CoPro · Project

Smart Software That Coordinates Entire Factory Sites to Cut Energy and Resource Waste

manufacturingPilotedTRL 6

Imagine running a huge chemical plant where dozens of machines, reactors, and production lines all need to work together — but right now each one is managed separately, like musicians playing without a conductor. CoPro built software that acts as that conductor: it watches everything happening across the plant in real time, spots problems before they cause waste, and automatically reschedules production to save energy and materials. They tested it in five real factories — from petrochemical sites to food processing plants — proving it works across very different industries.

By the numbers

EUR 6,059,645

EU funding for development and demonstration

consortium partners across 8 countries

industrial partners in the consortium

SMEs involved in the project

industrial use cases demonstrated

working prototype software systems delivered

total project deliverables

71%

industry ratio in consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Most process industry plants — chemical, food, consumer goods — manage their equipment, energy use, and production schedules in silos. When a shutdown, changeover, or equipment cleaning happens, it ripples across the plant causing energy waste, lost production time, and quality issues. There is no single system that coordinates all these moving parts in real time and adjusts the plan when something unexpected happens.

The solution

What was built

CoPro built three concrete prototype systems: anomaly detection software that monitors plant health and product quality in real time, a model management platform that keeps plant models accurate over time (solving the biggest bottleneck in advanced control), and an integration platform that connects these tools with existing factory IT systems. All three were demonstrated at five real industrial sites across different sectors.

Audience

Who needs this

Chemical and petrochemical plant operations managers fighting energy waste from uncoordinated shutdowns and changeoversFood processing companies losing product quality due to late anomaly detection and rigid batch schedulingConsumer goods manufacturers with complex formulation and packaging lines needing better changeover coordinationIndustrial park operators wanting to coordinate production across multiple companies sharing utilitiesPolymer and cellulose producers seeking to optimize recycling loops and reduce raw material consumption

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Petrochemicals & Chemicals

enterprise

Target: Chemical production site operators running multiple interconnected units

If you are a chemical plant operator dealing with energy waste from poorly coordinated shutdowns, changeovers, and equipment regeneration cycles — this project developed a plant-wide optimization platform tested at petrochemical and polymer production sites that dynamically reschedules operations to minimize energy and resource use. The prototype software detects anomalies and triggers automatic re-optimization across your entire site. The consortium included 15 industrial partners across 8 countries who validated the approach.

Consumer Goods & Packaging

mid-size

Target: FMCG manufacturers with formulation and packaging lines

If you are a consumer goods manufacturer struggling with production changeovers, cleaning cycles, and packaging line coordination — CoPro demonstrated its scheduling and control solution at a consumer product formulation and packaging plant. The system integrates with heterogeneous IT environments, meaning it works alongside your existing factory software. With 21 consortium partners including 9 SMEs, the tools were designed for real-world deployment, not just lab conditions.

Food Processing

any

Target: Food manufacturers seeking to reduce waste and improve batch scheduling

If you are a food processor losing product quality and energy to suboptimal batch scheduling and late anomaly detection — CoPro built and tested anomaly detection software and dynamic planning tools specifically at a food processing plant. The system monitors product quality in real time and triggers fast rescheduling when something goes wrong, reducing spoilage and energy waste. The project ran for over 3 years with EUR 6,059,645 in EU funding across 21 partners.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to implement CoPro's tools at our plant?

The project does not publish per-site licensing or implementation costs. The EU invested EUR 6,059,645 across 21 partners to develop and demonstrate the platform. Contact the coordinator at TU Dortmund to discuss commercial licensing terms and implementation pricing for your specific setup.

Has this been tested at industrial scale or only in the lab?

CoPro was demonstrated at five industrial use cases covering petrochemical production, base chemicals and polymer production, cellulose recycling, consumer product formulation and packaging, and food processing. These are real production environments, not laboratory simulations. The 71% industry ratio in the consortium (15 out of 21 partners) confirms the industrial focus.

Who owns the intellectual property and how can we license it?

IP is shared among the 21 consortium partners under Horizon 2020 rules. Three specific prototypes were delivered: anomaly detection software, a model management platform, and an integration platform. Licensing arrangements would need to be discussed with the relevant partners, starting with the coordinator TU Dortmund.

How long does deployment take?

The project ran from November 2016 to June 2020 and produced 35 deliverables including three working prototypes. CoPro paid special attention to deployment in heterogeneous IT environments, which suggests the tools are designed to integrate with existing factory systems rather than requiring a full IT overhaul. Exact deployment timelines depend on site complexity.

Will this work with our existing factory software?

Yes — a core design goal of CoPro was deployment in industrial sites with heterogeneous IT environments. The prototype integration platform was built specifically to connect with different existing systems. The model management platform also addresses the bottleneck of maintaining accurate plant models over time.

Does this comply with industry regulations?

The project focused on energy and resource efficiency in process industries, which aligns with EU environmental and industrial efficiency regulations. Based on available project data, specific regulatory certifications are not mentioned, but the solution was validated at real industrial sites operating under standard regulatory requirements.

Is there ongoing support or has the project ended?

The project officially closed in June 2020. However, with 15 industrial partners and 9 SMEs in the consortium, several partners may offer the technology commercially. The project website copro-project.eu and the coordinator at TU Dortmund are the best starting points for current availability.

Consortium

Who built it

CoPro's consortium of 21 partners is unusually industry-heavy at 71%, with 15 industrial partners and 9 SMEs — meaning the technology was shaped by companies who actually run plants, not just academics theorizing about them. The 8-country spread across AT, BE, CH, DE, EL, ES, FR, and UK gives it broad European industrial coverage. Only 3 universities and 3 research organizations were involved, serving as the technical backbone while industry drove the use cases. This composition signals that the outputs are practical and deployment-oriented. The coordinator, TU Dortmund, is a leading German technical university with strong ties to the chemical and process engineering industry.

TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAT DORTMUNDCoordinator · DE
GACparticipant · FR
COVESTRO DEUTSCHLAND AGparticipant · DE
ETHNIKO KENTRO EREVNAS KAI TECHNOLOGIKIS ANAPTYXISparticipant · EL
UNIVERSIDAD DE VALLADOLIDparticipant · ES
INEOS KOLN GMBHparticipant · DE
INNO TSDparticipant · FR
ENGAGE - KEY TECHNOLOGY VENTURES AGthirdparty · DE
ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNEparticipant · CH
DIVIS INTELLIGENT SOLUTIONS GMBHparticipant · DE
AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICASparticipant · ES
SIEMENS PROCESS SYSTEMS ENGINEERING LIMITEDparticipant · UK
LENZING AKTIENGESELLSCHAFTparticipant · AT
FUNDACION UNIVERSIDAD DE VALLADOLIDthirdparty · ES
PROCTER & GAMBLE SERVICES COMPANY NVparticipant · BE

How to reach the team

Coordinator is Technische Universität Dortmund (Germany). Use Google AI Search to find the project coordinator's direct contact for licensing discussions.

Order a report on this consortium See TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAT DORTMUND profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore whether CoPro's plant optimization tools fit your production setup? SciTransfer can connect you directly with the right consortium partner for your industry and use case.

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