COMPETENCE CENTER ROBOFLEX
Advanced Robotics, Key Enabling Technologies and
Industry 4.0  Business Models for Manufacturing SMEs
Competence Center ROBOFLEX  as Heart of the Regional Technology Collaboration Platform on Robotics and Key Enabling Technologies (KETs) for Industry 4.0
The Competence Center ROBOFLEX was established by the Toolmakers Cluster of Slovenia, LENS Living Lab - INTESO Group and ETRA Ltd, at the beginning of 2017.  Their primary motivation was to use the opportunity of the existing international innovation project HORSE to organize the regional "one-stop-shop" access point with information, technology demonstration facility, professional supporting services in the area of flexible- cognitive robot and Industry 4.0 systems applications for the needs of manufacturing SMEs.  The secondary motivation was to demonstrate and promote the use of new value chain business models for the sustainable collaboration between industry, research, and university partners. This includes active support and participation of professional associations, representatives of the public sector and other interested parties. Competence Center ROBOFLEX Slovenia is the organizer and coordinator of the regional collaboration platform for related technologies. This platform represents the working environment to support industry innovation efforts in the selected areas of Competence Center ROBOFLEX Slovenia collaboration interests. Competence center ROBOFLEX technology collaboration platform was activated at the start of this year (2018).

The CC ROBOFLEX collaboration platform recognize different levels of collaboration interests, as follows  (current number of partners in the brackets):
  • 0-Level: CC ROBOFLEX core industry innovation partners (3 partners)
  • 1-Level: CC ROBOFLEX strategic research and development partners  (9 partners)
  • 2-Level: CC ROBOFLEX research & innovation partners ( 0 partners)
  • 3-Level: CC ROBOFLEX partners from professional chambers and associations (2 partners)
  • 4-Level: CC ROBOFLEX regional chamber of commerce and other supporting organizations (2 partners)
  • 5-Level: CC ROBOFLEX industry entrepreneurs open community (the existing network of Toolmakers Cluster of Slovenia and LENS Living Lab industry partners)
  • 6-Level: CC ROBOFLEX EU and global innovation partners (4 partners).
 Competence Center ROBOFLEX Business Radar 
Competence Center ROBOFLEX  as Part of the European Network of Competence Centers on Robotics Created for the Needs of Manufacturing SMEs
CC ROBOFLEX Contribution to the Regional Digital  Innovation Hub (DIH) and Relevant EU Development Strategies Implementation 
Competence Center ROBOFLEX contributes to EC DG CONNECT strategy on Digitization of European industry, which is supporting the development of DIHs – Digital innovation hubs throughout Europe. Competence Center  ROBOFLEX is part of regional DIH DIGITECH SI-East and contributes to this strategy by offering appropriate services SMEs in the Eastern cohesion region of Slovenia as well as in whole Slovenia. Activities of Competence Center ROBOFLEX are in line with EU document „Robotics 2020 - Multi-Annual Roadmap“, SPARC – The Partnership for Robotics in Europe, hereby ensures international competitiveness of its activities.

Breaking News - CC ROBOFLEX Received the MOS'18 Award from
the City Council of Municipality of Celje

Competence center ROBOFLEX participated in one of the prominent central European industrial fairs for craft and entrepreneurship where was awarded as a contributor to regional strategic innovation processes.   This fair is organized every year in September in Celje (Slovenia) - MOS'18 (11-16.September 2018). This year was the 51st fair with more than 2000 exhibitors and over 120.000 visitors from different countries. The Competence Center ROBOFLEX was introduced by the core partner ETRA Ltd, which is responsible for its DEMO center and robotic systems integration. We presented the Competence center ROBOFLEX services, the network of regional and EU partners, and practical demonstration of the use of collaborative robot - in this case with the practical demo example by the use of KUKA IIWA robot.
DIGITECH SI-EAST
Regional  Digital Innovation Hub (DIH) Slovenia
A Digital Innovation  Hub (DIH) is a support facility that helps companies to become more competitive by improving their business/production processes as well as products and services by means of digital technology.
Source: (WG 1-Digital Innovation Hubs: Mainstreaming Digital Innovation Across All Sectors, Third Report, April 2017)

