Proalpha, one of the leading providers of business applications for medium-sized manufacturing companies, is once again exhibiting at HANNOVER MESSE this year – this time at the partner stand of SmartFactory-KL in Hall 8 and at the Trovarit stand in Hall 14/15. Proalpha's presence at the show is all about practical and innovative application scenarios for business applications and ERP systems for industrial SMEs – whether artificial intelligence (AI), digital data rooms, digital product passports or measuring the carbon footprint.

Well-thought-out implementation strategies

SMEs in particular are facing far-reaching changes: the pressure to digitize, growing competition, rising energy prices and stricter sustainability requirements are putting companies under pressure. New technologies offer great potential, but their integration requires well-thought-out implementation strategies and flexible solutions. “The digitalization of the manufacturing industry begins in one's own company, extends across upstream and downstream supply chains, and ultimately unfolds its full potential in terms of efficient production, digital value creation, and new business models in federative data spaces such as Manufacturing-X,” emphasizes Michael Finkler, Managing Director Business Development at Proalpha Group. “We are therefore very pleased to be at HANNOVER MESSE with SmartFactory-KL to showcase two practical and innovative use cases that demonstrate the potential of digital data rooms for increasingly autonomous and data-driven production and value creation.”

Use Case Factory-X shows practical application of the autonomous factory in the data room

At Stand D18 in Hall 8, Proalpha will be demonstrating how the autonomous operation of machines using data rooms works as part of the Factory-X research project, together with partners from research, IT and industry. This includes the automated detection of faults and suggestions for preventive maintenance and servicing. Thanks to a remote operator, the operation of several machines can be monitored simultaneously without having to be physically on site. When a component needs to be serviced or replaced, the ERP system provides the relevant information via the data room so that service calls and spare parts orders can be efficiently planned. The identification, selection and ordering of spare parts is also further automated by the connection to the data room. The implementation is carried out by the communication capability of various business applications, which are connected to each other via data rooms by means of Factory-X connectors. From a process point of view, the demonstration includes the automated creation of tickets in the Proalpha ERP system and the decision as to whether service calls or spare parts procurement are required. The REST interface framework of Proalpha ERP version 9.5 provides the technical basis for this.

Transparency and sustainability thanks to digital product passports and Industrial AI

In another use case, Proalpha will show how digital product data and product passports (DPP) can be linked to ERP systems. Digital product passports will be required by law in many industries in the future. They enable the continuous collection and updating of product data over the entire lifecycle – from production to recycling. They ensure a high level of data integrity and allow different players in the value chain to see a product from different perspectives, for example to provide the CO2 footprint that can be reused by other parties.

Standardized and interoperable data structure

The ERP system acts both as a data supplier and a data consumer: it provides material information and, in the event of a repair, enables access to the product history. The Asset Administration Shell (AAS) can be used to provide production data such as parts lists or manufacturing steps, ensuring a standardized and interoperable data structure. The use case developed jointly with SmartFactory-KL shows how the recorded production data (e.g. production progress or energy consumption) can be combined with ERP data (e.g. material information) and used, for example, to calculate CO2 footprints.

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