Product lifecycle management training modules for industrial engineering.

Funar, Stefan Petru ; Costache, Bogdan Mihai ; Adamescu, Dorina 等

1. INTRODUCTION

This paper presents an initiative of UPB-PREMINV Research Centre of University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, in order to prepare the human resources to respond for today challenges, in a larger and no border market, using Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) tools (fig. 1). At the moment industrial enterprises confront themselves with a series of problems due to the competitive environment enforced by market globalization and insufficient R&D capacity, difficulties met in usage of new technologies. All these factors lead to an economic and intellectual isolation of searching and defining solutions in order to diminish the consequences of these vulnerabilities (Carutasu & al., 2008). In this context, the Romanian companies started to take into consideration and to actually implement PLM solutions, along with the integration and enhancement of CAD (Computer Aided Design), CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing), CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) use, or CRM (Customer Relations Management), ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and SCM (Supply Chain Management) existing implementations, (Ameri & Dutta, 2005).

[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]

We consider that a product done in the same enterprise is no longer a valid option for this field without very large investments in technology, investments which are not always available in those countries industries. Even though there is not a general agreement on certain related terms and definitions, the concept of Virtual Enterprise (VE) is mostly associated with specific characteristics: a network of enterprises that constitute a temporary alliance, in order to share their costs, skills and resources, in supporting the necessary activities towards the exploitations of fast-changing opportunities, for product or service requests and competitiveness in a global market.

So, the global manufacturing enterprise can be viewed as a collection of interconnected virtual and/or real entities and the whole manufacturing systems will be represented by the society of manufacturing agents, in which every agent will be doing specific tasks (design, planning, manufacturing, control and diagnosis, marketing etc.). The overall system will evolve out of their collective interactions.

There for, is important for those enterprises to be able to develop their ability in involving themselves in international projects, where they can cover using their skills specific tasks, modules of the project proposed by the big enterprises who are leading the field (Cotet & al., 2007). For that goal we propose the PLM oriented training of the engineers and managers who can make this possible.

2. A VE-PLM TRAINING APPROACH

Even though there is not a general agreement on certain related terms and definitions, the concept of Virtual Enterprise (VE) is mostly associated with specific PLM characteristics: a network of enterprises that can be viewed as a collection of interconnected virtual and/or real entities and the whole manufacturing systems will be represented by the society of manufacturing agents, in which every agent will be doing specific tasks (design, planning, manufacturing, control and diagnosis, marketing etc.). The overall system will evolve out of their collective interactions (Dragoi & al, 2008).

Traditionally mechanical, manufacturing and industrial engineers have played more dominant role in manufacturing. However, the increasing VE-PLM trend facilitated by changes in information and communications technologies has imposed for manufacturing engineers to acquire special skills (Cotet & al., 2008).

The special skills relate to electrical and computer hardware, data processing, knowledge processing, advanced computing techniques, human computer interface, environmental issues and management skills for global manufacturing.

Manufacturing practices, research and education lack an integrated approach, under the impact of the new concepts of manufacturing.

We need to train our manufacturing engineers in the conventional aspects of the manufacturing engineering, with additional emphasis on the special skills requirements as were outlined and to equip ourselves to create and use the digital libraries, interactive on-line virtual classrooms/laboratories, multimedia and other advanced computing tools (fig. 2). We must be aware that manufacturing is a physical process and not a concept, which can simply be simulated on a computer system and therefore, must to have a correct balance between information and communication technologies and hard-core manufacturing backgrounds for different industries.

Finally, our training project is based on a virtual classroom and laboratory, associated to adapted traditional laboratory, under the supervision and with the contribution of professors and manufacturing/industrial consultants, in the distributed heterogeneous www environment.

The aim of this university-enterprise partnership first project step is mechanical engineers and SME management training in PLM-VE paradigm, using new learning tools based on open distance learning software, for developing their skills in solving the technical tasks implied by the project module they will realize themselves as a part of a modular project, as well as a good management of the interconnection techniques of the different modules.

