Open Call to co-create digital tools

If you are looking for solutions to analyse, improve, evaluate and use data for process optimisation, we offer you to join our co-creation process (Pilots). You can participate in either one or more pilots with the topics:

Process Quality,
Process Analytics and
Value Stream Management.

For more information, please dowload the open call document below or contact our pilot coordinator Heicke Gaedeke.

To apply, please get in contact with Mrs. Gaedeke via e-mail. The application period ends on the 21st of June 2021.

Sustainability and recycling have become more and more relevant within society. The public opinion is shifting more towards a world where recycled plastics becomes the norm to reduce the amount of plastic waste in our oceans and its impact on the environment. However, recycling plastic is not as easy as it sounds, and therefore much of our plastic waste is not usable for recycling. One of the main issues with recycled plastic material is the quality of the material. There are many different characteristics that influence this quality, for instance, the colour of the plastic waste or the amount of dirt within the plastic waste. If we want to increase the amount of recycled plastic, we should focus more on improving the overall quality of the material.

With this improvement, organisations are able to use the recycled material in more delicate applications such as packaging of food (this is currently really difficult to achieve due to many quality regulations). One possible solution for quality improvement can be achieved using advanced data analytics, which is something that the Di-Plast projects aims to do. This works in the following way:

The concept of circular economy (CE) is currently receiving encouraging attention among scholars and industrials, as a convenient solution to move away from the linear economy concept, without neglecting the goals of sustainable development. As main goals, the closing of resource loops and the keeping of resources in the system for as long as possible at the highest utility level, are mentioned as main goals of CE. Nevertheless, most companies still adopt a linear approach or just focus on providing information to the end-user to maximize their satisfaction during the use phase, while only a small amount have approached CE in a holistic way.

This gap between aiming to implement CE principles and apply them in a holistic manner is a widespread inconsistency. The VSM-tool, which is provided within the Di-Plast project, intervenes at this exact point, and can help YOU to get a clearer and more holistic view about your internal processes (micro-level) and if possible, about your supply-chain interdependencies (macro-level).

Currently, the method is tested and further developed within several companies in the Di-Plast pilot phase. If you are interested in joining the pilot-phase and apply the tool together with our experts within your company or within your supply-chain to increase the overreaching cooperability, feel free to contact us. Otherwise, you still have the chance to apply the finished tool during the Di-Plast uptake acceleration program.

Selected companies are given the opportunity to participate in the development of the Di-Plast Toolkit. The aim is to increase the proportion of recycled material in their products and to improve the quality of the process and product using digital tools. By joining these pilots, companies can directly influence the development of the tools in the co-creation process. This ensures that the functions are tailored to their needs. In addition, the pilots offer many other advantages for the companies:

There is still a huge gap between the goals of the European Union for plastic recycling in 2030 and the status quo today. One key chance for closing this gap is the application of digital technologies like data science to improve processes and information flows throughout the entire recyclate supply chain.

Di-Plast develops and applies digital tools to enable high value plastics recycling, i.e. bring recycled plastics to its highest application possible. Supported by Interreg North-West Europe, we aim to close the knowledge and information gaps which inhibits plastics recycling. We enable companies to achieve access to highly relevant yet mostly hidden data, parameters and analytics from and for their own production processes. To realise this, our toolkit combines a distinct set of tools:

1. VSM Tool: Value stream mapping to visualise and improve process-flows.
2. Sensoring Tool: a process problem / solution case library to support with the selection of suitable sensor-based quality control mechanisms.
3. Data Science Tools: This is a sub-toolkit of data science applications that creates, validates and extrapolates data:
   1. Data Validation Tool: Assesses data, gives insights in the variables and their data quality to increase the overall quality. Allows to prove stable processes and thus high quality recyclates to your customers.
   2. Exploratory Pattern Analytics Tool: Works on prepared/preprocessed tabular data. It provides explanatory patterns, i.e., simple rules between parameters (e.g., temperature, pressure) that are predictive for a certain target parameter (e.g., scrap rate). This helps to identify optimisation possibilities in your process through unveiling unrecognised correlations.
   3. Process Analytics Tool: Provides insights consisting of reports, visualisations and other analytical methods that describe the state of your processes and/or machinery. .Using this information, production processes with recyclates can be streamlined and output quality and quantity can potentially be increased.
   4. Machine Data Acquisition Tool: A wiki for selection of a data acquisition infrastructure based on your budget and technical expertise.
   5. Forecasting Tool: A system where information is combined to predict future quantities. This tool helps to create information of future supply of plastic recyclates and therefore enhance procurement and production planning.
4. Matrix Tool: The Matrix tool helps to find matches for recycled plastic suppliers and converters based on multiple given constraints

Currently, we are testing our toolkit with several companies and to validate their fit to industry’s needs. However, we are still looking for partners to test and apply these tools and for companies interested to learn about them in our uptake acceleration management.

The Pilots - Companies co-create the toolkit together with the Di-Plast experts

Di-Plast develops and implements digital tools to increase information transparency in the value chain and to support converters in purchasing and processing rPM. These tools will be implemented, demonstrated and tested in four pilots supporting companies from the plastics value chain. These companies are directly involved in conducting the pilots forming a co-creation process to make the tools fit for their applications.

+++The Open Call is now open! Please find more information here +++

Apply for the second open call and co-create our digital tools together with our experts!

Di-Plast develops and applies digital tools to enable high value plastics recycling, i.e. bring recycled plastics to its highest application possible. The toolkit
provides information, tips, tools and methods relating to

• data collection,
• data use,
• sensor use,
• data analytics and
• Value Stream Management (VSM)

for closed-loop supply chains.

      ++++ More information coming soon! ++++

VOUCHER SUPPORT FOR THE UPTAKE OF RECYCLED PLASTICS!

Are you a SME or larger enterprise and want to introduce or increase recycled plastics in your production chain?

The Di-Plast voucher scheme supports you in realising your project! 

The voucher scheme is created to give companies extra support to realise project ideas that contribute to introducing, increasing and improving of recycled plastics (18 kt in total). There are three types of vouchers, each supporting unique aspects of your project ideas. These vouchers will help you work with our digital TOOLKIT, contribute to matchmaking with partners, give you access to expertise to improve your recyclate uptake or create the foundation for concrete chain cooperation.

If you want to introduce or increase the amount of recycled plastics in your processes and/or improve the material quality, you can apply for a voucher as part of of the Di-Plast support program.

Please find the application form at the end of this page.

Three types of vouchers

The voucher scheme timeline (with reservation)

Frequently asked questions

Here you can find answers to your most urgent questions. For detailed information on the voucher scheme please download the Voucher Guideline at the bottom of the page. You can also contact one of the voucher-scheme-coordinators or one of the uptake managers for more information regarding your application!

Here you find sources with information and background about the Di-Plast Project.