Technologie: Training

Researchers and decision-makers in global logistics are constantly communicating and co-operating across disciplinary and cultural borders. Therefore, doctoral candidates in logistics need to learn and practice skills to cope with multi-dimensional diversity in their working environment. We present a dynamically evolving structured doctoral training programme offered to early stage researchers who are affiliated with the International Graduate School for Dynamics in Logistics in the Research Cluster LogDynamics at the University of Bremen.

As a result of continuously increasing economic constraints for the producing sector in Germany due to competitors from low-wage countries, production paradigms are changing substantially. This paradigm shift is characterized by rapidly advancing automation processes. Hence, highly complex Cyber-Physical Production Systems (CPPS) are developed and put into practice. In combination with decreasing numbers of staff and the resulting loss of knowledge, this leads to a deficit of competence required to handle the increasing complexity of CPPS. As a result, a need for innovative assistance systems arises for the support of the remaining employees. The given article describes the challenges and problems and drafts a potential technical solution as well as challenges concerning organization and staff.

As a consequence of globalized markets product development and engineering functions increasingly work in globally distributed teams. To overcome challenges of global engineering processes, leading companies employ IT applications for storing knowledge centrally and accessing it locally. Typical IT applications however are not sufficient for engineer-to-order products, i.e. products that are engineered and built to the particular specifications of a customer. This paper explores on the example of a large elevator manufacturer how knowledge-intensive tasks can be coordinated and executed globally, efficiently combining the distinct capabilities of distributed engineering sites.

The main goal of a company is to conduct target oriented rationalization efforts. Thus, the challenges are, among others, to transparence, to bundle, to adapt, to re-interpret and to develop personal and organizational competencies for a systematic and methodic planning, designing and implementing resp. a sustainable improvement of processes and value streams. This article describes the further developments of “Value Stream Mapping” (Value Stream oriented Process Management, Value Stream Mapping and MTM, evaluation of alternative value streams, cost development of value streams by changing input parameters). Existing, implicit knowledge will be explicated and systematically bundled along the value stream from different departments of a company. The personal and organizational system and method competencies are therefore available to evaluate improvement measures and to perform their implementation target oriented.

Small and medium enterprises (SME) in Germany are in a good mood. More than 90 % of the SMEs are in an appropriate economic situation reports the Bundesverband mittelständische Wirtschaft (BVMW). About 38 % of these companies expect a higher turnover in 2014 [1]. But there is one real problem the companies are faced with: the lack of skilled labour.

In order to improve action-oriented trainings, in this paper an approach for results-based evaluation by using evaluation tasks is presented. Thus weaknesses of current programs can be identified and trainings can be continuously improved.

Learning factories in Germany concentrate on the two classic aspects of production: Optimization of production processes (lean management) as well as the efficient use of resources. The learning factory of the chair of production systems at Ruhr-University Bochum considers also the topic management and organization of labour to convey competences in the field of co-determination. In cooperation between the faculty of mechanical engineering and social sciences as well as the office of cooperation RUB/IMU different learning factory exercises have been developed, which impart this learning factory a special significance.

Which sustainable industrial developments remain to having shaped and changed our work in industry and production? If we look back, experience has shown that it is neither possible to develop fully automated factories nor to conserve all human knowledge by means of huge databases. These formerly trendsetting ideas are now outdated. But what we have learned from the failure of these ideas is a useful concept of the so-called HOT approach: First Human, Second Organization and Third Technology. This way, human knowledge and potential in combination with adequate organization can lead to technical innovation. At present, the challenge is to transfer this concept to recent and future ideas, such as the fully automated car or the change to the use of renewable energy sources. Thus, it should be taken into account that technical innovation must always include human and organizational aspects to be truly sustainable.

Increasingly complex and technology-driven markets require a broad knowledge and qualifications of professionals in manufacturing companies. The range of needs for long-term competitive knowledge adaptation is versatile. Especially in view of the forecasted lack of qualified young people, it is more important to sustainably educate existing staff. Thus it is necessary to create sustainable and innovative learning environments which provide the necessary knowledge, qualifications and skills. An adequate and consistent concept represents the advanced Learning Factory (aLF) and is discussed in this paper.

Is demographic change a nightmare being completely at mercy as a business owner? Or is it rather offering opportunities? Demographic changes are only one factor for a successful business development. Along with other challenges to the company’s development, it can be used as an opportunity: Planning and taking measures in the medium and long term on individual, collective and organizational levels will result in a change of leadership.