Training

Today’s new products and services must be marketed in cycles which are rapidly becoming shorter and shorter. The pricing pressure and the progressing trend toward individualisation of products pose a tremendous challenge for major sectors of the industry. In the future, therefore, the implementation of digital methods will be necessary to a much greater extent than in the past, not only in product development, but also in process, production, and factory planning. For ensuring their own survival in a globalised world, small and medium-sized enterprises will also be faced with the inescapable necessity of introducing the digital factory. In this context, 3D-CAD factory planning can be regarded as a basic prerequisite for successful implementation of the digital factory. However, this prerequisite has not yet been satisfied in many companies. In the present publication, an overall method for implementing computer-aided 3D-CAD factory planning in conformance with the requirements is ...

The concept enterprise 2.0 stands for the enabling of new forms of know-ledge management by utilizing internet technology. While web 2.0 focuses on tools for communication, relationship management and learning, i.e. weblogs, wikis, and social networking platforms, enterprise 2.0 also covers the strategy, structure, and culture of knowledge management, and thus encompasses the entire enterprise. The authors argue that the vision of a blended enterprise is superior to existing non-hybrid enterprise 2.0-visions in terms of both feasibility and performance.

For many years now, it is a widespread goal of knowledge management to employ knowledge as a resource: Projects aim - but often fail - at optimising processes of generating, distributing, and applying knowledge. This can be attributed in many cases to (one of) three causes: - The basic difference between “knowledge” and “data” is misunderstood - The benefit of knowledge management seems to be regarded as inevitable, while it is not defined as a tangible goal - Projects focus on ideal concepts and processes, losing contact with organisational realities We show how to avoid those pitfalls, how to identify the potential of knowledge management and how to realise it.

This article describes an opportunity to model actors and systems in various business processes into an overall model by using the technique of networking. To achieve this goal, an algorithm is introduced. Next, different metrics based on social network analysis, are described. These metrics are able to expose parts of the network which have a huge utilization and therefore the underlying process itself. With this technique it is possible for project leaders, managers and decision makers to analyze the processes for flaws, finding out capacities and to build new project teams together (staffing).

The technical universities which were founded after India’s independence fulfil the dream of the first prime minister Nehru of an advanced and self-sufficient India. Universities such as the IIT Delhi have the ambition to play in the international top league. Multinationals like IBM are attracted by the large number of talented engineers and scientists and have numerous cooperations with Indian universities. American and European universities are trying to integrate Indian students and graduates in their curriculum and research. This article gives an overview on the diverse Indian university and research landscape and shows which advantages western companies and universities have by working together with Indian top-universities.

Current changes in market situations may compel companies to adapt their products, manufacturing systems, as well as logistics systems. Required planning procedures are characterized by their complexity and their interdisciplinary nature: A system that has to fulfil future requirements is designed using models, methods, and the knowledge of all involved participants. Therefore, this article aims to discuss procedure models applied in different disciplines in order to assess their usability in logistics planning projects. Furthermore, certain aspects of planning procedures are identified that require formalization of applied knowledge. Thus, an approach to apply knowledge formalization is presented.

Enterprises face a plethora of outside influences. Examples include shortening product life cycles, rising cost pressure or increasing number of variants. In order to make arrangements for their factories to remain future-robust, many companies strive for a transformable factory. In order to fully use the change-potential installed, a methodology that allows integrating an employee-oriented view, is indispensable. This contribution presents an approach which renders possible the coordination of employee skills and factory transformability.

In the manufacturing industry, the digital factory plays a decisive role for modern engineering. By linking all information and data from the various stages of factory planning, an efficient and holistic planning and continuous improvement of products, processes and resources is possible. The use of changed processes and new tools needs other and advanced competencies respectively as well as a continuous learning of involved employees. IT-based and stronger parallelized planning processes require also a change in organization and working culture. This article analyzes how the qualification of employees looks on the face of the digital factory utilizing the management of knowledge and learning.

In the past the dynamics of the markets in interaction with an increasing globalization led to the fact that industries concentrated more and more on their core competences. By the reduction of the companies vertical integration value-added processes were outsourced in the same measure as supporting activities. In order to be able to meet the so developing complexity, production and logistics networks were formed to enhance the co-operation between the enterprises in a long-term and stable form. In these networks beside products and semi-finished materials also knowledge and information are produced and transferred. The protection and division of knowledge, experience and behaviours are of a special relevance if e.g. a participant leaves the network. In such a case the question arises whether and how the knowledge of the separating participant can be particularly retained for the network and a possible advancing producer, in order to not disturb the efficiency of the network. For the ...

Additional to the consideration of technological and organisational aspects as well personnel adjustments have to be considered in time during the introduction of new manufacturing technologies. Reasons for a systematic personnel development are technological changes, e.g. the introduction of new products and manufacturing processes or a modified manufacturing programme. Especially the number and the qualification of the employees who are affected by these changes have to be adjusted to the new requirements. The method of the personnel-oriented technology calendar which is presented in this article provides a systematic and targeted personnel development planning. The approach is demonstrated by means of an application example.