Based on the new ICT technologies in manufacturing, design, engineering, planning, scheduling, programming, management, we had identified specifications for the knowledge needed to be assimilated by mechanical engineers on three levels: basic general level, operational and service engineer, research and designer in the field of manufacturing. The basic levels of training can be seen in fig. 2.

Because the request of our industrial partners was to develop an e-training module we are using Ael software as an open distance learning tool for our modules and we consider that a new form of learning & teaching in vocational and education training (VET).

[FIGURE 2 OMITTED]

3. CONCLUSION

People working in SME from the new EU member countries will be increasing and developing adaptability in order to consolidate technological and organizational change and it is necessary to be so, because their enterprise will change.

In the new VE-PLM paradigm, these mechanical enterprises will become suppliers of specific modules interconnected with the most important enterprises in their field, working at the same project. And this is the main goal of our project, the training of such engineers and SME managers able to work in VE-PLM environment.

This project is based on the partnership between technical universities and SME, and will generate new employment possibilities based on the new PLM techniques. After this training programme engineers will be able to solve mechanical tasks implied by mechanical design, manufacturing and engineering & to send their results in e-format to the beneficiary enterprises.

The necessity of implementing an integrated VE--PLM system was dictated by three main reasons: reducing the time-to-market for new products, reducing the costs by centralizing the procedures/operations and optimizing the manufacturing architecture and processes.

The implementation of such an integrated system for a VE architecture brings the advantage of controlling data from many systems across an organization, providing the user with a robust manufacturing architecture optimizing engine and with the necessary information in a user-friendly web environment.

Also because the students will realize themselves a part of a modular project, developing the abilities to communicate with the other students implied in other modules of the same project we consider that a new an form of learning for engineers.

4. REFERENCES

Ameri, F., Dutta, D. (2005). Product Lifecycle Management: Closing the Knowledge Loops, Computer-Aided Design & Applications, Vol. 2, No. 5, 2005, ISSN 1686-4360, pp. 577-590, USA

Carutasu, G; Botezatu, C; Botezatu, CP (2008). Knowledge management system for implemententing integrated management in romanian industry, Annals of DAAAM for 2008 & proceedings of the 19th international DAAAM symposium OCT 22-25, 2008 Trnava SLOVAKIA, pp. 205-206, Publisher DAAAM International Vienna

Cotet, C.E.; Draghici, G.; Brindasu, P.D.; Carutasu, G.(2008), On-Line Integrated System For Human Resource Selection And Monitoring In Virtual Research Networks, Chapter 21 in DAAAM International Scientific Book 2008, pp. 239-248, B. Katalinic (Ed.), Published by DAAAM International, ISBN 978-3-901509-69-0, ISSN 1726-9687, Vienna, Austria, 2008

Cotet C. E., Popescu D., Guran M., Dragoi G., Carutasu G., Carutasu N.L., (2007), Using PLM training & consulting in university-enterprises partnership, in DAAAM International Scientific Book 2007, Vol. 6, ISSN 1726-9687, ISBN 3-901509-60-7, pp. 139-153, Editor: B. Katalinic, hard cover, Publisher DAAAM International Vienna, Vienna

Dragoi, G.; Cotet, C.E., Dragomirescu, C.G., Parpala R.C., (2008), Virtual enterprise network & virtual teams: a business management approach, in the Annals of DAAAM for 2008 & Proceedings of the 19th INTERNATIONAL DAAAM SYMPOSIUM "Intelligent Manufacturing & Automation: Focus on Next Generation of Intelligent Systems and Solutions", 22-25th October 2008, Tarnava, Slovacia, pp. 0435-0436, ISSN 1726-9679, ISBN 3-901509-58-5, published by DAAAM International Vienna, Austria, edited by Branko Katalinic, 2008