SHARK will unlock the potential for laser texturing for the generation of functional surfaces by boosting the productivity, efficiency and flexibility of the process. This will provide the European industry with a highly robust, cost effective and environmentally friendly system that is capable of producing a broad range of functional surfaces at industrial scale throughputs, and place Europe in an unassailable lead in this key area of manufacturing. SHARK will advance laser surface texturing from the current ‘trial and error’, lab-scale concept into a highly predictable, data driven industrial approach by developing a digitally enabled knowledge management platform with a comprehensive database of process parameters and functionalities. SHARK system will be configured as an Open-platform independent of the laser source manufacturers, which for long, has been one of the main limitations for the process. SHARK’s system will be underpinned by a number of technology advances. Two laser surface texturing technologies will be developed, both based upon nanosecond fibre lasers. Pseudo Random laser texturing and Direct Laser Interference Patterning will be employed, offering complementary techniques to yield a highly flexible tool capable of delivering wide range of functional surfaces with exceptional productivity and excellent process efficiency. The project will develop surface texture predictive modelling to rapidly define key process variables required for specific surface functionalities. This will be combined with inline surface characterisation to enable rapid feedback and inbuilt quality assurance. The project will deliver the following benefits: • The capability to deliver surface functionalities into real products for less than 10% of the cost of the conventional part • Greater than 20% improvement in product performance based on the surface functionalities deployed. • Accelerated product development • Strengthened global position of European manufacturing

QU4LITY will demonstrate, in a realistic, measurable, and replicable way an open, certifiable and highly standardised, SME-friendly and transformative shared data-driven ZDM product and service model for Factory 4.0 through 5 strategic ZDM plug & control lighthouse equipment pilots and 9 production lighthouse facility pilots. QU4LITY will also demonstrate how European industry can build unique and highly tailored ZDM strategies and competitive advantages (significantly increase operational efficiency, scrap reduction, prescriptive quality management, energy efficiency, defect propagation avoidance and improved smart product customer experience, and foster new digital business models; e.g. outcome-based and product servitisation) through an orchestrated open platforms ecosystem, ZDM atomized components and digital enablers (Industry 4.0 digital connectivity & edge computing package, plug & control autonomous manufacturing equipment, real-time data spaces for process monitoring & adaptation, simulation data spaces for digital process twin continuity, AI-powered analytic data spaces for cognitive digital control twin composable services, augmented worker interventions, European quality data marketplace) across all phases of product and process lifecycle (engineering, planning, operation and production) building upon the QU4LITY autonomous quality model to meet the Industry 4.0 ZDM challenges (cost and time effective brownfield ZDM deployment, flexible ZDM strategy design & adaptation, agile operation of zero defect processes & products, zero break down sustainable manufacturing process operation and human centred manufacturing).

EFFRA recommendations on Factories 4.0 and Beyond (Sept 2016) clearly stated the need for development of large scale experimentation and demonstration of data-driven “connected smart” Factories 4.0, to retain European manufacturing competitiveness. BOOST 4.0 will address this need, by demonstrating in a measurable and replicable way, an open standardised and transformative shared data-driven Factory 4.0 model through 10 lighthouse factories. BOOST 4.0 will also demonstrate how European industry can build unique strategies and competitive advantages through big data across all phases of product and process lifecycle (engineering, planning, operation, production and after-market services) building upon the connected smart Factory 4.0 model to meet the Industry 4.0 challenges (lot size one distributed manufacturing, operation of zero defect processes & products, zero break down sustainable operations, agile customer-driven manufacturing value network management and human centred manufacturing). Our chief objectives include: (1) Establish 10 big data lighthouse smart connected factories (VW, FILL, AutoEuropa, +GF+, FIAT, Phillips, Volvo, GESTAMP, Benteler, Whirlpool). (2) Provide the RAMI 4.0 and IDS based BOOST 4.0 open EU framework and governance model, for both services and data assets. (3) Put together methodologies, assets, models and communities in order to maximise visibility, mobilization, replication potential, and impact (business, financial, standardization) of BOOST 4.0 The investment leveraging factor of BOOST 4.0 will be well above the 4:1 ratio, up to 10:1. In terms of exploitation, in 5-years horizon after the project end, just only the participating lighthouse factories will make a direct follow-on investment above 33Meuro (ROI 10,61), while the commercialisation of the BOOST 4.0 products in the market is expected to generate some 96Meuro cumulative profits (ROI 4,73) for the rest of the partners.