The Consortium – Plooto-Project

The Plooto Consortium

A diverse project consortium of 20 partners from 9 countries.

Maggioli is a major Italian software company with a guiding role for those who operate in Local Public Administrations. Our integrated activities support Local and Central Public Administrations, freelancers and companies in simplifying processes and improving services for the public and businesses. We do this through management software and customised services and projects for the computerisation of the public and private sectors; applications for ‘mobile’ devices; computerised document storage services; consultancy and organisational support for public management; outsourcing services; technologies for detecting traffic offences and urban security; solutions for the digital management of local revenues; professional publishing and online services; catalogue-based, in-house and e-learning training; paper and online forms for administrative procedures; graphics and printing services; projects for cultural institutions, museums and tourism organisations. We also provide Cloud, Internet of Things, Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, Smart City solutions With our digital tools, we facilitate change in society to help build a more functional world, where people and businesses can obtain reliable answers more quickly.

Technical University of Crete is a young, dynamic university with a clear mission: to expand knowledge and benefit society through research integrated with education. The Industrial and Digital Innovations Research Group is a multi-disciplinary team of researchers, engaged in research and academic activities at the School of Production Engineering and Management of TUC. Indigo team carries out applied research and development that traverse four pillars; Process Engineering, Circular Economy, Environmental Engineering and Digital Innovation.

ELTRUN is the E-Business Research Center of the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB) and belongs to the Department of Management Science and Technology. The center was established by Prof. Doukidis in 1994 and currently consists of more than 40 researchers, including 6 members of the academic staff of AUEB and 15 Post-Doc and academic staff of other Institutions. Through the years, ELTRUN has successfully managed to produce state-of-the-art research and to complete more than 40 international research projects some of them funded by the Information Society and Technologies Program of the European Commission. The center is actively involved in commercial projects and executive education programs to solve difficult real-life problems with the support of ICTs, various activities that are intended to increase awareness in the fields of E-Business, Digital Transformation, Industry 4.0, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, eCommerce and Big Data. ELTRUN supports scientifically the Athens Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ACEin) of AUEB.

Eurecat is the leading technology centre in Catalonia, Spain, and the second-largest private research organisation in southern Europe with the experience of more than 650 professionals. It holds 153 patents and 8 technology-based spin-offs. Eurecat works in four areas of knowledge, industrial, digital, biotech and sustainability. Two research units participate in Plooto, Applied Artificial Intelligence (AAI) and Robotics (ROB). In AAI 40 researchers are participating in 30 EU-funded projects and coordinates 4: Nebulous, Impetus, Frontier and Vitigeos. In ROB 30 researchers are participating in more than 60 private industrial contracts and publicly funded research projects at a national and international level.

IDC is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. IDC helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community make fact-based decisions on technology purchases and business strategy. More than 1,100 IDC analysts provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries worldwide. For more than 50 years IDC has provided strategic insights to help our clients achieve their key business objectives. IDC’s Insights businesses provide industry-focused advice for IT buyers in the Financial, Government, Health, Retail, Manufacturing and Energy verticals.

SIRIUS is a Norwegian Centre for Research-driven Innovation at University of Oslo that addresses the problems of scalable data access in the industry. When adopting new digital technologies, the central challenge industrial companies face is to identify and cultivate the organizational pre-conditions necessary for realizing the potential of these new technologies. Consequently, the realization of their potential falls significantly short of expectations. Data within the industrial domain typically resides in several different sources and can have vastly different forms and access methods. In order to ensure optimal decision making, all of this data must be taken into account; an end-user needs to be able to view and understand all data.

