Zero4 unlocking industrial productivity

Business Finland has granted EUR 70 million to Zero4, part of its broader “Veturi” programme that aims to significantly boost research, development and innovation activities in Finland and create hundreds of new jobs in the coming years. Funding is divided between Konecranes and the ecosystem partners. Konecranes will receive EUR 20 million funding from Business Finland, with ecosystem partners to receive up to 50 million.

During the past years in Finland, increases in industrial productivity have tended to be the result of investments in more efficient equipment, automation and enterprise resource planning systems. However, this growth potential has now largely been tapped, and new innovations are needed.  

Konecranes’ Zero4 programme envisions digitalized material flow that combines automation, eco-efficiency and employees as the core elements of productivity. The objective is to create a unified material flow platform together with ecosystem partners, universities, research institutions and customers.

Digital Port Concept

Impacts

The programme aims to significantly boost research, development and innovation activities in Finland and create hundreds of new jobs in the coming years. Solutions developed in Zero4 will support the reduction of GHG emissions and increase Finnish exports significantly during the next five years. As a part of the programme, Konecranes is looking to transform selected exiting production plants to global material flow flagship sites and model factories to test developed solutions. 

The programme is part of Business Finland’s “Veturi” initiative where Finnish companies are invited to solve some of the society's most pressing challenges through research, development, and innovation in Finland.  

Business Finland has granted EUR 70 million to Zero4, part of its broader “Veturi” programme that aims to significantly boost research, development and innovation activities in Finland and create hundreds of new jobs in the coming years. Funding is divided between Konecranes and the ecosystem partners. Konecranes will receive EUR 20 million funding from Business Finland, with ecosystem partners to receive up to 50 million. More information on the funding can be found here and here.

Research areas

The Zero4 programme focuses on four different research areas that have a key role in increasing the industrial productivity and competitiveness of Finnish companies and supporting the achievement of sustainability targets: 

• Removing information barriers between humans, equipment, and control systems, 

• Reducing GHG emissions by moving to renewable energy and sustainable materials, 

• Reducing the amount of energy needed in material flows and using waste energy in production, 

• Reduction of safety incidents.

To learn more about our research focus areas and opportunities, see the themes below and a public roadmap (PDF).

Zero information barriers

Information barriers refer to the currently widespread miscommunication or lack of any connection between humans, equipment, and various control systems that exist in and between plants and ports. Because these actors are not connected, it is impossible to optimize material flows to any meaningful degree. There is currently no single system that all material flow equipment and humans could connect to. Removing information barriers means creating a material flow platform that can detect and instruct every single actor in the material flow. Removing information barriers will enable the optimization of material flows, which is the single most promising way to increase industrial productivity. 

Objective of the zero information barriers theme is to create a common material flow platform and optimize material and information flows. Examples of possible research opportunities: 

  • Human factor research 

  • Cognition research 

  • Machine learning

  • Equipment providers for case studies

  • System integration and platform development

  • Digital twin implementation

  • Metaverse software research

Zero GHG emissions

Material flows are responsible for 5.5% of GHG emissions in the world and Konecranes is committed to reducing them by 50% between 2019 and 2030 in its value chains. Material flow equipment and maintenance activities still use fossil fuels and carbon intensive materials, especially in ports. All future material flow solutions and equipment must heavily favour renewable energy sources and sustainable materials. 

Objective of Zero GMG emissions theme is to decarbonize material flow equipment and activities. Examples of possible research opportunities: 

  • Life cycle analysis 

  • CO2 emission research 

  • Standards and regulations expertise 

  • Assessment methodology expertise 

  • Carbon neutral steel research 

  • Biomaterials research

  • Plants from different sectors for case studies

Zero wasted energy

The ultimate goal of zero energy aims to reduce the amount of energy needed by material flows to the point that energy is only used to overcome the kinetic friction of the equipment. Material flow equipment wastes energy on unnecessary, unoptimized movements. Any waste of energy is a waste of valuable resources, regardless of the source. Optimizing material flows to be as efficient as possible will simultaneously reduce the wasted energy. 

Objective of zero wasted energy theme is to design material flow equipment and operations to consume less energy and to regenerate what is spent. Examples of possible research opportunities: 

  • Electric motor and drive technology research

  • Digital twin implementation

  • Fleet control research

  • Life cycle analysis

  • Machine learning

  • Standards and regulations expertise

  • AGV system experts for case studies

Zero safety incidents

Reduction of accidents is of vital importance because material flows are currently responsible for 40% of injuries in manufacturing. 74% of accidents involving humans happen during routine job activities. Aside from the fact that dangerous environments pose a risk to humans working in them and have a personal impact, they also deter future workforce from seeking out careers in industries involving material flows.  

Accidents involving products and machinery cause also disruptions due to damaged products or equipment and missed deliveries. These are all factors that have an immense impact on industrial productivity as they lead to delays, lack of workforce to perform manual operations, and damage to products. 

Objective of Zero safety incidents theme is to make material flows and related activities safer for humans and remove any disruptions from operations. Examples of possible research opportunities:  

  • Safety concept research

  • Sensor hardware and software research

  • Smart space research

  • Tracking technology research

  • Navigation and fleet control research

  • 3D measurement system research

  • Machine learning

  • AGV/AMR system experts for case studies

Interested to join the course? See contact information below.

Call for collaboration

To materialize the envisioned Zero4 activities and the impacts of the programme Konecranes starts to build an extensive Zero4 ecosystem. Konecranes envisions an ecosystem of approximately 70 partners to fulfil the set mission and commercialize co-innovative solutions. Konecranes is looking for both solvers, companies that provide technical solutions to improve material flow productivity, and implementers, companies that pilot the resulting solutions in their own plants and ports, to join the ecosystem.

For Finnish-based partners, joining the ecosystem enables access to Business Finland’s Veturi ecosystem funding scheme. For international partners, the ecosystem offers an opportunity to co-innovate and collaborate with other ecosystem partners. Zero4 ecosystem will actively participate to EU-level research and apply for EU-level project funding, to which international partners are eligible.

 

Join us in unlocking industrial productivity and decreasing absolute greenhouse gas emissions and energy waste!

We are excited to co-innovate with you! In case you are interested in R&D collaboration, have questions or other inquiries related to Zero4, please contact: 

Emmi Vähäsarja 
Communications Manager,  
Technologies, Konecranes 
[email protected]  
+358 40 508 8166 

Mikael Haag 
Research Funding Manager,  
Tech Research & Innovation, Konecranes 
[email protected]  
+358 40 352 9358 

You can also leave your contact information here and share few words on your co-innovation interests.
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Konecranes Zero4 events

Stay tuned for upcoming ecosystem events.

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