Manufacturing, logistics and procurement - October 2019

Artificial Intelligence and robotising
Bonfiglioli has become the coordinator of the IoTwins project. IoTwins, part of the European project Horizon 2020, will experiment with new technologies for the digitisation of industrial processes and products, with 12 test platforms that will create "digital twins", i.e. virtual copies of industrial processes that will be used to test plants and infrastructure management tools in advance.
On 8 October, the Strategic Action Plan for AI (in Dutch) was sent (in Dutch) to the Dutch House of Representatives. On the same day, the AI Coalition (in Dutch) was launched, a public-private partnership to exploit the opportunities on this theme for the Netherlands. WUR is one of the participators. The coalition has drafted an action agenda (in Dutch, 1.65 MB).
Researchers at TU Delft have developed highly programmable actuators that, similar to the human hand, combine soft and hard materials to perform complex movements. These materials have great potential for soft robots that can safely and effectively interact with humans and other delicate objects.

Digital transformation of logistical processes by using RF tags
According to research at the Peter the Great St.Petersburg Polytechnic University, logistics is one of the most important processes to be automated for a company producing consumer goods. With the use of modern technologies, such as RF tags, you can not only fully automate the process of receiving and delivering products, but also create a platform for digital transformation to an autonomous warehouse. Using RF tags reduces the time for collecting and delivering components, which will speed up the production of the order and respond more quickly to changes in the production plan. An article (2.36 MB) about the research is published in Atlantis Highlights in Computer Sciences.

Assessing the print quality of primary packaging made of plastic films
IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen (in German) has drafted a comprehensive document for the assessment of the print quality of primary sales packaging made of plastic films and film laminates. Based on this draft, DIN SPEC 6124:2019-08 was then published. The document (in German) can be downloaded free of charge. An English version is in the making.

Prepare for Brexit
The Brexit magazine (in Dutch, 5.64 MB) is available on the Dutch government's Brexit website (in Dutch). It contains concrete tips and advice, to-do lists, useful links and stories from other companies working towards Brexit.
Dutch SME companies can also use a Brexit voucher (in Dutch) during their preparation. An external expert will help identify alternative markets and the consequences of Brexit for logistics or the free movement of employees, goods and services.

VTT solution to prevent beer bottle explosions
Some contaminant yeasts make beer bottles and cans explode. Apart from being dangerous for consumers these 'diastatic' yeasts also cause loss of beer batches due to off-flavours, increased alcohol and over-carbonation in products. VTT researchers have now developed a genetic test (STA1 gene) for brewers to detect the strains that cause these problems. With the new method results can be achieved in hours instead of weeks.

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