Münster. According to the study, the most pressing problems lie in the delayed involvement of suppliers and a lack of coordination of planning approaches and timelines, as well as a lack of opportunities for validation, certification and monitoring. “Many players also face difficulties due to the inefficient transfer of important information and an inadequate understanding of specific customer requirements,” says FFB board member and PEM Director Professor Achim Kampker.

It is therefore necessary to establish standards and norms, for example with regard to clean and dry room designs, to use digital models such as Building Information Modeling (BIM) as the only source of information and to involve all relevant stakeholders from authorities to plant manufacturers at an early stage. “Ideally, if all findings are taken into account, 20 to 30 percent time can be saved,” summarizes PEM lead member Professor Heiner Heimes. The consortium study was based on a current timeline of four and a half to five years for the entire planning process, from the factory concept to the start of production. “The consensus of the study is that a total planning time of three years is required in order to be globally competitive,” emphasizes Kampker. The companies Ammega, BMW Group, “Camfil Clean Air Solutions”, Dürr AG, “Dynaco Europe”, FlexLink, “IMI”, Körber AG, PEM Motion and “Mann+Hummel” from industry were involved in the international consortium study.