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Tarakos GmbH, Kranbau Köthen GmbH and the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF have launched a research project to developed a skill-based assistance system for process cranes. The objective of the project is to use intelligent assistance systems to make complex crane operations safer, more efficient and easier to control for operators. This will establish an important technological basis for the automated manufacturer in which intelligent assistance systems assist people and complex manufacturing and material flow processes are automated flexibly and reliably.

An industry consortium comprised of Intel, Infineon, Siemens, SAP and Bosch will develop a joint data room infrastructure for semiconductor manufacturing by September in the Semiconductor-X project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE). The Fraunhofer Institute for Applied and Integrated Security (AISEC) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation (IOSB) have now joined the consortium as cybersecurity partners and are developing a road map for secure data rooms. The goal is to enable companies to exchange sensitive production and process data securely along the value chain. The results are also intended to support other Manufacturing-X initiatives.

The new section 42c of the Energy Industry Act operationalizes energy sharing in Germany as of June 1, 2026. For the first time, it establishes regulatory standards that will even enable local and industrial energy communities to use renewable energies jointly. In the FlexBIT research project, the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF is developing specific digital solutions to transfer these new capabilities for the automated manufacturer of tomorrow into industrial practice.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF and Rolls-Royce Solutions Magdeburg GmbH have successfully completed a joint automation project. The objective of the project was to automate a process of cleaning connecting rods for reuse in fully overhauled engines. The project is a prime example of needs-driven technology transfer against the backdrop of industry’s transformation into a circular economy.

The European research project RoboSAPIENS is reaching its first important milestone. The consortium funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe program is developing self-adapting software for robots with the objective of enabling robots to respond flexibly to changing environments while guaranteeing safe and trustworthy collaboration with humans. Fraunhofer IFF’s case study is now available.

Pests that spread as a result of climate change pose an increasing threat to fruit farming and viticulture in Germany. Fraunhofer researchers are working with partners to develop methods for the early identification of infestations in grapevines and in apricot, apple and pear trees so as to enable timely counter-measures to be taken. A mobile lab, the PhenoTruck®, supports rapid and relia-ble identification of harmful organisms directly on site. The platform provides a highly mobile system for analyzing disease symptoms, combining machine-learning methods, drone-based multispectral sensing, hyperspectral sensing and molecular biological tests.

With the Safe Multipass Welding with Industrial Robots SIMMI research project, ATA Anlagentechnik Aschersleben GmbH, Polarith GmbH and Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF are pooling their expertise. The objective of the joint project is to improve process reliability and job safety in automated welding of large and complex steel parts significantly, consequently advancing robot use in a sector that could only be automated to a limited extent until now.

The Construct-X research project will advance digitalization of the construction industry significantly. Around 40 partners from the construction industry, skilled trades, IT, the research community and associations will be working together in the three-year project on developing digital standards, tools and procedures for the whole industry. Fraunhofer IFF is researching two use cases intended to improve communication among the parties involved considerably.