Aftersales services - such as process optimization, training, maintenance, conversion and modernization - are becoming an increasingly important part of value creation for many German machine and plant manufacturers. These services can benefit in particular from the digital transformation: Machines and systems are increasingly merging with information technologies that record status data in real time, learn from this data, control processes automatically or support human decisions and communicate and interact via the internet.

Various simulation tools can also be used for learning and decision support. Such tools are currently only used sporadically and in isolation, particularly by SMEs. There is hardly any networking of simulation systems with each other and with real production facilities.

Against this background, ten companies and institutes launched the SEAMLESS research project (Simulation-supported assistance system-based engineering and maintenance services for lean aftersales services). The aim is to develop and provide simulation tools on a cloud-based platform "Simulation enhanced Assessment as a Service (SeAaaS)", which allows users to synergistically combine different simulators and use them for smart services.

The research and development project SEAMLESS was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research in the funding area "Complex Products, Production Processes and Systems (Smart Services)" under the funding code 02K18D036 and supervised by the Project Management Agency Karlsruhe (PTKA).