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Industrial digitization is currently a great challenge which involves continuous advances in technologies such as automation, robotics, internet of things, cloud computing, big data, virtual and augmented reality or cybersecurity. Only those companies able to adapt and with qualified workers will be competitive. Therefore, it is necessary to design new environments to train students and workers in these enabling technologies. In this paper, a set of guidelines is proposed to develop a demonstration model on Industry 4.0. Following these guidelines, an existing manufacturing industrial system, based on an electro-pneumatic cell for classifying pieces, is updated to the Industry 4.0 paradigm. The result is an Industry 4.0 demonstration model where enabling technologies are added in an integrated way. In this manner, students do not only train in each technology, but also understand the interactions between them. In the academic year 2020/21, this demonstration model has been used by engineering students in a subject of a master's degree. Impressions and comments from students about the structure and management of the environment, as well as the influence on their learning process are collected and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SMEs are currently confronted with major challenges such as increasing uncertainty and volatility. In order to face these challenges, agility and digitalization can be implemented. Both concepts bring about numerous opportunities and new competency requirements. Currently, there are few scientifically based, practical training courses that focus on digitization and/or agility. The aim of this paper is to provide a roadmap for the development of the training concept. In this training, participants will be able to acquire theoretical content on a learning platform in a flexible way and they will be able to apply this knowledge in a learning factory. Based on a literature overview, requirements for such a training and the necessary skills in a digital, volatile business environment will be given.

Digitalization is offering enormous opportunities for the manufacturing industry. Nevertheless, SMEs face major challenges in exploiting the potential of the digital transformation especially due to the lack of trained personnel in this respect. This study aims to identify challenges, required competencies of the workforce and requirements for trainings to successfully implement digitalization in SMEs. Therefore, semi-structured interviews were performed with more than 40 industry representatives - CEOs, production managers, interest representatives and consultants. These interviews were analyzed using the software MAXQDA and requirements and recommendations for SMEs were derived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the recent past, a vibrant debate emerged about talent management and the set of skills and competencies the future employees must possess to meet current and future market needs. Moreover, the lack of engineering students' professional competencies and their inability to correlate and apply the theoretical knowledge they acquire during their studies in practical contexts, when they enter the labour market, lead to an investment in action-oriented learning and experiential learning. In this context, the learning factory concept is being put into practice by universities and companies to equip students and employees with the demanded needs. In this paper, an Industry-University collaboration between Renault company and the University of Valladolid is presented, centred in the development of a learning factory devoted to the learning and practicing of lean manufacturing through a set of training courses offered to engineering students and professionals. The lean factory characteristics as well as the learning process and learning results achieved are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SMEs are currently confronted with major challenges such as increasing uncertainty and volatility. In order to face these challenges, agility and digitalization can be implemented. Both concepts bring about numerous opportunities and new competency requirements. Currently, there are few scientifically based, practical training courses that focus on digitization and/or agility. The aim of this paper is to provide a roadmap for the development of the training concept. In this training, participants will be able to acquire theoretical content on a learning platform in a flexible way and they will be able to apply this knowledge in a learning factory. Based on a literature overview, requirements for such a training and the necessary skills in a digital, volatile business environment will be given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shortening product life cycles and increasing, global competition lead to the necessity for companies to become flexible and able to change. The successful conduction of change projects depends to a large extent on the understanding and cooperation of the operating people. The acquisition of knowledge and thus of competence at all levels is of fundamental importance for this. Learning Factories are one of the most sustainable concepts in this respect. Concerning the industrial application, however, Learning Factories require high investment costs and are relatively inflexible in respect to their dedicated facilities and their learning content. This reveals a connection between the success of a Learning Factory in an industrial context and its mobility. In order to be able to evaluate approaches towards the mobility design of Learning Factories more precisely, the decisive drivers for mobility are identified. The assessment of these drivers with regard to the extent of influence on mobility, but also the critical consideration of possible limits, lead to an evaluation model for the mobility design of Learning Factories. Subsequently, this model is tested by applying it to a successfully operating Learning Factory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The movement to digitally transform Saudi Arabia in all sectors has already begun under the focused "Vision 2030" programme. Consequently, the task of renovating and standardizing manufacturing and other production industries to compete with global challenges is essential. The fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0), triggered by the development of information and communications technologies (ICTs), provides a basis for smart automation using decentralized control and advanced connectivity (e.g., Internet of Things). In the areas where the spirit of Industry 4.0 has been embraced, some industries have already implemented these ideas and yielded gains. Learning