LENS Living Lab - INTESO Group is partnering with TCS- Toolmakers Cluster of Slovenia in initiation and development of the regional digital innovation hub DIGITECH SI-EAST in Slovenia. DIGITECH SI-EAST  presents integration and upgrading of the existing regional industry partnering and networking initiatives coordinated by both organizations. 
Division of responsibilities:
  • LENS Living Lab:
    - Partnering research and innovation project initiatives development
    - Regional innovation ecosystem  services
    - DIGITECH SI-EAST virtual innovation communities and collaboration platform services
      development
    - Virtual knowledge management systems and services
    - Digital ecosystem coordination
  • TCS - Toolmakers Cluster of Slovenia:
    - Industry networking and lobbying for national and international partnering in digitalization
      industry research  and innovation projects,
    - Project office services to support partnering project initiatives and project implementation,
    - Scouting for national and international project funding  opportunities
    - DIGITECH SI-EAST legal address and administration services
DIGITECH SI-EAST was registered as a member of the EU network of DIHs in 2018

KM FEST Global Collaboration Platform

A Global Innovation Community of Project & Technology Management in Practice and Organizers of Knowledge Management Festivals (KM FEST)

Another successful international event in the series of the KM FEST events in Denmark with the focus on Innovation Management, Robotics and Industry 4.0

(Odense,  10-11. September 2018)

Globalization, Industry 4.0 and Internet of Things have put increased demand on how companies manage globally distributed innovation projects through high-performance teams.  These challenges were discussed in this combined workshop/seminar!

The event objective was to discuss how distributed project teams are crossing cultural borderlines facing new technologies, can succeed in effective communication on personal, technical and organizational levels in an Industry 4.0 environment.

In the focus of this P&KM FEST event:

Block 1: New knowledge in Project Management
Block 2: Management of Innovative Networks and Clusters
Block 3: Global trends in innovation and new business models
Block 4: Workshop: Work in moderated groups, coached by Erik Mansson,
Block 5: Key enabling technologies in robotics

The form of this traditional P&KM FEST event was a combination of seminars with presentations from experienced academics and practitioners and workshops guided by an experienced coach. The outputs contributed to better understanding of new trends for competences in Project – and Innovation Management, we call it PM4.0!

Workshop/Seminar co-organizing organizations and Partners:

IDA Fyn and LHConsult, Denmark, (coordinator), Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia, LENS Living Lab – INTESO Group Slovenia with Competence Center Roboflex Slovenia, Mindshift Consulting Germany, RoboCluster DK, PTMF ( Project and Technology Management Foundation, India), Odense Robotics, SRIP Josef Stefan Institut Slovenia

On the below link, you can find the presentations and a few photos from the last KM FEST event in Odense:

Link: http://kmfest.intesosolutions.com/2018/    

3L INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIVE ACADEMY
Industry 4.0 Needs  New Competencies & Skills

PM (Project Management) 4.0 as Integration Language of Industry 4.0


Projects and project management (also programme management) are the proverbial “blood vessels” of Industry 4.0 organizational and inter-organizational value- and supply chain systems. Technology-driven “chaordic” global businesses require a high level of technology literacy, skills in techno-entrepreneurship, and innovation. Moreover, transformational leadership with a penchant for continuous improvements and change is needed. This calls for a good understanding of industry strategic value trends and related migration processes – regional and global.
 
Traditional industrial engineering with its embedded project management competencies and skills is insufficient to be recognized as a good candidate for the Industry 4.0 economic dispensation.  More is needed. The attached Figure illustrates the conceptual framework of emerging Industry 4.0 competencies, indicating the relationship between the synergetic competences of technology applications and project management.
More information you can find in the article:
Semolic B. & Steyn P.: Industry 4.0 Collaborative Research, Innovation and Development (RID) Projects.
Article available in the PM World Library on this link: https://pmworldlibrary.net/ 
From the Workbench of 3L ICA Partners 
QUALIFICATIONS
Cranefield College introduced a new education  course related to the Industry 4.0

PUBLICATIONS
PTMF  India introduced the new International Journal of Project and Technology Management.  You can access the journal clicking the following link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1cHVsd4BsRlWTikm9I8V9C37Z6fWZ9cOk

RECOGNITIONS
The paper published in the PM World Journal by authors Pieter Steyn (Cranefield College) and Brane  Semolic (LENS Living Lab)  with the title  "Collaboratism: A Solution to Declining Globalisation and Rising Protectionism" was received this year the annual recognition as "2017 Editor's Choice Award".
See this link

 
Editor:  Prof.Dr.Brane Semolic

Copyright © 2018 by LENS Living Lab, All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2018 LENS Living Lab, All rights reserved.