Fraunhofer-Institut für Angewandte Informationstechnik FIT

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Organizing Self-Organizing Systems: A Terminology, Taxonomy, and Reference Model for Entities in Cyber-physical Production Systems

2021 , Berger, Stephan , Häckel, Björn , Häfner, Lukas

Ongoing digitalization accelerates the transformation and integration of physical production and traditional computing systems into smart objects and their interconnectivity, forming the Internet of Things. In manufacturing, the cross-linking of embedded systems creates adaptive and self-organizing Cyber-Physical Production Systems (CPPSs). Owing to ever-increasing cross-linking, rapid technological advances, and multifunctionality, the complexity and structural opacity of CPPSs are rapidly increasing. The development of urgently needed modeling approaches for managing such complexity and structural opacity, however, is impeded by a lack of common understanding of CPPSs. Therefore, in this paper, we contribute to a common understanding of CPPSs by defining and classifying CPPS entities and illustrating their relations. More precisely, we present a terminology, a taxonomy, and a reference model for CPPS entities, created and evaluated using an iterative development process. Thereby, we lay the foundation for future CPPS modeling approaches that make CPPS complexity and structural opacity more manageable.

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Managing the Risks of Energy Efficiency Insurances in a Portfolio Context: An Actuarial Diversification Approach

2020 , Baltuttis, Dennik , Töppel, Jannick , Tränkler, Timm , Wiethe, Christian

To achieve ambitious international climate goals, an increase of energy efficiency investments is necessary and, thus, a growing market potential arises. Concomitantly, the relevance of managing the risk of financing and insuring energy efficiency measures increases continuously. Energy Efficiency Insurances encourage investors by guaranteeing a predefined energy efficiency performance. However, literature on quantitative analysis of pricing and diversification effects of such novel insurance solutions is scarce. This paper provides a first approach for the analysis of diversification potential on three levels: collective risk diversification, cross product line diversification, and financial hedging. Based on an extensive real-world data set for German residential buildings, the analysis reveals that underwriting different Energy Efficiency Insurance types and constructing MarkowitzMinimum Variance Portfolios halves overall risk in terms of standard deviation. We evince that Energy Efficiency Insurances can diversify property insurance portfolios and reduce regulatory capital for insurers under Solvency II constraints. Moreover, we show that Energy Efficiency Insurances potentially supersede financial market instruments such as weather derivatives in diversifying property insurance portfolios. In summary, these three levels of diversification effects constitute an additional benefit for the introduction of Energy Efficiency Insurances and may positively impact their market development.

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Evaluating Investments in Flexible On-Demand Production Capacity. A Real Options Approach

2020 , Freitag, Bettina , Häfner, Lukas , Pfeuffer, Verena , Übelhör, Jochen

Ongoing digitalization of production accelerates trends like mass customization, ever shorter lead times, and shrinking product life cycles. Thereby, industrial companies face increasingly volatile demand that complicates an appropriate production capacity planning. On the other hand, the comprehensive digitalization of production environments favors, amongst others, the dynamic integration of flexible external on-demand production capacity provided by specialized external capacity providers (ECPs). To enable the usage of on-demand production capacity, industrial companies may require significant upfront investments (e.g., for inter-organizational information systems, planning and organizational processes, employee training). The objective of this paper is to develop a model that evaluates such enabling upfront investments from the perspective of a manufacturing company. To consider flexibility of action, we apply real options analysis in a discrete-time binomial tree model and weigh these so-called expansion options to related cash outflows. In addition, we evaluate our model by means of a simulation and sensitivity analyses and derive insights for both researchers and practitioners. The insights gained by our model present a profound economic basis for investment decisions on upfront investments in flexible on-demand production capacity.

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Extending the Automation Pyramid for Industrial Demand Response

2019 , Körner, Marc-Fabian , Bauer, Dennis , Keller, Robert , Rösch, Martin , Schlereth, Andreas , Simon, Peter , Bauernhansl, Thomas , Fridgen, Gilbert , Reinhart, Gunther

Industrial demand response uses a multitude of energy flexibility measures. Their planning and control requires various production IT systems. A widely accepted approach to classify these inhouse IT systems are the levels of the automation pyramid in companies. This paper broadens the scope of this concept to overcome the limitation to companies' (virtual) borders by including required IT systems that refine and monetarize a company's energy flexibility, e.g. energy markets, aggregators, etc. Therefore, a holistic approach for the classification of functionalities for industrial demand response across companies and energy markets is developed and applied exemplarily.

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Determining the Optimal Time to Launch an Emerging Innovation in a Market

2020 , Häckel, Björn , Stirnweiß, Dominic

Investments in emerging technologies and the development of related emerging innovations are necessary to compete in the long term. The market entry timing plays an important role in generating decisive competitive advantages over competitors through investments in emerging innovations. Different market entry strategies offer varied opportunities and risks, which firms must take into account when choosing the optimal time to enter the market. This study develops an optimisation model to make an economically appropriate ex-ante decision in this choice by accounting for several relevant factors and weighing up possible opportunities and risks of the chosen market entry strategy. The evaluation of the simulation results shows that the considered factors influence the optimal market entry to varying ex-tents, and that both early and late market entry can be advantageous for companies.