the principles of Industry 4.0 and having knowledge of this digital industrial revolution is essential for future engineering graduates. In this paper, a case study on building a learning factory from scratch based on the concept of Industry 4.0 is introduced. The initial achievement of a fully automated production line is presented. In doing so, a system with a smart design having smart control and smart monitoring is developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the challenges and the potential approaches of competence-based programmes for higher education institutions, starting at their inception in the Bologna process. It focuses particularly on curriculum transformation and implementation of action-orientated learning concepts. Consequently, the article takes stock of recent learning factory approaches in Germany and identifies the gap between research and practice. It presents a new approach to apply a concept of competence and the corresponding didactical design, which has been implemented and evaluated in a learning factory run by the Center for Industrial Productivity at the Technical University of Darmstadt. The presented insights are based on multiple studies outlining curricular and methodological implementations of the competency model and its didactical framework. Furthermore, specific examples of application, qualitative results, and conclusions regarding two third-party funded projects will be laid out in detail. The article concludes by summarizing the findings related to future challenges for higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract To successfully deal with economic and technological changes and create competitive advantages based on unique production capabilities, it has become crucial for businesses to ensure production-relevant competencies within their workforce. Learning factories have shown to be a proficient approach to make the development of competencies possible. In literature, a wide variety of different methods to measure competencies can be found, but have to be reworked to fit the conditions of learning factories and their provided trainings. During the presented case study, existing methods are adapted and performed throughout practical exercises in the learning factory CiP (Center for Industrial Productivity) as a part of a lecture held at the PTW at the Technische Universität Darmstadt (TU Darmstadt). The attained observations are subsequently analyzed. Especially the impact of the examined trainings on the written exam of the lecture is discussed. It can be stated that there are only a handful of methods to measure competencies suitable for the presented case, which have to be adapted first in order to become applicable for measuring competencies within learning factories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering students are often lectured and afterwards examined in a knowledge-oriented way. The question is if the students we identify with those methods as good students are also better problem solvers in practice. To review if there is any correlation between knowledge and the development of competencies, students need to a) perform a written examination and b) solve real industrial tasks at the Process Learning Factory CiP like rebalancing a production line. Regarding a), students gain the theoretical knowledge in a classroom lecture to the topic „Lean Production” and write an exam. Regarding b), videos recorded showing the actions tasks are evaluated regarding the presence of problem solving competencies. A comparison of the test results and the action tasks evaluation clarifies whether the existence of knowledge leads to a similar strong development of competencies. The evaluation of the learning success shows that the student groups achieve a good and very good competency development in the lecture modules “line balancing”, “kanban” and “systematic problem solving”. The respective lecture module is confirmed by a high degree of students’ success. However, a correlation between the level of knowledge and competency cannot be clearly established because on the one hand students with good exam results achieve a good and very good degree of competency development. On the other hand students with a bad exam result achieve nevertheless a comparatively good competency development degree. Nevertheless, as a trend it can be confirmed that consolidated knowledge is one important prerequisite for the ability to act in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years learning factories are object of extensive research, emphasized through comprehensive discussion on this topic. The international community of learning factories has reached a common understanding of the definition and differentiation of learning factories. Nevertheless an analysis of the heterogeneous stakeholder demand on this complex learning system is still missing. So, this paper provides a study on the requirements of selected stakeholders on learning factories. A description model of the system learning factory on three levels and six dimensions serves as a basis and ensures the consideration of various expectations and distinct learning factory concepts. Subsequently, predefined hypotheses regarding the requirements of stakeholders on learning factories are tested and most important requirements are identified. The stakeholder demands analysis is the foundation of a quality system for learning factories, which is currently in development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past has shown that the successful implementation of lean in organizations needs employees with sufficient knowledge about methods and principles of lean management. The mediation of these skills during the ongoing production is known as a more efficient concept than other approaches. Consequences could be an additional cost and time pressure. Therefore the Fraunhofer IPK and TU Berlin have developed a training concept, together with a German pharmaceutical company, which makes it possible for the employees to acquire the new knowledge under real conditions and without disruption of production. The paper introduces this concept of a “Lean Factory” for pharmacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the combination of learning factories and situated (on-the-job) ICT-based social learning, as well as the didactics of learning factories and ICT-based situated learning. Moreover, a case study at the Lean Lab - learning factory in Norway is described, with results from questionnaires sent participators/students about the learning outcome in the lifelong learning aspect. Three managers where asked to what extent their company benefited from the lean lab workshops. The paper suggests an enhancement of the learning factory with an