oCPS · Project

Smarter Design Tools That Cut Waste in Complex Industrial Systems

manufacturingPrototypeTRL 4Thin data (2/5)

When engineers design complex machines — like a car's braking system or a factory robot — they usually add way too much computing power and memory "just in case," because the mechanical, electrical, and software teams all work separately. Imagine building a house where the plumber, electrician, and architect never talk to each other, so everyone over-builds their part. oCPS created design methods and software tools that let all these engineering disciplines work together from the start, so the final product uses exactly the resources it needs — no more, no less. The result is cheaper, more reliable industrial systems that still meet all safety and quality requirements.

By the numbers

consortium partners across Europe

industrial partners involved in validation

SMEs in the consortium

50%

industry ratio in consortium

countries represented (AT, DE, IT, NL, SE)

total project deliverables

The business problem

What needed solving

Designing complex industrial products — from autonomous vehicles to factory robots — currently wastes significant resources because engineering teams (mechanical, electrical, software, control) work in isolation. Each team adds large safety margins independently, resulting in over-provisioned hardware that costs more than necessary. Companies need a way to coordinate across all design disciplines simultaneously to build systems that are cheaper, lighter, and still reliable.

The solution

What was built

The project delivered customizable tool chains for model-driven optimization of cyber-physical systems, along with 11 total deliverables including design methods that coordinate across software, electronics, mechanics, and control engineering. These tools enable platform-aware design that accounts for real physical constraints while reducing over-provisioning of computing and communication resources.

Audience

Who needs this

Automotive OEMs and tier-1 suppliers designing electronic control units for autonomous or semi-autonomous vehiclesIndustrial automation companies building smart factory controllers and robotic systemsHigh-tech equipment manufacturers (lithography, medical imaging, precision instruments)Embedded systems companies developing IoT devices with tight cost-performance constraintsDefense and aerospace firms optimizing mission-critical cyber-physical platforms

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Automotive & Autonomous Vehicles

enterprise

Target: Automotive OEMs and tier-1 suppliers developing autonomous driving or advanced driver assistance systems

If you are an automotive supplier dealing with over-engineered electronic control units that drive up per-vehicle costs — this project developed model-driven design methods validated with 9 industrial partners that optimize the balance between computing resources, quality, and reliability in cyber-physical systems. The customizable tool chains let your engineering teams coordinate across mechanical, electrical, and software design instead of working in silos.

Industrial Automation & Robotics

mid-size

Target: Manufacturers of programmable logic controllers, industrial robots, or smart factory equipment

If you are a factory automation company struggling with expensive over-provisioned hardware in your control systems — this project built platform-aware optimization methods that account for real physical constraints like motion, vibration, and wear. Tested across a consortium of 18 partners including 5 SMEs, these tools help you right-size computing and communication resources while maintaining reliability guarantees.

High-Tech Equipment Manufacturing

enterprise

Target: Companies building lithography machines, medical imaging devices, or precision instruments

If you are a high-tech equipment maker where each unit costs millions and over-provisioning multiplies that cost — this project created integrative design methods that replace isolated design phases with coordinated optimization across software, electronics, mechanics, and power. The 50% industry ratio in the consortium means these methods were shaped by real manufacturing constraints, not just academic theory.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to adopt these design tools?

The project produced customizable tool chains as its key demo deliverable. As an MSCA training network, the tools were developed in an academic-industrial setting. Licensing terms would need to be discussed with TU Eindhoven and the industrial partners. Based on available project data, no pricing model is published.

Can these methods work at industrial scale?

The consortium included 9 industrial partners and 5 SMEs across 5 countries, which means the methods were developed with real industrial constraints in mind. The project explicitly targeted industrially validated tool chains as a goal. However, as a training network, large-scale deployment evidence is limited.

Who owns the intellectual property?

IP generated during the project is shared among the 18 consortium partners according to their grant agreement. TU Eindhoven as coordinator would be the first point of contact for licensing discussions. Individual tools may have different IP arrangements depending on which partners contributed.

How does this differ from existing commercial design tools?

Existing tools like MATLAB/Simulink or commercial PLM systems typically handle one engineering discipline at a time. oCPS specifically targets the gap between disciplines — optimizing across software, electronics, mechanics, and control simultaneously while being aware of the actual hardware platform constraints.

What industries were involved in validation?

The EuroSciVoc tags point to autonomous vehicles, control systems, energy, and software as target domains. With 9 industrial partners from the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Sweden, the methods were tested across multiple sectors of European high-tech manufacturing.

Is this ready to use today?

The project ended in October 2019 and produced 11 deliverables including customizable tool chains. As a Marie Curie training network, the primary output was trained researchers and published methods rather than turnkey commercial products. Some tools may have matured further since the project ended.

Consortium

Who built it

The oCPS consortium is notably well-balanced for a training network, with a 50% industry ratio — 9 industrial partners alongside 7 universities and 2 research institutes. The 5 SMEs signal that the work was grounded in practical constraints, not just large-company R&D budgets. Geographic spread across 5 countries (Austria, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden) covers Europe's strongest manufacturing and high-tech corridors. TU Eindhoven as coordinator brings deep expertise in embedded systems and is located in the Brainport region, one of Europe's densest high-tech ecosystems. For a business looking to adopt these methods, the industrial partners are the most relevant entry points — they have firsthand experience applying the research to real products.

TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT EINDHOVENCoordinator · NL
SCANIA CV ABpartner · SE
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET WIENpartner · AT
KUNGLIGA TEKNISKA HOEGSKOLANparticipant · SE
NEDERLANDSE ORGANISATIE VOOR TOEGEPAST NATUURWETENSCHAPPELIJK ONDERZOEK TNOpartner · NL
UNIVERSITAET ULMpartner · DE
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET MUENCHENparticipant · DE
FORTISS GMBHparticipant · DE
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAT DORTMUNDparticipant · DE
ODYS SRLparticipant · IT
ERICSSON ABpartner · SE
TECHNOLUTION BVparticipant · NL
SCUOLA IMT (ISTITUZIONI, MERCATI, TECNOLOGIE) ALTI STUDI DI LUCCApartner · IT
PHILIPS MEDICAL SYSTEMS NEDERLAND BVparticipant · NL
SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFTpartner · DE

How to reach the team

TU Eindhoven, Department of Electrical Engineering or Mathematics and Computer Science — search for oCPS project lead

Order a report on this consortium See TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT EINDHOVEN profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

SciTransfer can identify the right contact at TU Eindhoven or the industrial partners and arrange an introduction to discuss tool licensing or consulting engagement.

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