Members
Daniel Hefft, Scientific researcher - Email: daniel.hefft@iml.fraunhofer.de- Matthias Wolny, Scientific researcher - Email: Matthias.Wolny@iml.fraunhofer.de
- Michael Wolny, Deputy Head of Plant and Service Management - Email: Michael.Wolny@iml.fraunhofer.de
Research fields
The Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML) is a leading research institute dedicated to advancing the field of logistics. It specializes in both internal and external logistics, offering a comprehensive range of services and research capabilities to support companies of all sizes. With a focus on practical solutions and long-term innovation, IML bridges the gap between applied and theoretical research.
Fraunhofer IML develops tailored solutions for immediate use in businesses, while also conducting long-term theoretical studies to address specific logistical challenges over periods of two to five years. Its services include software and hardware development, process optimization, and expert consulting to help companies adapt to new projects and evolving requirements. These projects are carried out independently and objectively, ensuring unbiased results from the initial analysis to the final implementation.
The institute is supported by a team of 400 scientists and 300 doctoral students and students, working in collaboration with workshops, laboratories, and service areas. In addition to its headquarters in Dortmund, IML operates in Frankfurt am Main, Prien am Chiemsee, Hamburg, and internationally in Lisbon and Beijing. Through interdisciplinary teamwork, IML provides cross-industry, customer-specific solutions in areas such as material flow technology, warehouse management, business process modeling, simulation-based planning, transport systems, resource logistics, and e-business.
As a key player in Europe’s largest logistics project, the EffizienzCluster LogistikRuhr, IML collaborates with 11 research institutes and 120 partner companies. It also leads the “Internet of Things” initiative across the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, emphasizing its commitment to innovation and digital transformation in logistics. Guided by three Managing Directors who also hold academic chairs at TU Dortmund University, IML actively contributes to basic and applied research, shaping the future of logistics on a global scale.
Expertises
Projects
- GRIPSS-X: GAIA-X-Ready Industrial Product-Service Systems; Smart tools for service-oriented applications in value creation networks
- Sealed Services: Infrastructure for implementing industrial services in value creation networks in the context of digital integrity and sovereignty
- Smart-DLWD: Data-driven services for sustainable public value creation in public services – Added value for citizens, the state, and businesses
- SMEs Digital: Knowledge Management 4.0 at OEGE-Trading