Research into a new model of a virtual, intelligent, and hyperconnected factory for the smart factory of the future.

Europe in general, and Euskadi in particular—global references in many industrial sectors due to their capacity and recognized quality—face the need to increase the competitiveness of their industry. Their leadership is at risk due to competition from regions with lower labor costs and advanced technological capabilities. Combined with the strong demand uncertainty currently dominating the market, it is essential to sustainably transform the Basque industrial sector and its ecosystem toward a more Flexible, Agile, and Efficient industry.

In the automotive sector specifically, vehicle sales forecasts have failed in recent years. Some authors refer to the Osborne effect, which describes the uncertainty created by technological changes within a sector. Users postpone their purchases while waiting for clarity on which technology will dominate, resulting in lower-than-expected sales. Whether due to the paradigm shift and new CASE megatrends (Connected, Autonomous, Shared, and Electric vehicles), the emergence of new manufacturers, or the growing customization of units driven by shifting consumer habits, uncertainty and variability have become defining attributes of the automotive business—and will continue to be so. Therefore, while such variables dominate market dynamics, the only path to maintaining a competitive industry is Flexibility in operations and the development of technologies that enable more Resilient factories through more Agile, Efficient, and Sustainable operating models. Although this context is centered on the automotive sector, it reflects the current reality of manufacturing in general and is fully applicable to any other industrial sector, meaning the development of these new factory models will have a major impact on transforming the Basque Industrial Sector and its Ecosystem.

The need for flexibility and instantaneous adaptation to customer demands—often with increasingly shorter response windows—reinforces the importance of researching a new Smart Factory concept. This new model must evolve from Automated Production Systems to SMART Systems based on 5G-connected, Virtualized, Autonomous, and Intelligent Factories.

In this new Smart Factory vision, Flexibility is the key pillar for the factories of the future, with its foundation rooted in the FF4.0 Center of Excellence located in AIC’s Phase 4. This flexibility is addressed from every angle of factory operations.

For this reason, it is essential to take a further step and conduct research on the concept in a HOLISTIC AND ORCHESTRATED manner through a New Model of Virtual, Intelligent, and Hyperconnected Factory. This model must enable intelligent, interactive, real-time decision-making through smart management of signals, production flows, and logistics.

Additionally, to make this disruptive and currently nonexistent model in the market viable, research is needed on new universal connection systems, Flexible Infrastructure, wireless 5G IoT, and advanced virtualization and visualization techniques based on massive data ingestion and processing. These capabilities will allow the hybridization of the real and virtual worlds to control plant logistics flows and warehouse management in real time via 5G, resulting in intelligent factories able to orchestrate operations in a comprehensive, intelligent, flexible, and autonomous manner, thereby achieving operational excellence on the shop floor.

In this context, the G-SMART5.0 project emerges as a Fundamental Piece in the ROADMAP toward the Smart Factory of the future.

This project falls within the strategic commitment of the Gestamp Group to developing R&D&I in Euskadi (as reflected in the agreement signed between the Lehendakari and the company’s President on January 29, 2019). It is essential for strengthening the positioning of both Gestamp and the Basque industrial and technological ecosystem at the forefront of the path toward the Smart Factory of the future, with the goal of transforming Basque industry into a more Agile and Efficient one.

This strategy was also included in the Euskadi Next Plan, which outlines the roadmap through the Strategic Project led by the Group, based on an innovative concept of SMART FACTORY: Flexible, Connected, Intelligent, Virtualized, and Secure—with the objective of advancing toward a more Agile and Competitive Basque Industry.