LEVEL-UP · Project

Extend Factory Equipment Life by 20% Using Digital Twins and Smart Refurbishment

manufacturingPilotedTRL 7

levelup-project.aimen.es

Imagine your factory has a million-euro machine that's getting old but still works — you just wish it was smarter and lasted longer. LEVEL-UP built digital copies of those machines (like a flight simulator, but for factory equipment) so you can test upgrades virtually before touching the real thing. They also created repair and refurbishment methods that can extend equipment life by 20%, saving manufacturers from buying brand-new replacements. It was tested across 7 real factory sites in different industries across Europe.

By the numbers

20%

Extended equipment lifetime

16%

Increased equipment reliability

11.5%

Increased material and resource efficiency

50%+

Increase in Return on Investment

810

New jobs created (projected)

80M+ EUR

ROI for consortium (projected, 4-year horizon)

Industrial demo sites across different sectors

Special refurbishment and remanufacturing protocols

The business problem

What needed solving

Manufacturers across Europe face a brutal choice when major production equipment ages out: spend millions replacing it, or keep running unreliable machines that waste materials and cause downtime. There's no standardized way to digitally upgrade, refurbish, or remanufacture large capital equipment — each factory figures it out alone, often choosing expensive full replacement over smarter alternatives.

The solution

What was built

A scalable digital platform with virtual twin technology for simulating equipment upgrades before physical intervention, automatic data collection tools for monitoring aging equipment, 10 formal refurbishment and remanufacturing protocols, and 8 scalable modernization strategies — all validated across 7 industrial demo sites.

Audience

Who needs this

Heavy equipment manufacturers with aging production lines (presses, CNC, casting)Automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers modernizing shopfloors without full replacementSteel mills and foundries extending life of furnaces and rolling millsIndustrial maintenance service providers seeking digital upgrade offeringsTechnology integrators building Industry 4.0 retrofit solutions

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Heavy machinery and capital equipment

enterprise

Target: Manufacturers operating large CNC machines, presses, or production lines approaching end-of-life

If you are a heavy machinery operator facing costly replacement of aging production lines — this project developed a digital twin platform and 10 refurbishment protocols that can extend equipment lifetime by 20% and increase reliability by 16%. Instead of scrapping and replacing million-euro machines, you get a virtual simulation to plan upgrades and in-situ repair technologies to execute them. The consortium projects over 50% increase in ROI from keeping upgraded equipment running longer.

Automotive manufacturing

mid-size

Target: Tier 1-2 automotive suppliers with aging shopfloor equipment needing digital upgrades

If you are an automotive supplier struggling with outdated production equipment that can't keep up with Industry 4.0 demands — this project built IoT-connected data collection and virtual twin tools that modernize existing machines without full replacement. The platform covers component, workstation, and shopfloor levels with 8 scalable strategies. Material and resource efficiency improved by 11.5% across demo sites, meaning less waste and lower operating costs.

Steel and metals processing

enterprise

Target: Steel mills and foundries with large furnaces, rolling mills, or casting equipment

If you are a metals processor where replacing a single furnace or rolling mill costs millions and takes months of downtime — this project created virtual refurbishment simulations and remanufacturing protocols specifically for large industrial equipment. The coordinator is a metallurgical research institute, and the platform was validated across 7 demo sites. Equipment reliability increased by 16% while extending useful life by 20%, dramatically reducing unplanned downtime.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What does it cost to implement LEVEL-UP's platform on our equipment?

The project data does not include specific licensing or implementation costs. However, the consortium projects over 50% increase in ROI and over 80M EUR return for consortium partners within 4 years after project end, suggesting the investment pays back significantly. Contact the consortium for pricing tailored to your equipment type and scale.

Can this work at industrial scale or is it still a lab demo?

LEVEL-UP was demonstrated at 7 real industrial demo sites across different manufacturing sectors, not in laboratories. The platform covers three levels — component, workstation, and full shopfloor — with 8 scalable strategies designed for production environments. This is an Innovation Action, meaning it was built specifically for near-market deployment.

What about IP and licensing — can we use this technology?

The consortium includes 27 industry partners and 11 SMEs across 13 countries, suggesting multiple potential technology providers. Some components reference open-source implementations (IDS reference implementation). Contact the coordinator or specific technology partners to discuss licensing terms for proprietary components like the virtual twin platform.

