Abstract:

Manufacturing is a vital driver of economic prosperity worldwide. In Canada, it contributes around 10% of the total GDP, providing over 1.7 million full-time jobs. Similarly, in 2021, manufacturing contributed an astounding $2.3 trillion to the U.S. GDP, accounting for 12.0% of the total economic output. The significance of this sector is underscored by the deliberate emphasis on promoting manufacturing excellence. Recognizing education's pivotal role in building manufacturing excellence universities, colleges, and companies, continuously strive to develop and implement effective tools for imparting the multidisciplinary skills essential for success in modern manufacturing environments. Currently, these institutions are increasingly embracing the concept of learning factories, the facilities that immerse students in authentic manufacturing environments, equipped with elements reminiscent of actual production setups, specifically tailored for experiential learning. Research indicates that learning factories are an effective tool for imparting skills and knowledge required by advanced manufacturing in Industry 4.0-enabled settings. The facilities are not mere replicas of industrial plants; rather, they are thoughtfully designed to optimize and facilitate the intended learning process. Typically, they encompass various machines and operations that can be flexibly reconfigured to mimic real-world scenarios, extending even to include supply chain and customer service aspects.

Despite the abundant literature addressing the technical aspects and educational utility of learning factories, there is a noticeable dearth of information concerning their organizational structure and effective operation. In this paper, we present our journey in establishing a cost-effective organizational structure for the learning factory at the W. Booth School of Engineering Practice and Technology (SEPT), Faculty of Engineering at McMaster University.

Our innovative structure has empowered us to achieve the following key objectives:
1. Enhanced Utilization and Educational Impact: We have significantly increased the utilization and teaching effectiveness of our learning factory, ensuring that students receive a more immersive and valuable learning experience.
2. Integrated Engineering Technology and Business Education: We have successfully aligned our organizational structure with the delivery of a holistic, practice-based engineering technology and business education, preparing students for real-world challenges.
3. Community Outreach: The revised structure facilitates student-led community outreach programs, enabling students to apply their skills and knowledge to real community issues while fostering meaningful connections with local organizations.

Our learning factory organizational structure promotes the continuous production and improvement of demonstration products; bolsters collaborations with community organizations that benefit from our products; and ensures that equipment remains in optimal working condition, readily available for educational purposes. In summary, the effective operation and organizational structure of learning factories are instrumental in nurturing the next generation of skilled manufacturing professionals. Our experiences and strategies at McMaster University's W. Booth SEPT underscore the pivotal role that such structures can play in enhancing education, fostering community engagement, and advancing the field of manufacturing.

Keywords:

Learning factory, students-led community outreach, organization structure, teaching technologies.