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Robotic Process Automation

2020 , Hofmann, Peter , Samp, Caroline , Urbach, Nils

Within digital transformation, which is continuously progressing, robotic process automation (RPA) is drawing much corporate attention. While RPA is a popular topic in the corporate world, the academic research lacks a theoretical and synoptic analysis of RPA. Conducting a literature review and tool analysis, we propose in a holistic and structured way four traits that characterize RPA, providing orientation as well as a focus for further research. Software robots automate processes originally performed by human work. Thus, software robots follow a choreography of technological modules and control flow operators while operating within IT ecosystems and using established applications. Ease-of-use and adaptability allow companies to conceive and implement software robots through (agile) projects. Organizational and IT strategy, governance structures, and management systems therefore must address both the direct effects of software robots automating processes and their indirect impacts on firms.

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When does it pay off to integrate sustainability in the business model? - A Game-Theoretic Analysis

2020 , Gimpel, Henner , Graf-Drasch, Valerie , Kammerer, Alexander , Keller, Maximilian , Zheng, Xinyi

Acknowledging sustainability as a challenge of utmost importance, organizations face questions on dealing with different dimensions of sustainability. Respective actions include a fundamental shift in the purpose of business and almost every aspect of how it is conducted, or in short: an integration of sustainability in organizations business model. However, as sustainability is no altruistic end in itself, respective transformation must resonate with organizations economic conditions and their position in the market. But when does it pay off for organizations to integrate sustainability in their business model? Within this research paper we find answers by applying a game-theoretic framework and examining competition strategies for organizations integrating sustainability in their business model. Hereby we consider different market scenarios where symmetric and asymmetric, weak and strong, as well as a varying number of organizations interact. Our results suggest different strategies organizations can apply to gain competitive advantage.

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A comprehensive model for individuals' acceptance of smart energy technology - A meta-analysis

2020 , Gimpel, Henner , Graf, Vanessa , Graf-Drasch, Valerie

Individuals' use of smart energy technology - i.e., technology that increases energy efficiency or increases the integration of renewable energy sources - holds great potential to solve the energy-related climate problem. However, individuals' current uptake of smart energy technology is low. If policymakers are to successfully address this issue, it is vital that they understand the determinants of individuals' smart energy technology adoption. Hence, this paper provides a comprehensive adoption model for smart energy technology, including data from over 4k individuals in Europe, Asia, and North America involved in various technological contexts and phases of diffusion. A meta-analysis identifies Attitude and Performance Expectancy as the primary determinants of individuals' smart energy technology adoption. Further, results show that Environmental Concern influences all other determinants. Implications for research and policymakers are discussed.

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The Challenges and Opportunities of Energy-Flexible Factories: A Holistic Case Study of the Model Region Augsburg in Germany

2020 , Roth, Stefan , Schott, Paul , Ebinger, Katharina , Halbrügge, Stephanie , Kleinertz, Britta , Köberlein, Jana , Püschel, Danny , Buhl, Hans Ulrich , Ober, Steffi , Reinhart, Gunther , Roon, Serafin von

Economic solutions for the integration of volatile renewable electricity generation aredecisive for a socially supported energy transition. So-called energy-flexible factories can adapt theirelectricity consumption process efficiently to power generation. These adaptions can support thesystem balance and counteract local network bottlenecks. Within part of the model regionAugsburg, a research and demonstration area of a federal research project, the potential, obstacles,effects, and opportunities of the energy-flexible factory were considered holistically. Exemplaryflexibilization measures of industrial companies were identified and modeled. Simulations wereperformed to analyze these measures in supply scenarios with advanced expansion of fluctuatingrenewable electricity generation . The simulations demonstrate that industrial energy flexibility canmake a positive contribution to regional energy balancing, thus enabling the integration of morevolatile renewable electricity generation. Based on these fundamentals, profiles for regional marketmechanisms for energy flexibility were investigated and elaborated. The associated environmentaladditional expenses of the companies for the implementation of the flexibility measures wereidentified in a life-cycle assessment, with the result that the negative effects are mitigated by theincreased share of renewable energy. Therefore, from a technical perspective, energy-flexiblefactories can make a significant contribution to a sustainable energy system without greaterenvironmental impact. In terms of a holistic approach, a network of actors from science, industry,associations, and civil society organizations was established and actively collaborated in atransdisciplinary work process. Using design-thinking methods, profiles of stakeholders in theregion, as well as their mutual interactions and interests, were created. This resulted in requirementsfor the development of suitable business models and reduced regulatory barriers.

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Modeling IT Availability Risks in Smart Factories. A Stochastic Petri Nets Approach

2020 , Miehle, Daniel , Häckel, Björn , Pfosser, Stefan , Übelhör, Jochen

In the course of the ongoing digitalization of production, industrial production infrastructures have become increasingly intertwined with information and communication technology. There-by, physical production processes depend more and more on the flawless functioning of information networks. Threats, such as attacks and errors, can compromise the components of in-formation networks, and due to the increasing interconnection, can even cause entire smart factories to fail. However, increasing complexity and lack of transparency of information networks in smart factories complicate the detection and analysis of such threats. Following a De-sign Science Research approach, this study aims to develop a methodology to depict and to model information networks in smart factories to enable the identification and analysis of IT availability risks. Based on a modular stochastic Petri net approach, we provide an artifact that enables the simulation and analysis of threats in smart factory information networks. To demonstrate the applicability and feasibility of our approach, we investigate different threat scenarios regarding their impacts on the operational capability of a close-to-reality information network setting. Further, to complement the evaluation from a practical perspective, we integrated the insights from two expert interviews with two global leading companies in the automation and packaging industry. The results indicate that the developed artifact offers a promising approach to better analyze and understand IT availability risks in smart factory information networks.

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