INDUSTRY 4.0 LAB
POLIMI
Prof. Marco Taisch. | Prof. Marta Pinzone
The Industry4.0 Lab was established with an aim of replicating a real-world manufacturing environment within a university setting, bridging the gap between academic research and industrial application. As a Didactic Factory, it serves as a dynamic learning ecosystem where cutting-edge Industry 4.0 technologies are applied for both education and experimentation. The laboratory also acts as a test bed for research projects funded by national and international public institutions, and companies, leverages real-time production data to develop and validate innovative manufacturing paradigms.
These paradigms aim to enhance production process and quality, while minimising costs associated with waste and downtime. Beyond its research function, the lab plays a pivotal role in executive and managerial training, offering hands-on experience in digital manufacturing, data-driven decision-making, and process optimization. By integrating education, research, and industry collaboration, the Industry 4.0 Lab embodies the core mission of Didactic Factories: to foster continuous learning and innovation in smart manufacturing environments aligned with European industrial transformation goals.
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D – Development of DPPs exchangeable via Data spaces, implementation of AAS to promote interoperability.
R – Developed and integrated modules into existing infrastructures, leveraging Asset Administration Shells for end-of-life product strategies and enabling configurable discrete event simulations and virtual factory environments such as human and robot modelling.
B – Exchange programmes for researchers, technical consultancy for private organisations and consortia organisation for public initiatives.
E – Observatories, and consultancy-based services including mediation with third parties (eg: MADE competency centre and E-DIH) to support and facilitate sustainability in manufacturing companies.
S – Maturity assessment and migration models focused on circular manufacturing; circular manufacturing skill repository and skill assessment, education and training courses on circular manufacturing.
T – Lifecycle Assessment, Green technology and Circularity testbed of multiple EU funded projects. -
Within the DaCapo framework, the Industry 4.0 Lab has developed:
A comprehensive data model, that captures both key information areas and the KPIs to assess sustainability impact of mobile phone batteries, derived specifically for the Fairphone use case, ensuring relevance and practical applicability.
Human up/re-skilling is captured within the training and upskilling initiatives of DaCapo with a strong focus on Sustainability and Circular Economy narratives. In this context, Polimi has developed a novel Circular Manufacturing Competency Model, outlining the eight broad categories of competencies, each linked to a set of relevant skills guiding workforce upskilling and upgradation.
A series of webinar and training actions have been organised by POLIMI in collaboration with the DaCapo partners, specifically Didactic Factories network (DFN), to disseminate key methodologies, digital tools, and strategic frameworks developed throughout the project, delivering targeted educational content and open-access training materials to support widespread circular economy adoption within the manufacturing ecosystem.
