@phdthesis{Koval2025, author = {Koval, Leonid}, title = {Methodology for Evaluating and Optimizing Machine Learning Applications in Industrial Production}, publisher = {Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt}, address = {Ingolstadt}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:573-63465}, pages = {XV, 127, xv}, school = {Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt}, year = {2025}, abstract = {This dissertation examines the challenges of integrating machine learning into manufacturing environments and introduces a structured optimization methodology, termedUnderstanding and Transformation, Classification and Estimation, Optimization, Results and Evaluation (UT-CORE), to align technical solutions with strategic production objectives. The initial chapters establish the historical context and current state of data-driven production, emphasizing the complexities introduced by imbalanced datasets, constrained budgets, and evolving AI maturity within the industry. Cost emerges as a central determinant for success, prompting in-depth analyses of model-centric and data-centric pipeline design approaches. Building on these foundations, UT-CORE is presented as a four-phase process that employs a morphological box to isolate critical pipeline components and to quantify them through cost, time, availability, and complexity. By transforming high-level goals into systematic ranking and selection mechanisms using multi-criteria decision-making tools, UTCORE pinpoints the most impactful aspects of an ML pipeline, such as labeling, deployment, or model tuning, and visualizes their break-even points for more transparent managerial oversight. This process supports incremental improvements and comprehensive overhauls and can be adapted to industrial use cases. An extensive real-world application in a small to medium-sized enterprise validates the method's utility. The findings underscore the importance of optimizing meta-characteristics selectively rather than attempting to address an entire pipeline simultaneously. Concluding discussions highlight UT-CORE's adaptability to emerging technologies such as automated machine learning, and robotic process automation, as well as the potential for integrated information modeling to enhance future iterations of the method. Ultimately, this dissertation contributes a robust, modular framework to facilitate cost-effective, data-driven quality assurance across diverse production contexts.}, language = {en} }