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Zero Defects Manufacturing Platform (ZDMP)

Tampere University
1.1.2019–31.12.2022

The ZDMP project aims at providing an extendable platform for supporting factories with a high interoperability level to cope with the concept of connected factories to reach the zero defects goal. In this context, ZDMP will allow end-users to connect their systems (i.e. shopfloor and ERP Systems) to benefit from the features of the platform. These benefits include products and production quality assurance among others.

ZDMP Open Calls:

The Zero Defects Manufacturing Platform (ZDMP) project team invites you to apply for your share of €3.2million EC H2020 Funding split over 2 separate Open Calls aimed at European SME software developers, tech companies and manufacturers to create, test, validate and/or integrate innovative zero-defect solutions for Industry4.0 using the ZDMP components, services and platform.

Call now open. Please apply via: https://www.zdmp.eu/calls

Call 1 will provide up to €1 million in grants and is open from Monday 1st March and will close on Friday 30th April 2021 (@ 17:00 CET). Applications are welcomed from technology SMEs and manufacturers based in EU and Associated countries (inc. the UK). Applicants are asked to bid for sub-projects in the following 3 areas:

  • Development: Sub-projects for the development of Design-time / Run-time digital manufacturing components and services; new AI/Machine Learning solutions and new algorithms; developing/extending the ZDMP platform and components into new domains.
  • Integration: Sub-projects to improve the ZDMP ecosystem by integrating existing 3rd Party components and/or platforms or integrating ZDMP components with 3rd Party processes in new domains.
  • Validation: Sub-projects for functional, scenario and technical validation and/or performance or usability testing of ZDMP platform and components in 'real-world' manufacturing contexts.

Here is what we offer successful project applicants:

  • Funding of between €50-€150k for each project (between 10 to 15 SME/startups will be selected to share in the €1 million total grant pool for Call 1).
  • The freedom to exploit project outputs across your business. ZDMP does not take equity.
  • The opportunity to develop new, working relationships with businesses in the Industry4.0 domain.
  • Access to a new sales channel through the ZDMP Marketplace.

A second Open Call has been launched in August 2021 with a focus on zApps.

 

Following the successful conclusion of our first open call, 10 projects worth (just over) €1 million were awarded in June 2021.

Now our second open call with €2.2million of funding is available. ZDMP Open Call 2 is extended to 15th of October 5pm CET, 2021 from the 1st October.

We ask that you visit www.zdmp.eu/calls for more details on ZDMP, the open call, and how to apply.

Here’s what we offer successful project applicants:

  • Funding of between €50-€150k for each project
  • The freedom to exploit project outputs across your business (with some restrictions). ZDMP does not take equity
  • Between 15-20 SME/startups will be chosen to share in the €2.2 million total grant pool for Call 2
  • The opportunity to develop new, working relationships with businesses in the Industry4.0 domain
  • Access to a new sales channel through the ZDMP Marketplace
  • Support throughout the application process.

Projects can be run virtually so companies can join from anywhere within the EU, UK, and associated countries and applications are welcomed from technology SMEs and manufacturers and can either be individual bids or consortiums of two (although always led by an SME). Applicants are asked to bid for sub-projects in the following 3 areas:

  • Development
    • Sub-projects for the development of: Design-time / Run-time digital manufacturing applications, components and services; new AI/Machine Learning solutions and new algorithms; developing/extending ZDMP applications and services into new domains.
  • Integration
    • Sub-projects to improve the ZDMP ecosystem by integrating existing 3rd Party applications, components and/or platforms, or integrating ZDMP applications or components with 3rd Party processes in new domains.
  • Validation
    • Sub-projects for functional, scenario and technical validation and/or performance or usability testing of ZDMP applications (zApps) and components in 'real-world' manufacturing contexts. 

If this funding opportunity is of interest to you, please explore www.zdmp.eu/calls and apply.

