EU supply chain project: TU Hamburg working group is part of "MaaSiveTwin" project
On the optimization of value chains for critical raw materials
02.05.2024
Rechargeable batteries and wind turbines are just two examples of new technologies whose demand will continue to rise in the future. This requires a variety of raw materials, some of which are only available in certain regions of the world. As part of the "MaaSiveTwin" project funded by the European Union (EU), the initiators want to make the complex supply chains of these raw materials more transparent in order to anticipate imbalances between supply and demand and reduce both environmental impacts and social risks. Part of the consortium is the Resilient and Sustainable Operations and Supply Chain Management working group at the Hamburg University of Technology. The team led by junior professor Dr. Christian Thies is responsible for evaluating the sustainability aspects. Together, the initiators of the "MaaSiveTwin" project (derived from "Manufacturing as a Service" = "MaaS") want to use advanced digital tools and predictive analytics to develop a real-time monitoring and forecasting platform.
This should be able to detect and mitigate disruptions in the supply chain caused by disasters, armed conflicts or climate change, for example. A digital twin is being developed for this purpose. This tool is a digital image of real events into which important data for the project is fed in order to better cushion unexpected events.
With the "MaaSiveTwin" project, the EU and the participating institutions aim to overcome complex challenges associated with the production and logistics of critical raw materials for clean energy technologies. A budget of 5.2 million euros has been earmarked for implementation. The focus of the four-year project is the flexible rescheduling of supply chains following disruptions through the use of MaaS. The aim of "MaaSiveTwin" is not only to increase efficiency in supply chains, but also to reduce downtime and enable the transition to a more sustainable economy.
The project has three main objectives:
1. to develop a digital twin that enables the identification of key factors for a resilient and sustainable supply of raw materials, such as production capacities, demand volumes or sustainability characteristics.
2. the modeling of current production bottlenecks with short- to long-term forecasts of supply and demand bottlenecks and risks
3. designing a dashboard to flexibly reschedule the supply chain after disruptions occur by using "MaaS" to identify alternative options for the procurement and processing of critical raw materials.
"Participating in MaaSiveTwin is an excellent opportunity for our working group to contribute our expertise in the field of sustainability assessment of products with global supply chains and to expand this with regard to the processing of real-time information," says Professor Thies about the new project.
The consortium
A multinational team from Germany, Serbia, Poland, Greece, Cyprus and Switzerland is working together to implement the "MaaSiveTwin" project. In addition to the Hamburg University of Technology, the diverse expertise comes from the Bern University of Applied Sciences and the Technical University of Crete. Six companies are involved in the project, including the German battery company Battronics, which is coordinating the project, the Serbian company ElevenEs, which manufactures large batteries, and RTD Talos from Cyprus, which is responsible for communication and information dissemination.
TUHH - Public Relations Office
Felix Richter
E-Mail: felix.richter@tuhh.de
