Appendix to the press release
Blieskastel, 2nd April 2015
Guided Autonomic Building:
Building control systems interact intelligently to increase energy efficiency,
comfort and security
German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy awards research project
contract to innovation network of automation providers, technology firms, energyefficient building providers and researchers as part of the future-oriented Industry 4.0
project.
Hager Group is joined by seven other partners in the consortium: Scheer Group companies
Scheer Management GmbH, Interactive Software Solutions GmbH and IS Predict GmbH, as well
as QBUS Holding (part of OBG Group), the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence
and the Institute for Communication Technology at Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and
Arts. The application for the Guided Autonomic Building (Guided AB) research project was a
collaborative effort between the members. The consortium is led by Hager Group. Guided AB is
in keeping with objectives of the Industry 4.0 project initiated by the federal government of
Germany.
Guided AB aims to bring about considerable improvements to the energy efficiency, utility and
user acceptance of autonomic buildings through intelligent and easily adaptable building
controls, the introduction of standardised open-access interfaces, the integration of modern web
technologies in automation solutions and the implementation of new, interactive 3D operating
concepts.
The project centres around a platform designed to provide services and assistance for
autonomic, networked and resource-efficient residential buildings (“smart buildings”). This
platform is intended to be operated by users on location in real time and configured in the cloud
using mobile apps, as well as to be controlled by service providers. The aim is to ensure
personalised integration of services and users to the maximum degree.
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There are very limited opportunities for users themselves to gain access to the systems currently
available on the market, and in the vast majority of cases only system experts are able to
configure them. This is another reason why homes need intelligent, self-learning systems which
autonomously execute the appropriate processes to configure and control heating, air
conditioning, lighting, surveillance and multimedia systems while simultaneously giving users
more opportunities to influence their living environment.
With Guided AB, anyone will be able to set up and configure the systems used in different
scenarios. With just the touch of a finger, users can draw the blinds, start up a television
programme, dim the lights and programme a range of other functions that would previously have
required them to call a specialist for help.
The consortium partners in detail
Scheer Group has been contributing its expertise to Guided AB through three of its companies: IS Predict,
which develops algorithms for pattern recognition, Interactive Software Solutions, which provides
appropriate service solutions, and Scheer Management, the firm responsible for drafting the concepts.
Hager Group is the expert for electrical engineering in the consortium, while QBUS Holding (part of OBG
Group) provides construction industry know-how and contributes the expertise of the QBUS companies to
develop application scenarios for the future users of the new technologies. The German Research Center
for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) and the Institute for Communication Technology at Dortmund University of
Applied Sciences and Arts ensure that the project is scientifically supported by trusted research partners.
The consortium has also enlisted the consulting services of Mannheim’s Wowikom Group. The service
provider from the housing sector is responsible for analysing and communicating the expectations of the
market.
“Our project concept gave us the edge against 100 other applicants in the Industry 4.0 project from the
German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, as we are breaking new ground. One of the
significant aspects of our solution is the shift from hardware to software orientation. This translates into a
much greater degree of flexibility for users,” says Johannes Hauck from the Corporate Strategy and
Business Development division.
Professor August-Wilhelm Scheer: “I am confident that the results of our project will not only generate
immediate solutions for new construction projects and existing properties, but they will also provide an
impetus for further scientific application of the findings. Guided AB will help us make properties more
energy-efficient and also more comfortable. For example, it will enable older people and those in need of
help to continue living independently in their home environment without having to draw on outside
assistance.”
Dr Hilko Hoffmann, DFKI: “Integrating interactive 3D Web technologies, modern app concepts and mobile
devices paves the way for completely new forms of interaction with intelligent buildings. The new user
interfaces will significantly increase users’ acceptance and understanding of the intelligent use of
autonomic buildings, significantly increasing the potential for greater efficiency as a result. From a
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research perspective, this will generate a fresh impetus for further investigations and developments
designed to enhance the transparency, security and simplicity of operating technically complex buildings –
even for non-specialists.”
Professor Ingo Kunold: “Flexible IP systems, distributed according to the respective building structures,
interact with intelligent software modules and professional field bus systems in buildings and offer a new
kind of user interface, providing clear, simple operation and information for the user – for example, to
enable them to control their living environment and increase its energy efficiency. These systems and the
appropriate interfaces open up a myriad of possibilities for web-based applications and mobile apps
designed to provide smart services for operating buildings and enhance user comfort. The Guided AB
system also enables building status information required for operation purposes to be systematically
recorded and new R&D concepts to be developed for the purposes of connecting and optimising this
information.”
About Hager Group
Hager was founded in Ensheim, Saarland, in 1955. The company is now a leading supplier of solutions and services
for electrical installations in residential, commercial and industrial buildings. Our range of solutions and services
extends from energy distribution to cable management and from security systems to building automation.
As an independent family-owned and family-run company based in Blieskastel, Germany, Hager Group is one of the
industry’s innovation leaders. A total of 11,400 employees generate a turnover of about 1.7 billion euros. Components
and solutions are produced at 23 sites around the globe and are trusted by customers in more than 95 countries
worldwide. Our success is owed to the trust our customers have placed in us.
www.hagergroup.com
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Contact
Johannes Hauck
Hager Electro GmbH & Co. KG
Zum Gunterstal
66440 Blieskastel
Germany
Tel.