 

Background

In recent years, many industrial production sites in Europe have started strategic work towards a digital transformation into the fourth-industrial revolution termed Industry 4.0. Based on this new paradigm, companies must embrace a new technological infrastructure, which is easy-to-implement for their business, and easy to implement with other business across all their machines and systems. The concept of zero-defects in the management of quality is one of the main benefits deriving from the implementation of Industry 4.0 both in the digitalisation of production process quality and from the digitization of product quality.

At the heart of the “zero-defects” infrastructure is a digital manufacturing platform that provides the ability to connect different parts of the manufacturing life-cycle through digital data supporting the use of information for intelligent automation and smarter, more efficient decisions. The concept of ZDMP can be simplified to a feedback and control system found in areas ranging from Human/Autonomous Driving through to Electronics. Steering the system will be the ZDMP Apps composed using the project’s SDK and different components. Broadly these receive (and present/actuate) information from sensors/APIs and then process the data. Influencing this are material and process flaws as well as errors which create defects. This data is processed through Process and Product Analytics Services which in turn feeds back to the Apps to complete the cycle reiterating until the system is optimised and Zero-Defect Product is achieved.

Goal

The goal of the ZDMP Project is to develop and establish a digital platform for connected smart factories for achieving excellence in manufacturing through zero-defect processes and products thanks to the use of zero-defect core services for developing Apps. As the Phone propelled to the Smart Phone, ZDMP will propel the “Factory” to the “Smart Factory” to the “Smart Zero-Defect factory”. The ZDMP project aims to establish a Smart Zero-Defects environment by deployment and networking of an Intelligent and ‘SME-friendly’ Platform, Application Studio, and Marketplace of developed functionality (for product and process quality), applications, and services in any factory for achieving excellence in European and Global Manufacturing.

Impact

To remain competitive and keep its leading manufacturing position, European industry is required to produce high quality products at a low cost in the most efficient way. Today, the manufacturing industry is undergoing a substantial transformation due to the proliferation of new digital and ICT solutions, which are applied along the production process chain and are helping to make production more efficient as in the case of smart factories. ZDMP will deploy/validate the ZDMP environment in pre-defined use cases which have been chosen for their complementary nature yet building upon some common themes. A total of 11 Use Cases are grouped in two supply chains, Assembly and Provision, representing four main Industrial Sectors: Automotive, Machine Tools, Electronics, and Construction

ZDMP will provide solutions that not only to allow industrial companies to predict, detect, and correct defects in a specific product manufacturing stage, but to also prevent their spread downstream the supply chain. ZDMP will offer an open environment where a new generation of developed zero-defect service applications will be available in a marketplace contributing to create an ecosystem where ZDMP stakeholders would be able to interact with each other. In this ecosystem:

• Manufacturing users can ask for new applications and algorithms or find existing ones from the marketplace to solve their own zero-defect manufacturing problems

• Subscribed software developers can both respond to specific manufacturing user demands and self-innovate to design, build, and publish new applications and algorithms

• Service providers will interact offering infrastructure for communications, storage, and processing

• Consulting companies can interact as prescriber of the ZDMP solutions giving support to their customers

• Zero-defect technology companies can provide the marketplace with drivers and APIs to access to access their technical equipment

Funding source

European Union H2020

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 825631.

People

Partners

ICE (UK), UNINOVA (Portugal), FORD (Spain), SIMAVI (Romania), Software AG (Germany), AlgoWatt (Italy), Video Systems (Italy), AlfaTest (Romania), Etxetar (Spain), PROFACTOR (Austria), CETECK (Spain), ROOTER (Spain), ITI (Spain), ALONG (Portugal), UPV (Spain), University of Southampton (UK), FIDIA (Italy), Mondragon Assembly (France), IKERLAN (Spain), HSD (Italy), CONSUGAL (Portugal), FORMPLAST (Czech), PT MILLS (Portugal), FLEXEFELINA (Portugal), ASCORA (Germany), MARTINREA HONSEL (Spain), CONTINENTAL (Romania), DIN (Germany), CEI (Spain), TAU (Finland)