At the end of February, FORCAM hosted a workshop as part of the LCAMP Project. Their mission within the project is to collaboratively design a practice-oriented curriculum that equips students with the essential skills for working in globally connected discrete manufacturing environments.
Key Takeaways from the Workshop
- Student Challenge: Participants were tasked with assembling a robotic car across multiple training sites in Europe and Canada—mirroring real-world global production workflows.
- Didactic Approach: The focus was on the entire production process rather than isolated technologies. While innovations like AI and Additive Manufacturing are important, the seamless orchestration of information flow across locations is the real game-changer.
- Methodology: Since modern manufacturing processes involve increasing variation and customization, students explored different production scenarios. The journey began with a user-friendly product configurator, integrating essential ERP functions to generate production orders.
Building on this foundation, students used FORCAM ENISCO’s MES FLEX factory software to understand how a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) facilitates information flow and manages order execution across production sites.
Through initiatives like this workshop at DHBW Heidenheim, FORCAM ensure that students not only learn about cutting-edge manufacturing technologies but also grasp the importance of coordinated information management across multiple production sites.
As future manufacturing processes become increasingly complex and adaptable, students must learn to navigate these changes effectively. Instead of diving into complex ERP systems, our approach starts with an intuitive product configurator that streamlines ERP functionalities and initiates production orders. From there, students gain hands-on experience with MES systems like FORCAM ENISCO’s MES FLEX, learning how they distribute information and optimize production flows.
Originally published by Alexander Schließmann (Lead Value Engineer at FORCAM), here
