News
LABORATORY FOR MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS AND AUTOMATION (LMS) DISSEMINATES RENÉE AT EUROPEAN ROBOTICS FORUM 2024
Christos Gkournelos, Project Coordinator from Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems and Automation introduced the EU funded project” Flexible Remanufacturing using AI and Advanced Robotics for circular value chains in EU Industry – RENÉE” at the European Robotics Forum (ERF 2024), hosted in Rimini (Italy) on March 12 and 13.
RENÉE EU Project shone in workshops on 𝗙𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 (March 13) and the 𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗨𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚: 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲-𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 (March 14), highlighting the critical balance remanufacturing strikes between environmental stewardship and industrial progress.
The meeting was attended by many visitors from industry and research. The focus was on “Classic” Workshops (WS), based on proposals by the community. New additions to the classical format included:
- Insight sessions: These sessions are designed as follow-ups to classical workshops, aiming to provide scientific depth to topics discussed.
- Industrial Scientific Sessions: ERF2024 introduced an industrial scientific track to enhance the scientific aspect of the event showcasing the latest scientific findings relevant to advanced industrial applications of modern robotics.
EIT MANUFACTURING CLC SOUTH DISSEMINATES RENÉE AT WORLD REMANUFACTURING SUMMIT 2024
During March 12-13, RENÉE EU funded project was disseminated as part of the World Remanufacturing Summit 2024 conference held in Milan (Italy).
The WRS 2024 focused on key topics including Digital Product Passport (DPP), Zero Defect Remanufacturing, Emerging Technologies, and AI.
The scope of the WRS 2024 was to bridge scientific and industrial communities, to encourage dialogue with public institutions and clusters and to promote circular business models through inclusive discussions.
EIT Manufacturing CLC South East, partner responsible for the Exploitation, Dissemination and Communication of the innovative results of RENÉE project, presented the project scope and objectives and participated to networking activities with relevant EU funded projects.
KICK-OFF MEETING
The official Kick-off Meeting (KoM) for RENÉE EU funded project was held on January 23rd and 24th, 2024.
The Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems and Automation (LMS), the project coordinator, organized and hosted the KoM at the Conference and Culture Center of the University of Patras.
Oliver Loran, Project Officer at the European Commission, and representatives from all partners (29 on-site and 5 via MS Teams) participated in the KoM.
The consortium of RENÉE EU funded project consists of 16 partners from 9 countries. We are proud to introduce our consortium partners:
- Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems and Automation (LMS)
- Fundacion Tecnalia Research & Innovation (TECNALIA)
- Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)
- Teknologisk Institut (DTI)
- Fondazione Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia (IIT)
- Technische Universiteit Eindhoven (TU/e)
- INESC TEC – Instituto De Engenhariade Sistemas E Computadores, Tecnologia E Ciencia (INESC)
- Teaching Factory Competence Center (TF-CC)
- COMAU SPA (COMAU)
- Netcompany-Intrasoft SA (INTRA)
- EIT Manufacturing South East (EIT-M SE)
- STAM SRL (STAM)
- Nidec PSA EMotors (EMOTORS)
- Campetella Robotic Center SRL (CRC)
- Decathlon Produzione Italia SRL (DEC), and
- ARCELIK A.S. (ARCELIK).
The meeting was opened by Dr. Sotiris Makris, Head of Robotics, Automation and Virtual Reality in Manufacturing at LMS, and chaired by Mr. Christos Gkournelos, responsible for the coordination of the RENÉE project.
The first day of the KoM mainly focused on giving an overview of the project and planning (WP1). Each Work Package (WP) of the project was then presented by its respective leader, with a focus on industrial pilots and use cases for remanufacturing (WP2). On the second day, presentations covered topics such as circular value chains optimization toolbox (WP3), digital infrastructure for remanufacturing management (WP4), robot skills, and flexible production modules (WP5), as well as upskilling and reskilling initiatives for the workforce to improve efficiency and sustainability in remanufacturing processes (WP6). Finally, WP7 summarized the Dissemination, Exploitation, and Networking activities planned for the project.
During discussion, critical points were addressed to ensure a thorough understanding of the project’s scope and technical requirements. This included defining four industrial use cases in detail, promoting collaboration between end users and technology providers, and discussing the selection of technologies and interoperability standards essential for seamless integration throughout the project’s lifecycle.
A highlight of the event was a visit to LMS premises, where partners had the opportunity to see and try pilot cases developed in previous research projects, such as Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC), Process Quality Monitoring, Hybrid Manufacturing Processes, and Virtual Reality (VR). Additionally, partners virtually connected with TF-CC facilities and experienced a hybrid demo.
Finally, at the end of the meeting, a list of conclusions, action items, and next steps were presented by the project coordinator.
The first KoM was very constructive and well-organized. After those two content-rich days, all participants left, being inspired, informed, and full of motivation to achieve the objectives of the project.