How does the digital twin actually connect to our existing machines?

LEVEL-UP uses IoT and data-management platforms to interface new hardware and software components with existing facilities. The deliverables include automatic data collection tools and a component for semantic interoperability with complex data, meaning it's designed to work with equipment you already have rather than requiring wholesale replacement.

What measurable results can we expect?

Based on the project objectives validated across 7 demo sites: 11.5% increase in material and resource efficiency, 16% increased equipment reliability, 20% extended equipment lifetime, and over 50% increase in ROI. These numbers were projected with a horizon of 4 years after project completion.

Is this relevant only for one type of industry?

No — LEVEL-UP was deliberately tested across 7 demo sites from different manufacturing sectors. The 10 protocols and 8 strategies are designed to be sector-agnostic, covering general principles of modernising, upgrading, refurbishing, remanufacturing, and recycling large industrial equipment. The 42-partner consortium spans automotive, metals, and other manufacturing domains.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a heavyweight consortium: 42 partners across 13 countries, with 64% coming from industry (27 companies) and 11 of those being SMEs. That ratio tells a business person this wasn't an academic exercise — the technology was built with and for manufacturers. The coordinator is AIMEN, a well-known Spanish metallurgical research association with deep ties to European industry. With 3 universities and 11 research organizations providing the science, and 27 industry players ensuring real-world applicability, plus validation across 7 demo sites, this consortium was structured to produce deployable results, not just papers.

ASOCIACION DE INVESTIGACION METALURGICA DEL NOROESTECoordinator · ES
SENSAP SWISS AGparticipant · CH
AUSTRIAN STANDARDS INTERNATIONAL -STANDARDISIERUNG UND INNOVATIONparticipant · AT
KONIKER S COOPthirdparty · ES
ASOCIACION DE EMPRESAS TECNOLOGICAS INNOVALIAparticipant · ES
DSS SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS SWITZERLAND SAparticipant · CH
SCM GROUP SPAparticipant · IT
CORE KENTRO KAINOTOMIAS AMKEparticipant · EL
HOLONIX SRLparticipant · IT
BIBA - BREMER INSTITUT FUER PRODUKTION UND LOGISTIK GMBHparticipant · DE
CENTRO RICERCHE FIAT SCPAparticipant · IT
ESI GERMANY GMBHparticipant · DE
INTERNATIONAL DATA SPACES EVparticipant · DE
THINKING ADDITIVE LTDparticipant · UK
CORE INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY OEparticipant · EL
SOFIES UK CONSULTING LIMITEDthirdparty · UK
CENTRE TECHNIQUE INDUSTRIEL DE LA PLASTURGIE ET DES COMPOSITESparticipant · FR
TRIMEK SAparticipant · ES
DSS SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS UK LIMITEDthirdparty · UK
VYSOKE UCENI TECHNICKE V BRNEparticipant · CZ
IDEKO S COOPparticipant · ES
TAMPEREEN KORKEAKOULUSAATIO SRparticipant · FI
CSR CONSORZIO STUDI E RICERCHE SRLthirdparty · IT
KMWE PRECISION BVparticipant · NL
BRUNEL UNIVERSITY LONDONparticipant · UK
TTS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER SYSTEMS SRLparticipant · IT
LUCCHINI RS SPAparticipant · IT
ATLANTIS ENGINEERING AEparticipant · EL
INEGI - INSTITUTO DE CIENCIA E INOVACAO EM ENGENHARIA MECANICA E ENGENHARIA INDUSTRIALparticipant · PT
DANOBATparticipant · ES
FAGOR ARRASATE S COOPparticipant · ES
SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFTparticipant · DE

How to reach the team

The coordinator is AIMEN (Asociacion de Investigacion Metalurgica del Noroeste) in Spain. SciTransfer can facilitate a direct introduction to the right technical contact.

Order a report on this consortium See ASOCIACION DE INVESTIGACION METALURGICA DEL NOROESTE profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how LEVEL-UP's digital twin platform and refurbishment protocols could extend the life of your production equipment? SciTransfer connects you directly with the right consortium partner for your specific needs. Contact us for a tailored briefing.

Order a report on this topic More in Manufacturing & Industry 4.0