• Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) excels in supply chain management, covering additive manufacturing in military supply chains, game theory, and mathematical optimization.

The research component is fundamental to the success of the DISCMAM project, as it drives innovation and ensures the integration of the latest technological advancements throughout the development process. Central to this effort is the involvement of highly regarded research partners, such as the Eindhoven University of Technology, whose expertise and cutting-edge contributions from the research and technological fields play an important role in advancing in the project.

Established in 1956 through a partnership between industry, local government, and academia, TU/e exemplifies a unique combination of scientific inquiry and practical, hands-on methods, making it an invaluable partner in advancing the project’s goals.    

TU/e, leading the charge in research and industry collaboration

Eindhoven University of Technology is a pioneering research institution renowned for its strong academic collaborations with industry. The university’s research efforts focus on addressing key societal challenges in Health, Energy, and Smart Mobility. Through close partnerships with high-tech industries, clinical hospitals, and government bodies, the university drives scientific innovation and knowledge transfer. 

The research team working on DISCMAM is part of the Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences Department, with a specific interest in the topics of Homeland Security, defence, supply chain management, and game theory. The group includes dr. ir. Rob Basten, Niccolò Maccarini, MSc, dr. ir. Loe Schlicher and dr. Marco Slikker.

This highly skilled team has also been deeply involved in other projects. Alongside other (PhD) researchers, they have conducted studies on optimizing military supply chains. Specifically, they have developed mathematical models to identify the best conditions for using additive manufacturing to produce spare parts, thereby enhancing equipment availability and reducing costs.

Innovative Intellectual Property solutions

TU/e has been actively involved in the project’s initial ambitious goal since its early stages, focusing on defining maintenance plans for various scenarios.

Looking ahead, their mission involves addressing the challenge of enabling military organizations to utilize external Intellectual Property (IP). This requires studying viable contracting options between an IP owner and a defence organization, with the goal of effectively sharing the value created by additive manufacturing and protecting IP rights.

But, what is the key innovative aspect of this work?

“The outcome of the university’s study will identify what the opportunities are to come to a satisfactory compensation mechanism for the IP owner, encouraging them to share digital images of spare parts with military organisations. For this, we need to innovatively combine game theoretical aspects with spare parts management”, explained Maccarini.

The role of TU/e in the ROLIAC Project

The project is backed by a consolidated consortium with proven experience in European projects, positioning it strongly within the sector. TU/e contributes extensive expertise as a partner in the European Defence Fund (EDF) project ROLIAC (Robust and Light AM Components for Military Systems), which is led by our partner, the Danish Technological Institute. This initiative focuses on leveraging the benefits of additive manufacturing for metal components within military supply chains.

As part of the ROLIAC project, the educational entity developed a decision support tool designed to determine the optimal placement of printing facilities within a military supply chain. This tool is available for use by Ministries of Defence (MODs). As mentioned by Schlicher: “It would be beneficial to develop a tool for the DISCMAM project, which focuses on Intellectual Property licensing, to assist MODs in managing IP more effectively”.