@article{PanzerBenderGronau2023,
  author    = {Panzer, Marcel and Bender, Benedict and Gronau, Norbert},
  title     = {A deep reinforcement learning based hyper-heuristic for modular production control},
  series = {International journal of production research},
  journal   = {International journal of production research},
  publisher = {Taylor \& Francis},
  address   = {London},
  issn      = {0020-7543},
  doi       = {10.1080/00207543.2023.2233641},
  pages     = {1 -- 22},
  year      = {2023},
  abstract  = {In nowadays production, fluctuations in demand, shortening product life-cycles, and highly configurable products require an adaptive and robust control approach to maintain competitiveness. This approach must not only optimise desired production objectives but also cope with unforeseen machine failures, rush orders, and changes in short-term demand. Previous control approaches were often implemented using a single operations layer and a standalone deep learning approach, which may not adequately address the complex organisational demands of modern manufacturing systems. To address this challenge, we propose a hyper-heuristics control model within a semi-heterarchical production system, in which multiple manufacturing and distribution agents are spread across pre-defined modules. The agents employ a deep reinforcement learning algorithm to learn a policy for selecting low-level heuristics in a situation-specific manner, thereby leveraging system performance and adaptability. We tested our approach in simulation and transferred it to a hybrid production environment. By that, we were able to demonstrate its multi-objective optimisation capabilities compared to conventional approaches in terms of mean throughput time, tardiness, and processing of prioritised orders in a multi-layered production system. The modular design is promising in reducing the overall system complexity and facilitates a quick and seamless integration into other scenarios.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{UllrichWeberGronau2023,
  author    = {Ullrich, Andr{\´e} and Weber, Edzard and Gronau, Norbert},
  title     = {Regionale Refabrikationsnetzwerke},
  series = {Industrie 4.0 Management : Gegenwart und Zukunft industrieller Gesch{\"a}ftsprozesse},
  volume    = {39},
  journal   = {Industrie 4.0 Management : Gegenwart und Zukunft industrieller Gesch{\"a}ftsprozesse},
  number    = {2},
  publisher = {GITO mbH Verlag},
  address   = {Berlin},
  issn      = {2364-9208},
  doi       = {10.30844/IM_23-2_11-14},
  pages     = {11 -- 14},
  year      = {2023},
  abstract  = {Die Herstellung von Produkten bindet Energie sowie auch materielle Ressourcen. Viel zu langsam entwickeln sich sowohl das Bewusstsein der Konsumenten sowie der Produzenten als auch gesetzgebende Aktivit{\"a}ten, um zu einem nachhaltigen Umgang mit den zur Verf{\"u}gung stehenden Ressourcen zu gelangen. In diesem Beitrag wird ein lokaler Remanufacturing-Ansatz vorgestellt, der es erm{\"o}glicht, den Ressourcenverbrauch zu reduzieren, lokale Unternehmen zu f{\"o}rdern und effiziente L{\"o}sungen f{\"u}r die regionale Wieder- und Weiterverwendung von G{\"u}tern anzubieten.},
  language  = {de}
}
@article{BenderBertheauKoerppenetal.2022,
  author    = {Bender, Benedict and Bertheau, Clementine and K{\"o}rppen, Tim and Lauppe, Hannah and Gronau, Norbert},
  title     = {A proposal for future data organization in enterprise systems},
  series = {Information systems and e-business management},
  volume    = {20},
  journal   = {Information systems and e-business management},
  publisher = {Springer},
  address   = {Heidelberg},
  issn      = {1617-9846},
  doi       = {10.1007/s10257-022-00555-6},
  pages     = {441 -- 494},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {The digital transformation sets new requirements to all classes of enterprise systems in companies. ERP systems in particular, which represent the dominant class of enterprise systems, are struggling to meet the new requirements at all levels of the architecture. Therefore, there is an urgent need to reconsider the overall architecture of the systems and address the root of the related issues. Given that many restrictions ERP pose on their adaptability are related to the standardization of data, the database layer of ERP systems is addressed. Since database serve as the foundation for data storage and retrieval, they limit the flexibility of enterprise systems and the chance to adapt to new requirements accordingly. So far, relational databases are widely used. Using a systematic literature approach, recent requirements for ERP systems were identified. Prominent database approaches were assessed against the 23 requirements identified. The results reveal the strengths and weaknesses of recent database approaches. To this end, the results highlight the demand to combine multiple database approaches to fulfill recent business requirements. From a conceptual point of view, this paper supports the idea of federated databases which are interoperable to fulfill future requirements and support business operation. This research forms the basis for renewal of the current generation of ERP systems and proposes to ERP vendors to use different database concepts in the future.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{VladovaGronau2022,
  author    = {Vladova, Gergana and Gronau, Norbert},
  title     = {KI-basierte Assistenzsysteme in betrieblichen Lernprozessen},
  series = {Industrie 4.0 Management : Gegenwart und Zukunft industrieller Gesch{\"a}ftsprozesse},
