INforM

The project supported small and medium-sized mechatronics and mechanical engineering companies to remain competitive within the context of the global digital transformation.

Project summary

The fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) is bringing intelligent and smart manufacturing solutions. However, besides the great potential, it also poses considerable challenges for educational systems and industry. A lot of enterprises, especially those of small and medium size, are not capable of remaining competitive in the market. The INforM project provided customised support to small and medium-sized mechatronics and mechanical engineering companies in the region, helping them to benefit from the trend toward “smart factories”.

Customised solutions for SMEs

The project consortium thoroughly assessed the needs of the mechatronics and mechanical engineering SMEs in the region, compiled the existing innovation support infrastructure. Responding to the actual needs of the enterprises, the project came up with a set of practical smart engineering and educational solutions and provided them to the companies through the digital platform.

Budgets

INforM
in numbers

1.87

Million

Total
1.53

Million

Erdf
0.00

Million

Eni + Russia
0.00

Million

Norway

Achievements

Digital platform as the source of knowledge and help

The project developed a comprehensive and multifunctional digital platform for SMEs in the field of manufacturing, mechatronics, and mechanical engineering. The platform provides various smart solutions and support tools developed within the project, as well as the gathered existing knowledge and competencies. It, therefore, serves as a good place for SMEs to start when they face a challenge in their digitalisation process or in manufacturing in general. It is a place where knowledge is accumulated, and where the companies can receive help and also share expertise to complement each other.

Continuous space for growth

A company participating in robot programming activities during the project was a good example on further learning. The company considered itself to be advanced in programming. The project activities made the company realise the untapped potential: there were so many functionalities the existence of which they had not been even aware.

Improved capacity for business support institutions

As a result of the project, also business-supporting institutions have increased their capacity to respond to the needs of the industries addressed by the project. For them, the project provided new knowledge to use for their training programmes and create new services and business models, as well as the chance to apply the existing knowledge of a larger geographical territory such as the Baltic Sea region.

Outputs

Innovation Support Digital Framework for mechatronics and mechanical engineering SMEs

The cross-sectorial integrated Innovation Support Digital Framework provides customised smart engineering and educational solutions based on the actual needs of SMEs in Baltic Sea region. The Framework is a network that can be used by companies to find solutions to the challenges that the company might face. Based on a pre-registration, the Framework works through a Digital Platform, where the company can search for answers to their challenges among already existing use cases and courses, or approach any member to request specialist support in certain issues. The Framework comprises relevant organisations from innovation support infrastructure and highlights their specific competencies, thus allowing those competencies to benefit the larger Baltic Sea region area.

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Smart Solutions Virtual Environment

It is a digital platform designed to solve concrete challenges and cases that companies face, and to deliver innovative solutions to the wider circle of companies. The platform continues to provide customised, comprehensive and well-organised information primarily useful for SMEs. The potential of such competence matching and collaboration is highly needed and a smart way to enhance companies´ capabilities to address the challenges deriving from the Industry 4.0 and digital transformation. The platform also offers a database and ranking of companies and consultants, a competence database, virtual management of queries, specialised training courses, process modelling tools and personalised information provided through email. There are currently 38 courses and 25 use cases provided for SMEs through the platform.

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Project Stories