+49 (0)6842 9454 253
Mobile +49 (0)175 5734 922
johannes.hauck@hager.de
www.hagergroup.com
About the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence GmbH (DFKI)
The German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, with sites in Kaiserslautern, Saarbrücken and Bremen (with an
associated branch in Osnabrück) as well as a project office in Berlin, is Germany’s leading research institute in the
field of innovative software technology. The DFKI ranks among the most important “centres of excellence” in the
international scientific community. It is currently the world’s biggest research centre in the field of artificial intelligence
and its application in terms of number of employees and the volume of external funds. The financial budget in 2012
was approximately 36 million euros. DFKI projects encompass the entire spectrum, from application-oriented basic
research to the development of product functions based on market and customer needs. At present, over 400
employees from 60 countries are conducting research on software solutions focusing on knowledge management,
cyber-physical systems, the Robotics Innovation Center, the Innovative Retail Laboratory, the Institute for Information
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Systems, embedded intelligence, agents and simulated reality, augmented reality, language technology, intelligent
user interfaces and innovative factory systems. This has resulted in more than 60 professorships held by former DFKI
employees and 60 spin-off companies providing approximately 1,700 highly qualified jobs.
Contact
Dr Hilko Hoffmann
Research Department for Agents and Simulated Reality
German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence GmbH (DFKI)
Campus D3 2
66123 Saarbrücken
Germany
Tel.
+49 (0)681 857 757 742
hilko.hoffmann@dfki.de
www.dfki.de
About the Wowikom Group
Based in Mannheim, Germany, the Wowikom Group has over 15 years of experience in advising companies from the
housing sector and developing models to optimise factors that affect operating costs. In addition to energy and media
supply, billing services, lift maintenance and legionella testing, the Wowikom Group also offers services in other areas
and links these individual elements with the objective of lowering operating costs and increasing the quality of living
conditions. Customers of the Wowikom Group include property management firms, housing associations and
investors throughout Germany.
Contact
Wowikom Consulting GmbH
Christian Müller
Managing Director
Hans-Thoma-Str. 21
68163 Mannheim
Germany
mueller@wowikom.de
www.wowikom.de
Tel.
+49 (0)621 4226 040
Mobile +49 (0)171 8652 556
Fax
+49 (0)621 4226 099
The Institute for Communication Technology (ICT) at Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts was founded
in 2001 and has been headed by Professor Ingo Kunold ever since. The institute is a member of the North RhineWestphalia expertise platform for communication technology and applied signal processing. The R & D focus at the
organisation is on intelligent, real-time, Web-based systems, services and protocols; digital signal processing and
archiving with embedded systems; digital measured-value and signal analysis; digital filtering and equalisation of
transmission channels; and distributed, database-supported Web applications. Its research is applied in fields such as
audio technology and telecommunications, as well as in energy information and control systems for smart grids, smart
buildings and smart metering networks. The ICT is the institute responsible for teaching communication technology
and remote data transmission processing with distributed systems in bachelor’s and master’s courses in IT and
electrical engineering at Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
Contact
Professor Ingo Kunold
Dortmund Institute for Communication Technology
NRW Center of Communications and Applied Signal Processing
Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts
Sonnenstrasse 96
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Head office: Blieskastel
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Management Board: Daniel Hager (Chairman), Philippe Ferragu, Bertrand Schmitt
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44047 Dortmund
Germany
Tel.
+49 (0)231 9112 352
Fax
+49 (0)231 9112 615
ikt@fh-dortmund.de
www.ikt.fh-dortmund.de
The OBG group
The OBG group of today developed from the core of Ottweiler Baugesellschaft, which was founded in 1963.
The OBG group pools the proven construction expertise and state-of-the-art building technology of the renowned
company OBG AG with the competence and ingenuity on the subject of efficient properties provided by the innovative
companies from the young QBUS Holding GmbH & Co. KG. All the companies are based in Saarland and provide
their services predominantly in south-west Germany and Luxembourg. Today, the OBG group is a highly effective
one-stop provider of solutions, with a workforce of around 700 employees and an annual building output equating to
approximately 150 million euros.
Contact
Helmut Kruppke
OBG Gruppe GmbH
Illinger Str. 150
66564 Ottweiler
Germany
h.kruppke@obg-gruppe.de
Tel.
+49 (0)6824 3000 3012
About Scheer Group GmbH
The Scheer Group supports and manages the combined expertise of innovative and technology-oriented companies
within a single network.
August-Wilhelm Scheer, professor of business information systems, inventor of the ARIS concept and successful
entrepreneur, founded Scheer Group GmbH as a network of high-growth IT companies. High quality, innovation and a
clear focus on customer value are what characterise their products and services. The close cooperation with science
and research professionals enhances the level of innovation in the individual companies and opens up new markets.
As the sole shareholder of the Scheer Group, August-Wilhelm Scheer owns significant shares in the network
companies while also emphasising the entrepreneurial potential of start-up management.
The following Scheer Group companies are involved in the Guided AB project:
Business process management, consulting and innovative
solutions
www.scheer-management.com
Engineering and IT solutions for integrating products and
services
www.interactive-software.de
Self-learning and forward-looking software solutions for
increasing the efficiency of resources
www.ispredict.com
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Management Board: Daniel Hager (Chairman), Philippe Ferragu, Bertrand Schmitt
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Contact
Irmhild Plaetrich
I.C.E.-Kommunikationsberatung
pr@ice-plaetrich.com
Tel.
+49 (0)172 6868 561
Fax
+49 (0)681 9351 1100
www.scheer-group.com
www.guided-ab.de
info@guided-ab.de
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Head office: Blieskastel
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Management Board: Daniel Hager (Chairman), Philippe Ferragu, Bertrand Schmitt
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