AEGIS IT RESEARCH GmbH is an R&D company based in Germany developing and managing innovative IT solutions for numerous business sectors. The company consists of a highly effective professional team of talented researchers and top-class IT experts from all over the world, empowering the company with a strong, diverse skillset that helps AEGIS offer innovative products and high-tech business solutions to the market. AEGIS provides advisory services and cutting-edge software technology as an end-to-end solution both for the private and the public sector. AEGIS has a long-term involvement in security and data management solutions such as cloud-based enterprise applications, secure and privacy preserving systems, recommender systems, adaptive Big Data management systems and all the lifecycle of IT systems (design, development, deployment, optimization and maintenance)

The Jožef Stefan Institute (Institut “Jožef Stefan”) is the largest research institute in Slovenia with over 900 researchers working in the cutting-edge research and development of technologies such as nanotechnologies, new materials, biotechnologies, management and production technologies, communication technologies, computer and knowledge technologies, environmental technologies and reactor technologies. The mission of the Institute is to create, spread and transfer knowledge in the field of natural and technical sciences and life sciences for the benefit of society at large through the pursuit of education, learning, research, and development of high technology at the highest international levels of excellence.

Entersoft is a leading business software and services provider in South East Europe and the Middle East. It offers a comprehensive and integrated business software suite with ERP, CRM, Retail, WMS, Mobile, E-Commerce and B.I. applications. The suite is developed on the latest Microsoft .NET® technology and is available for on premise or on cloud installation, while can be used either as a licensed product or as Software as a Service (SaaS).

Frontier Innovations (FRONT) is an Information Technology solutions SME, with the mission of delivering innovations expanding the digital frontier. FRONT is active in the areas of industry 4.0, circular economy, intelligent mobility and smart cities, while it brings in PLOOTO expertise, knowledge and specialization in key areas required to realize the project concept including data management and processing, data spaces and data governance, analytics and AI services. FRONT mainly contributes to the development of the PLOOTO Supply Chain DT modelling and Operation with an emphasis on the development of the data space and the analytics and AI services.

CETMA is a non-profit RTO with around 65 highly specialised employees. It is one of Italy’s 13 European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH) for the provision of innovation services related to artificial intelligence, high-performance computing and cybersecurity, and it is partner of Enterprise Europe Network.

In Materials Engineering, expertise focuses on composite and polymeric materials, involving design and optimisation of materials, simulation of materials, components and processes, testing, structural health monitoring, process development, prototyping.

In the field of Computer Engineering covers software development for industrial and engineering applications, for Advanced Visual Systems applications, for robotics and automation applications, including medical ones.

In the field of Industrial Design, it gose from conceptual conception, design and prototyping, to production, including ergonomic and market analysis.

TÜV AUSTRIA Hellas has been operating in Greece since 1994 and is a 100% subsidiary of TÜV AUSTRIA, which has a presence in over 40 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. TÜV AUSTRIA Hellas provides independent third-party services in the form of Technical Audits, Inspections, Certifications, and transfer of know-how, combined with lifelong-learning services, in a large number of specialized sectors of economic activity.
The fundamental vision and priority of TÜV AUSTRIA Hellas is the substantial implementation of Quality as an indispensable business tool, and our central focus is on people, safety, and society.

ASPIS produces a great variety of fruit juices and purees, aromas and oils, fruit preparations and canned products. Our high quality and innovative products support a great number of private brands of well known and recognized retailers. In all these years, with hard work and commitment, we succeed to serve more than 70 countries all over the world. As ASPIS we produce a wide variety of high quality fruit products, managing to serve the most well known and recognised customers in all over the world.

CELSA GROUP™ is the largest Spanish-owned steel company and the second largest European long products producer. The multinational consists of eight large business groups with steel producers, rolling mills, processing plants, distribution companies and recycling centers, with more than 9,300 employees worldwide. We currently contribute to the recycling of 9.5 million tons of waste, mainly scrap from end-of-life products coming from construction, automotive and electronic equipments. 93% of the materials we use in production are recycled, 100% of the products we generate are recyclable and we value more than 90% of the waste generated by our production process.

