Smart factories are characterized by increasing automation and increasing customization. In these dynamic environments flexible and adaptive work organization is crucial both for productivity and work satisfaction. Factory2Fit project will support this development by developing adaptation solutions with which people with different skills, capabilities and preferences can be engaged, motivated and productive members of the work community in manufacturing industries. The core idea in Factory2Fit project is that the worker is an expert of his/her own work and thus (s)he shall have an active role in designing his/her work. The proposed adaptive automation solutions are based on a dynamic user model that includes physical and cognitive abilities. The worker him/herself gets feedback of his performance and skills, which supports continuous learning and competence development. Virtual factory models will be used as engaging platforms for participatory design of work practices, knowledge sharing and training, involving all the relevant stakeholders in contributing the organizational development. Contextual guidance and knowledge sharing is supported by augmented reality based tools. The adaptation solutions will be developed within three industrial pilots in actual manufacturing environments. The solutions will be generalized and disseminated widely to the manufacturing industry. Adaptive automation solutions to be developed in Factory2Fit will support fluent human-automation cooperation and will have impacts in work satisfaction, less occupational health issues, less stress, better ergonomics, better quality, less errors and better productivity. Adaptive automation supports current and forthcoming workers to develop their competences towards knowledge workers of smart factories with fulfilling work careers. This will further improve the competitiveness of European manufacturing industry and support the principle of responsible manufacturing industry.

Global economic crises and the COVID19 pandemic have dictated manufacturing firms to rethink their production and business models. Production systems need to adopt both human and automated resources that can work together seamlessly. As a response, CONVERGING aims to Develop, deploy, validate and promote smart and reconfigurable production systems including multiple autonomous agents (collaborative robots, AGVs, humans) that are able to act in diverse production environments. The diversifying factors will be a multi-level AI based cognition (line, station, resource levels) which will exploit the collective perception (Digital Pipeline) of these resources, allowing them to interact with each other and seamlessly coexist with humans under a "social industrial environment" that ensures trustful, safe and inclusive user experience The project proposes the development of systems that can: 1. Perceive: Identify and recognize processes/resources/environment and their status by introducing Big Data, Real Time Integration & Communication Architecture, Digital Twins and Human in the Loop techniques 2. Reason: Analyze the production system status and autonomously formulate plan of actions using AI, Planning and Reconfiguration Algorithms as well as Resource Autonomy solutions 3. Adapt: Automatically modify h/w and control systems to execute the formulated plans through the use of Robotics and Autonomous Systems, Smart Devices and Adaptable Mechatronics 4. Collaborate: Seamlessly work with humans or other resources establishing a social industrial environment which exploits Smart Human Machine Collaboration, User experience assessment and User centric workplace design 5. Innovate: Expand its capabilities and Openness via an Open Pilot Network as well as links to local and international innovation ecosystems CONVERGING will demonstrate its results in the Automotive, Aircraft Production, White Goods and Additive Manufacturing products processing sectors.