SciTransfer
Better Factory · Project

Online Marketplace and Planning Tools That Help Small Manufacturers Go Digital Fast

manufacturingPilotedTRL 7
betterfactory.eu

Imagine you run a small factory and a customer asks for a custom product — but your machines and schedules are set up for mass production. Better Factory built an online marketplace where manufacturers can shop for digital tools, production planning software, and even collaborate with artists to design unique products. Think of it like an app store for factory upgrades: plug in sensors, get a digital twin of your shopfloor, and let smart scheduling software juggle custom orders alongside your regular production — at a fraction of what it would normally cost.

By the numbers
13%
Cost reduction through APPS system
15%
Production increase
30%
Faster time to market
10%
Cost compared to traditional planning systems
50%
Less deployment time vs traditional systems
48
SMEs tested through competitive open calls
16
Cross-border application experiments
11M€
Public and private funding leveraged
40%
Reduction in machines, tools, and workplaces
25%
Reduction in floor area needed
The business problem

What needed solving

Most small and mid-size manufacturers are stuck: they want to offer customized products, but their production lines, scheduling systems, and digital tools were built for standardized mass production. Adopting Industry 4.0 technologies — digital twins, smart scheduling, collaborative robots — is typically too expensive and too slow for SMEs. They need affordable, ready-to-use digital tools that let them run personalized orders alongside regular production without breaking the bank or the schedule.

The solution

What was built

The project delivered the RAMP Marketplace (a one-stop-shop for manufacturing digital services), the APPS production planning and scheduling system (version 3.0), an integrated factory digital twin designer, an SME-artist co-creation space for product design, training courses for workers, and a data API connecting all marketplace tools. All tools went through three iteration cycles with real manufacturing SMEs.

Audience

Who needs this

Small and mid-size manufacturers wanting to add custom or personalized productsContract manufacturers juggling mixed production runs and seeking scheduling optimizationTechnology integrators looking for a marketplace channel to reach manufacturing SMEsManufacturing companies in Central and Eastern Europe seeking affordable digital transformationProduct designers and creative agencies wanting to collaborate directly with factory teams
Business applications

Who can put this to work

Custom & Contract Manufacturing
SME
Target: Small and mid-size contract manufacturers producing mixed or personalized product lines

If you are a contract manufacturer dealing with the chaos of switching between custom orders and standard production runs — this project developed an Advanced Production Planning and Scheduling (APPS) system that can be deployed at 10% of the cost in 50% less time compared to traditional solutions. It promises 13% cost reduction, 15% production increase, and 30% faster time to market, tested by 48 SMEs across Europe.

Industrial Automation & Robotics
any
Target: Technology integrators and automation providers serving manufacturing SMEs

If you are a technology supplier looking for a channel to reach manufacturing SMEs — Better Factory built the RAMP Marketplace, a one-stop-shop where manufacturers buy digital services from technology suppliers, training providers, and financial brokers. The marketplace includes a data API, user protection mechanisms, and was validated across 16 cross-border application experiments with 48 SMEs.

Consumer Goods & Product Design
SME
Target: Small manufacturers wanting to add design-driven or personalized products to their portfolio

If you are a product manufacturer struggling to differentiate in a crowded market — this project created a co-creation space where manufacturing SMEs work directly with artists and designers to develop new personalized products. The integrated factory digital twin designer lets you simulate production changes before committing, reducing the risk of launching new product lines alongside existing ones.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What does this cost to implement?

The APPS system was designed to be deployed at 10% of the cost of traditional production planning systems and in 50% less time. Services are available through the RAMP Marketplace, which acts as a one-stop-shop — pricing depends on which tools and services an SME selects from the marketplace.

Has this been tested at industrial scale?

Yes. The project ran 16 cross-border application experiments with 48 SMEs selected through 2 competitive open calls, leveraging 11M€ of public and private funding. Tools went through three iteration cycles (versions 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0) based on real user feedback from these experiments.

What about IP and licensing?

The APPS system is built on a free and open IoT platform. The RAMP Marketplace hosts services from multiple third-party technology suppliers, each with their own licensing terms. Based on available project data, the marketplace infrastructure itself was developed as an open platform.

What concrete results can I expect?

According to the project objectives, APPS delivers: 13% cost reduction, 15% production increase, and 30% faster time to market. It also targets reductions in assets (10%), floor area (25%), resources (30%), logistics (35%), and machines/tools/workplaces (40%). These figures come from the project's stated targets for its scheduling and reconfiguration capabilities.

How does the collaborative robot aspect work?

The APPS system automatically reconfigures collaborative robots considering the individuality and gender of each worker. This means the system adapts robot behavior to the specific person working alongside it, which is part of the lean-agile production approach for personalized manufacturing.

Is there ongoing support after the project ended?

The project closed in September 2024. The RAMP Marketplace was designed as a self-sustaining platform where technology suppliers, training providers, and financial brokers offer services directly to SMEs. The project website at betterfactory.eu and the network of 18 Digital Innovation Hubs across 16 EU countries may still provide access points.

What training is available for my workers?

The project developed training courses and interactive solutions specifically for factory workers, available on the RAMP Marketplace. These were iterated through two rounds based on feedback from real manufacturing experiments, reaching their final versions by project end.

Consortium

Who built it

The Better Factory consortium is unusually large — 31 partners across 19 countries — reflecting its role as a pan-European Digital Innovation Hub network rather than a single-product R&D project. The network includes 18 DIHs (10 Competence Centers, 8 industry associations), 6 technology suppliers, and 4 service providers covering marketing, finance access, and legal support. With 13 SMEs among the partners and a 39% industry ratio, plus 48 additional SMEs participating through open calls, this project has strong commercial DNA. VTT Finland coordinates, bringing heavyweight research credibility, while the 12 industrial partners and heavy representation from EU-13 countries (10 of 17 regions) signal a deliberate focus on underserved manufacturing markets in Central and Eastern Europe.

How to reach the team

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland — reach through betterfactory.eu or VTT's industry partnerships office

Order a report on this consortiumSee TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT OY profile →
Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to connect with the Better Factory team about accessing the RAMP Marketplace or APPS technology for your factory? SciTransfer can arrange an introduction to the right consortium partner for your specific manufacturing challenge.

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