  volume    = {38},
  journal   = {Industrie 4.0 Management : Gegenwart und Zukunft industrieller Gesch{\"a}ftsprozesse},
  number    = {2},
  publisher = {GITO mbH Verlag f{\"u}r Industrielle Informationstechnik und Organisation},
  address   = {Berlin},
  issn      = {2364-9216},
  doi       = {10.30844/I40M_22-2_11-14},
  pages     = {11 -- 14},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Assistenzsysteme finden im Kontext der digitalen Transformation immer mehr Einsatz. Sie k{\"o}nnen Besch{\"a}ftigte in industriellen Produktionsprozessen sowohl in der Anlern- als auch in der aktiven Arbeitsphase unterst{\"u}tzen. Kompetenzen k{\"o}nnen so arbeitsplatz- und prozessnah sowie bedarfsorientiert aufgebaut werden. In diesem Beitrag wird der aktuelle Forschungsstand zu den Einsatzm{\"o}glichkeiten dieser Assistenzsysteme diskutiert und mit Beispielen illustriert. Es werden unter anderem auch Herausforderungen f{\"u}r den Einsatz aufgezeigt. Am Ende des Beitrags werden Potenziale f{\"u}r die zuk{\"u}nftige Nutzung von AS in industriellen Lernprozessen und f{\"u}r die Forschung identifiziert.},
  language  = {de}
}
@article{UllrichVladovaMarquartetal.2022,
  author    = {Ullrich, Andr{\´e} and Vladova, Gergana and Marquart, Danny and Braun, Andreas and Gronau, Norbert},
  title     = {An overwiew of benefits and risks in open innovation projects and the influence of intermediary participation, decision-making authority, experience, and position on their perception},
  series = {International journal of innovation management : IJIM},
  volume    = {26},
  journal   = {International journal of innovation management : IJIM},
  number    = {02},
  publisher = {World Scientific Publ.},
  address   = {Singapore},
  issn      = {1363-9196},
  doi       = {10.1142/S1363919622500128},
  pages     = {41},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {This paper presents an exploratory study investigating the influence of the factors (1) intermediary participation, (2) decision-making authority, (3) position in the enterprise, and (4) experience in open innovation on the perception and assessment of the benefits and risks expected from participating in open innovation projects. For this purpose, an online survey was conducted in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The result of this paper is an empirical evidence showing whether and how these factors affect the perception of potential benefits and risks expected within the context of open innovation project participation. Furthermore, the identified effects are discussed against the theory. Existing theory regarding the benefits and risks of open innovation is expanded by (1) finding that they are perceived mostly independently of the factors, (2) confirming the practical relevance of benefits and risks, and (3) enabling a finer distinction between their degrees of relevance according to respective contextual specifics.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{PanzerBenderGronau2022,
  author    = {Panzer, Marcel and Bender, Benedict and Gronau, Norbert},
  title     = {Neural agent-based production planning and control},
  series = {Journal of Manufacturing Systems},
  volume    = {65},
  journal   = {Journal of Manufacturing Systems},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Amsterdam},
  issn      = {0278-6125},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.jmsy.2022.10.019},
  pages     = {743 -- 766},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Nowadays, production planning and control must cope with mass customization, increased fluctuations in demand, and high competition pressures. Despite prevailing market risks, planning accuracy and increased adaptability in the event of disruptions or failures must be ensured, while simultaneously optimizing key process indicators. To manage that complex task, neural networks that can process large quantities of high-dimensional data in real time have been widely adopted in recent years. Although these are already extensively deployed in production systems, a systematic review of applications and implemented agent embeddings and architectures has not yet been conducted. The main contribution of this paper is to provide researchers and practitioners with an overview of applications and applied embeddings and to motivate further research in neural agent-based production. Findings indicate that neural agents are not only deployed in diverse applications, but are also increasingly implemented in multi-agent environments or in combination with conventional methods — leveraging performances compared to benchmarks and reducing dependence on human experience. This not only implies a more sophisticated focus on distributed production resources, but also broadening the perspective from a local to a global scale. Nevertheless, future research must further increase scalability and reproducibility to guarantee a simplified transfer of results to reality.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{LewandowskiUllrichGronau2021,
  author    = {Lewandowski, Stefanie and Ullrich, Andr{\´e} and Gronau, Norbert},
  title     = {Normen zur Berechnung des CO₂-Fußabdrucks},
  series = {Industrie 4.0 Management : Gegenwart und Zukunft industrieller Gesch{\"a}ftsprozesse},
  volume    = {37},
  journal   = {Industrie 4.0 Management : Gegenwart und Zukunft industrieller Gesch{\"a}ftsprozesse},
  number    = {4},
  publisher = {GITO mbH Verlag},
  address   = {M{\"u}nchen},
  issn      = {2364-9208},
