04/2013 – 03/2017
Involved members of IALF:
Reutlingen University, Technical University Darmstadt, Technical University of Munich, Technical University Vienna, KTH Stockholm, MTA SZTAKI, University Split, University Patras, Stellenbosch University, School of Technology Portugal
The Network of innovative Learning Factories (NIL) is an international research project, which is promoted by the DAAD and the German ministry for education and research, and got national as well as international partners. Since the first Learning Factories in 2005 were installed, they took root in technical and economical educations of engineering.
Universities benefit from the new established platform for education. The Learning Factories are still becoming a more important part of the education of young engineers with a technical or an economical focus. The factories are needed to transfer knowledge especially in the thematic areas engineering, working and manufacturing processes as well as combining these processes. They are aiming at developing skills and knowledge in industrial productions. The focus lies on bringing theory and practice together involving the point of view from real applications, innovative control concepts, methods and tools of the advanced industrial engineering, methods and tools of the operational excellence, planning tools of the digital and virtual engineering as well as the use of lean methods in production, administration, coordination, and the whole supply chain. For the improvement of these benefits the network connects ten Learning Factories to share experience and now-how in the field of manufacturing education.
The group of network members is not a closed circle, it is much more an open platform to build partnerships and cooperation. Standardization is one of the topics in focus of NIL. For example, unifying structures, communication tools, learning methods and documentation supports the connection between different institutions. Overall the network uses synergy effects for effective development and improvement of the Learning Factories.
»NIL - Line Balancing: Practical example in a Learning Factory
»NIL - Netzwerk Innovativer Lernfabriken - Industrie 4.0 in Learning Factories