online course before and after the lean lab workshop session. This can both make the simulations at the learning lab more effective as well as enhance the usefulness of the learning into positive change for the companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Along with new manufacturing paradigms such as Industry 4.0, based on cyber-physical systems or ubiquitous manufacturing and the rapid development of underlying technologies, the importance of lifelong learning as an integrated part of the overall activities within manufacturing companies increases. Herewith, a holistic learning culture and modern learning environments are required. To allow the learner to independently acquire knowledge and skills in a learning factory an intelligent learning management system and extensive feedback information to the learner are needed. A central approach is to pursue the new interactive knowledge transfer through the multi-sensory approach combined with innovative feedback processes, enabling a learning process with all human senses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid development in ICT and production engineering and the subsequent joining of both fields result currently in the creation of cyber-physical production systems. With these new technologies innovative didactic concepts are required to cope with new arising tasks on the job and in the development of such systems. Learning environments have proven to be effective instruments for developing competence in manufacturing training and education. To enable development of competence on cyber-physical production processes and systems a design approach for implementation in learning environments is presented. A case study illustrates the proposed implementation framework in a real learning factory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of manufacturing systems that are adaptive to the frequent changes in products and market conditions is becoming important with the increase in product variants and decrease in production volume of each variant to meet customers’ demands while remaining profitable. Students mostly learn about various aspects of product design, different production technologies and production planning techniques separately. It is important to provide students with hands-on experience in the whole integrated cycle of product and manufacturing systems development in a realistic environment. This paper discusses the essential knowledge elements spanning the integrated product/system life cycle and the effects of changes in products and their order mix on the manufacturing system synthesis, design, control and operation. Particular emphasis will be placed on adaptable and changeable manufacturing systems which can respond quickly and efficiently to variations in products, product mix and production volume. There are many types of learning environments and factories that can lend themselves to systems-oriented training. They vary greatly in type, scope, function, size, and location but can offer a rewarding experience when coupled with appropriate learning modules and education pedagogy. A truly reconfigurable and changeable manufacturing assembly system, the iFactory , and an iDesign studio as well as the iPlan modulesare used to demonstrate how students can gain valuable learning experience in interactive custom order placement using an iOrder tool which allows product customization and personalization, product design and rapid prototyping, order processing and scheduling, products assembly and inspection, as well as manufacturing systems design and synthesis for changeable requirements. This Learning Factory environment is the first of its kind which integrates products and systems development, operation and control. It offers a unique learning environment for senior undergraduate and graduate students as well as industrial trainees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering Education directed at topics like sustainable production or life cycle engineering needs adequate teaching approaches. Methods like research-oriented teaching, project-based learning or game-based learning are suitable techniques to promote a deeper understanding and develop competencies in respect to complex dynamic systems. However, providing appropriate teaching environments which allow for self dependent learning and practical experiences while making state of the art research insights available is quite challenging. Die Lernfabrik has been developed to suit these exact issues by providing a didactic framework for sustainable production engineering education in a real factory environment. This paper introduces a new didactic concept to combine the benefits of research-based learning approaches in engineering curriculum with the physical infrastructure of Die Lernfabrik. While gaining theoretical background in a related lecture, students utilize machinery and installations of the learning factory independently for experiments to solve their self-chosen research questions. Application and validation of the concept are exemplified by the TU Braunschweig course Energy Efficiency in Production Engineering, focusing on energy efficiency solutions for production systems. It could be proved that the individual learning motivation and success of the students as well as their competency to solve real engineering problems was significantly improved by the new approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiential teaching and research facilities such as learning factories provide a favorable environment and tools to develop, test and implement new products and manufacturing systems concepts and solutions. Learning factories that are geared towards the capabilities and requirements of changeable manufacturing systems (CMS) are used for validating new products, their variants and changeable production systems design, planning and control methods. Existing approaches of developing new products are reviewed, and a new approach to develop products for changeable learning factories is presented and validated by a case study. The new development approach is dedicated to changeable learning manufacturing systems by choosing a product line among many candidates to suite the learning system capabilities and desired learning outcomes. Designs for product variants that suite the learning factory and planned learning scenarios and training experience. This paper focuses on learning factories for changeable manufacturing systems, which are constructed to possess the necessary changeability enablers such as mobility, modularity, scalability, universality and compatibility. It is challenging to associate learning and research to a changeable manufacturing system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]