Everything visible - utilising expert knowledge for concrete block production
The routine industrial operation of a concrete plant is characterized by numerous daily challenges, be it stagnant plants or quality problems. These can be traced back to a wide variety of causes, from technical issues to human error. The knowledge of how to deal with such situations lies directly with the employees and is documented in rare cases only. As part of a research project by the IAB Weimar, this wealth of experience was considered holistically and made available to employees in production.
The production sequence of concrete products production was the starting point of the research project. The focus of the project was on the qualitative consideration of the interaction of individual process steps with a focus on the quality of the concrete products. Among other things, the project goal was to develop a foundation for an expert system for the transfer of knowledge on how to deal with quality issues and disruptions in production. Furthermore, the focus was on elaborating the concept of a continuous data based monitoring of the whole production sequence as prove of the process capability, which itself is part of a production system.
All project results were validated and developed further by the project partners in a very intensive, open and respectful exchange. It should be emphasized at this point that the general cooperation between users and equipment suppliers is very expedient, which has been noted by all project partners. Getting to know the individual possibilities and challenges of the respective participants represents an enormous added value for the entire industry. The project was funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action on the basis of a resolution of the German Bundestag.
