manufacturing, specifically tailored to the needs of SMEs and supported by a coaching oriented methodological approach.

In summary the uptake and commercialisation of the project results shall enable SMEs to realise the following benefits:

• Focusing on business process improvement by eliminating weak points, which are jeopardising the achievement of strategic business objectives.
• Understand the specific potentials of diverse innovative technology features for SME type organisations.
• Understand how to successfully introduce both organisational changes as well as supporting technology.
• Understand where AmI technologies offer potentials to optimise the interaction of human operators with their working environment.
• Facilitating the integration of existing heterogeneous systems as well as with new technology.

First project results and more information can be downloaded via the AMI-4-SME webpage.

[edit] Consortium

	ATB Institut für Angewandte Systemtechnik Bremen GmbH, DE, Coordinator
	DERI - National University of Ireland, Digital Enterprise Research Institute, IR
	CARSA - Consultores de Automatizacion y Robotica, S.A., ES
	Telefónica Investigación y Desarrollo Sociedad Anónima Unipersona, ES
	PRO DV Software AG, DE
	Softrónica S.A., ES
	TRIMEK S.A., ES
	Sidheán Teo, IR
	Brüggen Oberflächen- und Systemlieferant GmbH, DE
	OAS AG, DE
	TNS Sp.z.o.o., PL