Due to the complex nature of the production processes and the need to have a holistic perspective on it, the structure of an Integrated Project was chosen for the XPRESS project. It provides the possibility to cover different integration levels, which are highly required for structuring such complex systems. XPRESS includes the following integration levels:
-Vertical integration by including well-known research institutes for the creation of knowledge in the field of artificial intelligence and knowledge based structures, producers of joining, handling and assembling equipment as well as end-users in different industrial sectors and a partner specialised in management and trans-national technology transfer. Thus XPRESS involves all stakeholders along the manufacturing value chain.
-Horizontal integration by including several scientific domains (computer science, mathematical science, science of production technologies, physics, engineering, design, etc.), technologies (joining, handling and transport processing, data mining, pattern recognition, etc.) and three different application fields: electrical, aeronautic and car manufacturing applications. As a breakthrough cannot only be achieved by innovative technological development, XPRESS will also take societal issues, industries’, consumers’ and workers’ needs into consideration.
-Sectoral integration by forming a consortium of public and private institutes, high education institutions, large scale industry as well as SMEs.
-In order to work out an ambitious scientific manufacturing concept which satisfies the actual needs of the automotive, the aeronautic and the electrical industry XPRESS is based on a strong research-industry partnership which consists of 11 industrial partners (large companies and SMEs) and 5 well known research organisations. Only by combining the unique expertise and long-term experience of these most different knowledge communities the idea of the “Manufactronic factory” can be realized.