The more complex products are, the more difficult it is for manufacturers to assess the functional and financial consequences of technical changes. Making design decisions easier in the future is the goal of ImPaKT. This research project is about an integrated IT solution that uses model-based impact analyses to deliver reliable key performance indicators for efficient engineering change management.

One of the initiators of the project is Claas Industrietechnik. In collaboration with its network of suppliers, the company produces a wide variety of products for agricultural machinery, such as crawler tracks. During development, the various IT systems used internally and by external partners lead to media disruptions and incomplete data. This makes the coordination of product changes a time-consuming and error-prone process.

As part of ImPaKT, the research partners are exploiting the potential offered by model-based systems engineering (MBSE) and artificial intelligence (AI). In order to fundamentally optimize change management, the team is developing an end-to-end MBSE reference architecture based on the CONTACT Elements platform with a view to the entire value chain, including customers and suppliers. The primary task of the industry partners will be to validate the project results in three real-world case studies.

In addition, the consortium intends to define standards for the integration of the new methods into cross-company collaboration. This will create a common knowledge base for all those involved in a development project, which, in combination with AI algorithms, will support sound impact analyses. This enables companies to evaluate technical product changes and their costs more quickly and reliably.

The consortium

Chair of Product Development at the Heinz Nixdorf Institute/University of Paderborn (coordination), Institute for Machine Elements and Systems Engineering at RWTH Aachen University, CONTACT Software, Itemis, Prostep (IT partner), Eisengießerei Baumgarte, Hadi-Plast Kunststoff-Verarbeitung, Hofmann Mess- und Auswuchttechnik (industrial user), Claas Industrietechnik, Knapheide Hydraulik-Systeme, Schaeffler (associated partner).