material.one wins leading IT world player as investor and development partner
Düsseldorf office of adesso SE
material.one is the name of the latest development for the automotive and manufacturing industry, which will further advance the industry’s digitalization. In a joint project, adesso and logsolut are currently creating a platform that digitizes the sampling of components along the entire supply chain. The first pilot projects with leading German automotive manufacturers and suppliers are already underway or waiting in the wings.
Mercedes-Benz was the first German vehicle manufacturer to successfully implement the new material.one platform in a series of pilot projects, that enable its suppliers and test laboratories to simplify the material sampling process for vehicle parts. material.one digitizes all data relating to the sampling process and makes it available a cross-OEM Internet platform in a standardized format. Stakeholders in the process - from manufacturers and suppliers to numerous test laboratories - can access this data. The advantage: All participants in the supply chain have digital access to all relevant sampling data, such as digital standards, material information, test plans and results. In addition, the system offers the possibility to automatically created test plans based on the CAD data of the automobile manufacturer.
material.one platform goes live in summer 2021
Bernd Löhle, founder and CEO of logsolut AG, has been working in the automotive industry for over 15 years. He is the originator of the idea for material.one. Last year, he was able to win the IT service provider adesso as a development partner for his concept. With their joint industry and IT expertise, the two companies will complete the full version of the material.one platform with all its features and make it available to the automotive industry. The first pilot projects, such as those at Mercedes-Benz, are already underway.
adesso: Shareholder of the material.one owner logsolut
Within the framework of this IT partnership brokered by Transforce Partners, adesso has currently also acquired a 30 percent share in logsolut AG. The aim here is to offer the attractive service to adesso customers in the automotive and manufacturing industry as a fixed component of its portfolio as soon as possible. CEO Löhle describes the advantages of the new service: "material.one is a milestone for the manufacturing industry: The platform simplifies the complex process of material sampling and ensures transparency, clarity and efficiency in the supply chains, which are now globalized everywhere."
Currently, automotive manufacturers source 80 percent of their vehicle parts from supply chains around the world, and likewise around 80 percent of suppliers work for all major manufacturers. At the same time, however, only components and materials that have successfully passed the sampling process can be installed in new production vehicles. Bernd Löhle comments: "In the absence of digitalization, the approval process in component sampling is still highly inefficient and costly. Therefore, the supply chain will benefit enormously from the digitization of the process on a central platform in terms of quality, effort and process speed." In this way, many manual activities can be eliminated in the future and all stakeholders involved in material sampling can work together on the same database.
material.one: Central platform for test results of components
The new online platform material.one will also support the supplier industry in selecting laboratories. Suitable laboratories can be searched for and commissioned directly via the platform. Even the digital test plan is transmitted directly, and the results are recorded on the platform in a tamper-proof format. material.one immediately compares each digitally recorded test result with the values specified. Thus, suppliers always maintain transparency regarding the inspection status. When all tests have been carried out, the test results from the entire supply chain are available to suppliers and manufacturers in a central location.
Stefan Hussmann, head of the automotive business unit at adesso, assesses the significance of the development: "material.one is a sensation and wake-up call for material sampling industry. In connecting manufacturers, suppliers, sub-suppliers and test laboratories in this so far unique and very efficient way, we are able to create interesting benefits and much added values for all parties involved. As a result, companies can secure a competitive advantage in their production processes."
Market readiness and roll-out of material.one are expected in August 2021.
