• Quality Management according to DIN/ISO 9001
• CEO: Prof. Dr.-Ing Volker Stich

Short Profile:
The FIR (Research Institute for Industrial Management) at the RWTH Aachen University is a non-profit, intersectoral research institution concerned with business organisation and corporate development. The institute provides research, qualification programmes and lectures in the fields of service management, information management and production management. As a member of the German Federation of Industrial Research Associations, the FIR promotes research and development for the benefit of small, medium-sized and large businesses.
The FIR looks back on 55 years of experience in developing and applying methods that aim to promote growth and employment. We strive to achieve higher competitiveness as well as job security and better working conditions. In doing so, we combine aspects of profitability and humaneness in a unique way.
Our research areas are service management, information management and production management. Besides our research projects carried out in cooperation with our scientific partners, we maintain close contacts with our partners in industry. This allows us to develop unique methods and tools and to shape the business organisation of the company of the future.

The IPH – Institute of Integrated Production Hannover (non-profit limited company) was founded as a spin-off company of the University of Hanover in 1988. As a company providing research and consulting in production engineering, it serves both manufacturing companies and research associations. The company’s key activities are research and development, technical consulting and qualification. Process technology, production automation, logistics, and oversized products are its major themes.

In the field of process technology, emphasis is on manufacturing methods in metal forming. IPH engineers concentrate their research efforts on forging processes (e. g. flashless precision forging), hydro forming, hybrid forging (massive, sheet metal), process chain forming technology, multifunctional tools, and the cost-effectiveness of process chains.

Introducing automatized solutions in manufacturing is the major goal of the IPH production automation department. The research focus is on distributed systems, wireless communication, and intelligent systems.

With regard to logistics, IPH engineers do research on how to design and control production networks efficiently, both ecologically and economically. Subjects of research include the organization and decentralized regulation of production networks and secure flow of materials within these networks. Also, IPH concentrates its research efforts on efficient logistics and the efficient use of resources.

Recent IPH research centers on oversized products, such as airplane wings, ships, wind energy plants, and conveyor systems. As the sole research institution in Europe, IPH does research on the entire lifecycle of these products.

IPH is based in the science park of Marienwerder (Wissenschaftspark Marienwerder) in the north-west of Hanover, Germany. Currently, the company employs 69 employees, including 30 research engineers /consultants.

Contact:

IPH – Institute of Integrated Production Hannover

Dr. Georg Ullmann

Hollerithallee 6

30419 Hannover, Germany

Phone: 49 511 27976-0

E-Mail: info@iph-hannover.de

Short Profile

Research and teaching are focused on the areas business management, logistics and transport, particularly the agent-specific and cross-agent management. Our unique feature is the extensive analysis of corporate management and logistics. The research focus of the Department of Management and logistics lies on two main aspects: “Logistics Management” and “Transport Management”

Research Group Logistics Management

Our research group “Logistics Management” focuses on the planning, design, management, and controlling of logistics systems, with special emphasis on the strategic and operational organization of logistics management. Innovation management, a prerequisite for the design of sustainable logistics, is of particular interest in this context. Further main focuses are the systematic development of logistics services, the robust and ecologically sustainable design and management of logistics networks and processes with particular consideration of horizontal cooperations as well as research topics in the field of urban logistics in response to increasing global urbanization.

Research Group Transport Management

Our research focuses on further strengthening of transports and their management by a situational design and a deeper understanding of the coherence within and between the actors of transport chains.

Therefore, the group “Transportation Management” addresses, amongst others, the following issues: How are performance standards designed and communicated to transport networks? Who are the operators of the nodes and which production concepts are used on the edges? Which business models support the handling of these requirements and how can these be adapted to future developments? Which potentials do cross-stakeholder posses, in comparison to individual optimization? What are the optimal structures of communication between the actors?