IMDEA Nanoscience is an interdisciplinary research centre located in Madrid (Spain) and dedicated to the exploration of nanoscience and the development of applications of nanotechnology in connection with innovative industries. The Group of Permanent Magnets and Applications -working in PLOOTO- is part of the Programme Nanotechnology for Critical Raw Materials and Sustainability at IMDEA Nanoscience. This Programme focuses on the search of solutions through the application of research and innovation to the fragile economic, political and social situation faced by Europe related to the provision of raw materials of high-criticality required for a sustainable technological development.

IMA is a leading company in the magnetic sector in Spain with more than 30 years of experience. Being a worldwide magnetic supplier company, with customers from more than 60 countries.
Developing technologies to improve the process of transformation, rectification, magnetisation and customisation of magnets.
Experts in injection and overmolding of bonded materials, manufacturing industrial magnetic separator systems and electromagnets.
IMA has one of the largest laboratories in Europe with high technology measuring equipment. The quality of the products is guaranteed to ensure the precision in different important sectors as automotive, aerospace, wind energy, electric motors, electronics, medicine, robotics, recycling, and mining, amongst others.

HP is world leader in the production of carbon fiber components particularly for motorsport and automotive applications. From 2010, year of birth, the company is growing exponentially both in terms of technological skills and in terms of volumes and turnover. HP currently carries out its production activities within five production plants, located at Ascoli Piceno – Italy, covering a total area of 22,000 sqm. Our strength are people. The extraordinary technological know-how allows us to support customers during all product development phases, from conceptual design to components series production. The great experience of the R&D department is our trump card, which allows us to offer innovative technologies and processes essential to satisfy the growing market demand.

Cetma Composites Srl is an innovative company born as a spin-off of a research centre, Consorzio Cetma. The founders are researchers with years of experience in R&D sector, at national and international level, and they take care of the R&D activities of the company. The company core business is the development and fabrication of composite components with high technological content. Cetma Composites has in its organic two profiles with Materials Engineering degree and Ph.D. in Materials Engineering and Structures and Mechanical Engineering, a profile with Aerospace Engineering degree and ten specialized technicians that deal of production. Cetma Composites uses highly innovative processes and design methodologies, thanks to the R&D activities performed in internal research projects.

ACCELIGENCE Ltd (ACCELI) is a Cyprus-based company, established in 2019. ACCELI is an innovative SME and is engaged in cutting edge R&D activities giving a particular focus on Unmanned Automated Vehicles, haptics, and other robotic solutions. Our company can provide a fully custom and “open” platforms and solutions, able to be adapted to the specific needs of any project or product, and able to be equipped with different components (sensors/ analytics/actuators). ACCELI’s experience is based on more than 15 years activities in relevant technological/ technical market.

KPAD Ltd can demonstrate expert knowledge in simulation and integration of state-of-the-art industrial processes, product development and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of products and services for energy and resource saving and sustainable development.
Our activity is focused at highly competitive applied research sectors: (a) Sustainable product design and development for the food industry, (b) Innovative food processes design, (c) Experimental and applied study of the physical industrial processes such as extraction, extrusion and novel processes
(d) Development of mathematical models describing the physical processes and thermophysical properties of materials, (e) Design of the physical industrial processes in order to determine the operating conditions, (f) Sustainable food processes design, (g) Application of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for food and food environmental management, (h) Estimation of CO2 footprint of food products and environmental assessment through product design, (i) Life Cycle Assessment of water and energy resources, Resource minimization and water and energy saving through LCA, (j) Determination of sensory analysis, shelf life tests and users’ acceptance, legislation issues

The Plooto Consortium

Gruppo Maggioli

Technical University of Crete - Industrial and Digital Innovations Research Group

ATHENS UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS - ELTRUN E-Business Research Center

Eurecat

IDC

University of Oslo

AEGIS IT RESEARCH

Jožef Stefan Institute

ENTERSOFT ROMANIA

Frontier Innovations

CETMA

TÜV AUSTRIA Hellas

ASPIS SA Hellenic Juice Industry

CELSA Group

IMDEA Nanoscience

IMA Magnets

HP Composites SpA

Cetma Composites Srl

ACCELIGENCE LTD.

KPAD