Industrial Internet has become an essential part of innovation in process industries, but utilization of digital twins across the whole process life cycle has been lagging. The Digital Fiber Ecosystem, initiated by Siemens and other key players in process automation and digitalization, is changing this landscape in the bioprocess industry.
In this Innovation Challenge, we are looking for new opportunities to gain significant competitiveness improvements in the bio-based industry based on digital twins.
Has your company or organization identified a challenging problem that could be solved utilizing digital twins? What value could digital twins bring in the bio-based industry? Which business models are needed to capitalize their benefits?
Digital Fiber Initiative welcomes companies and teams to join this Innovation Challenge. The Challenge participants can come from any organizations dealing with process industry digitalization, including process plants, engineering, consulting and systems integration service providers as well as research organizations and academia. Joint teams representing different backgrounds are also welcome.
Description of the Digital Fiber ecosystem
Digital Fiber Initiative (DFI) is an industry-driven innovation ecosystem for forest industry digitalization with the aim to achieve the next level of industrial productivity. In DFI, Siemens technology solutions include COMOS process lifecycle management software and the open cloud-based Internet of Things (IoT) platform MindSphere. With COMOS, integrated plant asset management projects over the entire industrial lifecycle can be carried out. Design engineers, plant operating personnel, company management and solution partners are provided with a continuous flow of data that meets their specific needs across all project phases. MindSphere connects machines and physical infrastructure to the digital world and provides powerful industrial apps and digital services that can unleash productivity gains and efficiency across the entire business.
Existing application examples
The consumption of textile fibers has increased from 50 million tons to more than 70 million tons during the last decade. Textile industry needs new sustainable solutions to meet this increasing demand. Infinited Fiber Company (IFC) is piloting new man-made cellulose fiber technology that has huge global business potential. With IFC technology, which development is supported by Siemens’ tools, you can turn textile, cardboard and agricultural waste to new natural fiber and thus reduce the usage of new virgin materials.
We search for new radical innovations
This Innovation Challenge aims to find out potential digital twin application areas with specific problems to be solved that will significantly improve the competitiveness of existing or future bio-based plants. The problem areas can relate to: Design, productivity, quality, maintenance, environmental, safety and health factors, flexibility etc., including new business models enabled by innovative IoT applications.
In terms of technologies, the solution concepts can leverage the tools and results of the Digital Fiber Ecosystem, including COMOS and MindSphere, in new application areas with significant commercial potential.
We are looking for ideas that can be implemented commercially in 2019–2022.
An opportunity to join a mutually beneficial innovation process
The winner(s) will have a chance to pilot their solutions with Siemens in a real-life environment, supported by world-class industry expertise. Depending on the winning solutions, Siemens MindSphere developer tools may be accessible to the winner(s). We are seeking innovative ideas that make it possible to develop successful collaboration with Siemens into a long-term partnership. Siemens can also act as an international sales channel for solutions developed in the project.
How to succeed in the Innovation Challenge?
Applicants must clearly describe their problem area, including its potential innovative features, feasibility and the business value it could provide for Siemens and the end-users, if the problem is solved.
In particular, the Challenge Jury will evaluate the following factors related to the proposed applications:
- How well does the problem/concept match to the challenge?
- Feasibility and attractiveness of the concept
- Novelty of the concept
We will first evaluate the Challenge entries and choose the finalists to the second phase for further development through coaching and collaboration with a team of experts. In the third and final phase, the finalist teams present their ideas for the Digital Fiber Initiative jury, who will select the winner(s), with whom Siemens will pursue mutually beneficial long-term partnership.
The Innovation Challenge is being held in collaboration with the leading Nordic innovation management consultancy Spinverse. Besides the overall organization, Spinverse provides coaching and advice to the participants and acts as the link between them and Siemens to ensure efficient and agile collaboration during the process.
Apply by submitting a description of your idea by 10th of April 2019 through this link.
The description should answer the following questions:
- What is the problem you have identified?
- Why is it important/What are the benefits of solving the problem? (e.g. what is the commercial potential?)
- How could digital twin/IoT solve the problem? What is your proposed idea/concept?
- How feasible is the idea/solution?
- Has the proposed idea or solution been piloted before? In what timeframe can it be implemented on an industrial scale?
- What is the background of you or your team in terms of industry expertise, innovation and commercialization?
Schedule
- Submit your proposal by 10 April 2019 by 23:00 (CET) through this link.
- Finalists will be selected and all participants informed of the results by the end of April 2019.
- Coaching with the selected finalists and further development of the ideas together with Spinverse and Siemens experts will take place in early May 2019.
- The selected teams will pitch their ideas for the Digital Fiber Initiative jury in late May 2019
Further information
Kaisu Leppänen, Project Manager, Spinverse
kaisu.leppanen@spinverse.com, +358 44 288 4824
Tiina Witikkala, Project Manager, Digital Fiber Initiative, Siemens
tiina.witikkala@siemens.com, +358 50 3166279
About Siemens
Siemens is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for more than 165 years.
The company is active in more than 200 countries, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. Siemens’ Digital Factory Division aims to provide its customers with a comprehensive portfolio of hardware and software products which enable the comprehensive integration of data from development, production and suppliers.
In Finland, Siemens entered the scene 160 years ago, when Siemens built a telegraph line between St. Petersburg and Helsinki that was completed in 1855. Siemens was also there when the work for electrifying the Finnish railroads began (1901), electrical lighting was introduced in Helsinki (1909) and the first fully automated telephone exchange commissioned (1922). Siemens Osakeyhtiö was founded in 1898.
Today Siemens Osakeyhtiö provides products, solutions and services for electrification, automation and digitalization for Finland and Baltic countries. Intelligent infrastructure, competitive industry and sustainable energy solutions constitute the foundation of the business operations. The revenue is approx. €250 million and the company has 550 employees.
About Spinverse
Spinverse is the Nordic leader in innovation consulting, specialized in driving open innovation ecosystems. Since the founding of Spinverse in 2004, Spinverse has built and coordinated an over one-billion-euro portfolio of radical open innovation projects. Spinverse can offer an efficient “project management machine” for the ecosystem, making sure it runs smoothly – with tested online software tools to support.
Spinverse has a strong track record in arranging Innovation Challenges for large corporations, such as SSAB and Sandvik, Valmet, Fingrid, Gasum, Fortum, and Borealis, which have led to joint development and piloting of the winning solutions in practical applications.