White Papers, Trend Reports and Studies

Exclusive insights into five groundbreaking research and development projects completed by the International Center for Networked Adaptive Production (ICNAP) together with industry partners in 2024 are presented in the ICNAP Report 2024. It combines current facts, figures and insights from interactive workshops, practice-oriented research and development collaborations. It provides an indispensable knowledge base for companies that want to actively shape the future of Industry 4.0.

The white paper shows how manufacturing companies can successfully position themselves in the new ecosystem of the transition to a circular economy. In the face of rapid technological change and growing uncertainty, agility and speed are key. The paper offers a blueprint to help companies make informed decisions to enter the market quickly and secure a competitive advantage for the future.

The white paper serves as a valuable guide for companies that want to familiarize themselves with the fundamentals of quantum computing at an early stage and develop strategic know-how.

The use of artificial intelligence can improve efficiency in industrial production. As part of various research projects with European aerospace companies, the Fraunhofer IPT has identified six promising fields of application for the use of AI.

In this paper, the Fraunhofer IPT, in cooperation with Henkel and Leuphana University, presents a new concept: The "Economies of Synchronization". By synchronizing activities, such as coordinating team members, companies can minimize resources, maximize performance, and increase flexibility. We have developed a structured approach to help companies on their path to increased efficiency and sustainable growth.

The white paper identifies five key challenges of the European innovation system in comparison to the analyzed US and Chinese systems and presents four recommendations for action to overcome these challenges.

The white paper "Resilient value chains for food production" by Fraunhofer IPT, Fraunhofer IME and Fraunhofer IVV shows the successful application of a resilient system architecture. To assess resilience in food production, the team of authors looks at two dimensions: the technical resilience of the production facilities used and the ecosystem resilience of the food grown.

The "ICNAP Study Report 2023" presents the results of five collaborative research and development studies conducted by the International Center for Networked Adaptive Production (ICNAP) together with its industry partners in 2023. The results of the collaboration between researchers and partner companies in the ICNAP community reflect the findings on the following topics: industrialization of artificial intelligence, innovative solutions for energy, the implementation of plug-and-produce, a digital twin demonstrator and an energy monitoring framework.

The presented study draws on the findings of a Cross Industry Group consisting of six renowned industrial com­panies and a range of expert contributors. The group explored both, the challenges and the key factors that contribute to successful corporate startup building. The most insightful aspects of their discussions have been condensed in this whitepaper.

The "ICNAP Study Report 2022" presents the results of five collaborative research and development studies conducted by the International Center for Networked Adaptive Production (ICNAP) together with its industry partners in 2022. The results of the collaboration between researchers and partner companies of the ICNAP community reflect the findings on the following topics: Pricing Models for Industrial Data, Real-Time Digital Twin, Digital Infrastructures for Sustainable Production, Cybersecurity Lab and Industrial Data Spaces.