New postdoc will help manufacturing companies step into the future

If a company uses machines constructed in modules, it can change its production without much expense. If the company also constructs a virtual version of the machine, that means taking a big step into the future. However, doing so requires a major investment, and many companies have only partially taken this step.
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Jesper Puggaard de Oliveira Hansen is a newly appointed postdoc in the Spin-outs Denmark programme where he will spend the next year working on a startup based on his research. He started his first business when he was 17, so he’s no stranger to the process. Now he’s found a good business model. 
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- The market for production machinery in Denmark alone is worth DKK 25 billion, and the market for machine accessories is worth DKK 60 billion. In other words, the potential is great, and a survey of companies and industry organisations has shown that the interest is there, the new postdoc explains.
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Machines in modules

In the industry, some companies have posted a direct hotline on their machines with the phone number of the machine builder in the event of a breakdown. If a machine breaks down, the production downtime can quickly become more expensive than the machine itself. Therefore, it’s important to react quickly.​

- The manufacturing company just has to hope that the person who built the machine is available. Otherwise, the company is in a bit of a pickle, because they’ll have to send a person who is probably not familiar with the machine to locate the error. This takes a long time and can be incredibly costly, not least in terms of lost production time. Especially if it happens in another country, Jesper explains.

A virtual version of the machine can save the organisation time and money when breakdowns occur. It makes it possible to analyse the machine digitally and locate the source of the problem. The next step is to dispatch spare parts and get the machine up and running quickly.  

If the company has a virtual version of the machine, new parts can be created and tested digitally. If they work, you can build new physical parts for the machine.

If the machine is built in modules, new parts for it can be built faster, and the production can be changed without much expense. In this way, the machines can be quickly optimised and their service life extended.
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SDU researchers start companies

The Spin-outs Denmark programme is open to all junior researchers who want to start a company based on research in the humanities or the technical, natural and social sciences.

As part of the programme, Jesper will receive one year of financial and professional support to develop a concrete idea and start his own business. He has been awarded the fourth out of the eight postdoc positions that SDU may award. 

Prior to this, Kristian Husum Laursen, Ïo Valls-Ratés and Bhushan Patil have been awarded postdoc positions. They are currently developing businesses based on research in drones, digital voice training and indoor solar cells.
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Businesses can’t afford not to

The researcher has not yet settled on a specific industry for virtual machine development, but he notes that the need is great. He’s in the process of figuring out where his knowledge will be of most use.

- Businesses can’t afford not to. Maybe it’s not standard today, but tomorrow it will be a requirement. What will they do then? Various reports – including one from the World Economic Forum – point out that digitalisation of production machinery increases productivity by up to 160 % and output by up to 200 % in businesses, explains Jesper Puggaard de Oliveira Hansen. 

- The reports state it clearly: If you don’t get started now, you’ll be left behind, says the researcher, who worked with Siemens and Velux during his PhD programme.