In the “IntWertL” research project, science and industry are working together on a digital engineering and production platform that makes the development of individual forms of mobility and their realization in small quantities attractive even for small and medium-sized companies.
IntWertL – Intelligente Wertschöpfungsnetzwerke für Leichtbaufahrzeuge geringer Stückzahl (German)
Faster to customized vehicles
The IntWertL research project aims to pave the way for small and medium-sized enterprises to produce customized vehicles. At a time when individuality and sustainability are becoming increasingly important, this project opens up new perspectives for the automotive industry.
The idea is to optimize and shorten product development processes in order to avoid the high investments usually associated with the production of customized vehicles. By using modern technologies and innovative methods, it should be possible to bring vehicles to market in small quantities in a cost-efficient manner without compromising on individuality.
Close cooperation with various partners from industry, science, business and research is creating a comprehensive network that pools know-how and resources. Small and medium-sized companies can benefit from this concentrated expertise and offer their customers tailor-made solutions.
IntWertL is thus paving the way to a future in which customized lightweight vehicles are no longer the preserve of the big players in the automotive industry, but also represent a viable and sustainable option for smaller companies.
New forms of collaboration in value networks
“From order to payment, we want to develop an end-to-end automated process,” says Vladimir Jelschow of the Corporate Strategy and Development department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA. In doing so, the platform must map the entire process chain and take into account technical, organizational and legal framework conditions for the value network. Intelligent algorithms are to be used for automation, which, for example, determine the appropriate manufacturers for the components of the desired vehicles.
“The effective design of the value network is at the core of the platform’s success,” says Mirko Schneider from the Corporate Strategy and Development department at Fraunhofer IPA. In this context, added value must be generated for each company by participating in the platform, with new business models and billing logics for the value network being developed within the project.
Platform prototype to be ready by early 2026
The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate
The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection is funding the IntWertL research project with around twelve million euros. The project sponsor is TÜV Rheinland. The research project started on September 1, 2022 and is scheduled to run for 42 months. By spring 2026, the participating companies and research institutions want to complete a prototype of their platform – with a limited range of functions and initial member companies.
KENBUN IT AG is a leading company in the development of state-of-the-art AI technologies. Using an advanced AI and Big Data platform, they are able to turn these technologies into stable and scalable software solutions. With their ability to develop the entire AI pipeline, they can quickly adapt models to the specific needs of different industries. Thanks to their specialized skills in AI development and Big Data platforms, they will make a valuable contribution to platform development and to the support of engineering processes through AI. From data observation and provisioning to analysis and development of automated AI pipelines, KENBUN IT AG brings extensive expertise and valuable knowledge to this research project.
Projectpartner:
Altran Deutschland S.A.S & Co. KG
S&R Eisenmann GmbH
Fiber Engineering GmbH
Instawerk GmbH
KENBUN IT AG
KNEBEL Nutzfahrzeuge GmbH
König Metall GmbH & Co. KG
Lauer & Weiss GmbH
Motion Ray GmbH
Schübel GmbH
3RS–Software GmbH & Co. KG
thingsThinking GmbH
Weber Fibertech GmbH
Bwcon GmbH
Karlsruher Institut für Technologie
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
Deutsches Zentrum für Luft & Raumfahrt e.V., Institut für Fahrzeugkonzepte
Three Associate Partners:
Stadt Meersburg BW
Technologieregion Karlsruhe
Stadt Bühl
and three use case donor:
AtTrack GmbH
INYO Mobility GmbH
Dipl.-Ingenieure Rainer & Oliver Puls GmbH
The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection, short BMWK.