  doi       = {10.30844/I40M_21-4_S17-20},
  pages     = {17 -- 20},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {CO₂-Fußabdr{\"u}cke sind ein aktuell viel diskutiertes Thema mit weitreichenden Implikationen f{\"u}r Individuen als auch Unternehmen. Firmen k{\"o}nnen einen proaktiven Beitrag zur Transparenz leisten, indem der unternehmens- oder produktbezogene CO₂-Fußabdruck ausgewiesen wird. Ist der Entschluss gefasst einen CO₂-Fußabdruck auszuweisen und die entstehenden Treibhausgase zu erfassen, existiert eine Vielzahl unterschiedlicher Normen und Zertifikate, wie die publicly available specification 2050, das Greenhouse Gas Protokoll oder die ISO 14067. Das Ziel dieses Beitrags ist es, diese drei Normen zur Berechnung des produktbezogenen CO₂-Fußabdrucks zu vergleichen, um Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede sowie Vor- und Nachteile in der Anwendung aufzuzeigen. Die {\"U}bersicht soll Unternehmen bei der Entscheidungsfindung hinsichtlich der Eignung eines CO₂-Fußabdrucks f{\"u}r ihr Unternehmen unterst{\"u}tzen.},
  language  = {de}
}
@article{GronauBenderBertheauetal.2021,
  author    = {Gronau, Norbert and Bender, Benedict and Bertheau, Clementine and Lauppe, Hannah},
  title     = {Robotic Process Automation statt neuem ERP-System},
  series = {ERP-Management : Auswahl, Einf{\"u}hrung und Betrieb von ERP-Systemen},
  volume    = {17},
  journal   = {ERP-Management : Auswahl, Einf{\"u}hrung und Betrieb von ERP-Systemen},
  number    = {1},
  publisher = {GITO mbH Verlag},
  address   = {Berlin},
  issn      = {1860-6725},
  doi       = {10.30844/ERP_21-1_29-32},
  pages     = {29 -- 32},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {Robotic Process Automation (RPA) steht f{\"u}r die softwareunterst{\"u}tzte Bedienung von Softwarel{\"o}sungen {\"u}ber deren Benutzeroberfl{\"a}che. Das prim{\"a}re Ziel, das mit RPA erreicht werden soll, ist die automatisierte Ausf{\"u}hrung von Routineaufgaben, die bisher einen menschlichen Eingriff erforderten. Das Potenzial von RPA, Prozesse langfristig zu verbessern, ist allerdings stark begrenzt. Die Automatisierung von Prozessen und die {\"U}berbr{\"u}ckung von Medienbr{\"u}chen auf der Front-End-Ebene f{\"u}hrt zu einer Vielzahl von Abh{\"a}ngigkeiten und Bedingungen, die in diesem Beitrag zusammengefasst werden. Der Weg zu einer nachhaltigen Unternehmensarchitektur (bestehend aus Prozessen und Systemen) erfordert offene, adaptive Systeme mit moderner Architektur, die sich durch ein hohes Maß an Interoperabilit{\"a}t auf verschiedenen Ebenen auszeichnen.},
  language  = {de}
}
@article{TeichmannUllrichKotarskietal.2021,
  author    = {Teichmann, Malte and Ullrich, Andr{\´e} and Kotarski, David and Gronau, Norbert},
  title     = {Facing the demographic change},
  series = {SSRN eLibrary / Social Science Research Network},
  journal   = {SSRN eLibrary / Social Science Research Network},
  publisher = {Social Science Electronic Publ.},
  address   = {[Erscheinungsort nicht ermittelbar]},
  issn      = {1556-5068},
  doi       = {10.2139/ssrn.3858716},
  pages     = {6},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {Digitization and demographic change are enormous challenges for companies. Learning factories as innovative learning places can help prepare older employees for the digital change but must be designed and configured based on their specific learning requirements. To date, however, there are no particular recommendations to ensure effective age-appropriate training of bluecollar workers in learning factories. Therefore, based on a literature review, design characteristics and attributes of learning factories and learning requirements of older employees are presented. Furthermore, didactical recommendations for realizing age-appropriate learning designs in learning factories and a conceptualized scenario are outlined by synthesizing the findings.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{BenderGronau2021,
  author    = {Bender, Benedict and Gronau, Norbert},
  title     = {Coring on digital software platforms},
  series = {Schriften zur Business Analytics und zum Informationsmanagement},
  journal   = {Schriften zur Business Analytics und zum Informationsmanagement},
  publisher = {Springer},
  address   = {Wiesbaden},
  isbn      = {978-3-658-34798-7},
  issn      = {2946-0670},
  doi       = {10.1007/978-3-658-34799-4_4},
  pages     = {45 -- 77},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {Today's mobile devices are part of powerful business ecosystems, which usually involve digital platforms. To better understand the complex phenomenon of coring and related dynamics, this paper presents a case study comparing iMessage as part of Apple's iOS and WhatsApp. Specifically, it investigates activities regarding platform coring, as the integration of several functionalities provided by third-party applications in the platform core. The paper makes three contributions. First, a systematization of coring activities is developed. Coring modes are differentiated by the amount of coring and application maintenance. Second, the case study revealed that the phenomenon of platform coring is present on digital platforms for mobile devices. Third, the fundamentals of coring are discussed as a first step towards theoretical development. Even though coring constitutes a potential threat for third-party developers regarding their functional differentiation, an idea of what a beneficial partnership incorporating coring activities could look like is developed here.},
  language  = {en}
}