Competencies of Production in SMEs in Assembly Industries in a Digital, Volatile Business Environment

SMEs are currently confronted with major challenges such as increasing uncertainty and volatility. In order to face these challenges, agility and digitalization can be implemented. Both concepts bring about numerous opportunities and new competency requirements. Currently, there are few scientifically based, practical training courses that focus on digitization and/or agility. The aim of this paper is to provide a roadmap for the development of the training concept. In this training, participants will be able to acquire theoretical content on a learning platform in a flexible way and they will be able to apply this knowledge in a learning factory. Based on a literature overview, requirements for such a training and the necessary skills in a digital, volatile business environment will be given

Transferring an Interdisciplinary Student Product Development Project to Full Online Conduction

"Product Innovation" is a 7-month product development course, conducted at the Institute of Innovation and Industrial Management with international and interdisciplinary student teams. A close connection and interaction between industry, students and research has been an important part of this project-based learning course. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the worldwide occurring lockdowns, students were not able anymore to interact and conduct their projects in the proven manner. Being in a critical phase of the project, the course concept had to be reorganized and transferred to online conduction by using computer supported collaboration work within a few days. Both observations and surveys were used to compare changes in student´s behaviour and results of the project. This paper will describe 1) the original situation and course concept, 2) show how the course was transformed to online conduction, 3) describe the observations made and 4) analyse how the students experienced the transformation

Revision of the Learning Factory Morphology

Since its first publication in 2015, the learning factory morphology has been frequently used to design new learning factories and to classify existing ones. The structuring supports the concretization of ideas and promotes exchange between stakeholders. However, since the implementation of the first learning factories, the learning factory concept has constantly evolved. Therefore, in the Working Group "Learning Factory Design" of the International Association of Learning Factories, the existing morphology has been revised and extended based on an analysis of the trends observed in the evolution of learning factory concepts. On the one hand, new design elements were complemented to the previous seven design dimensions, and on the other hand, new design dimensions were added. The revised version of the morphology thus provides even more targeted support in the design of new learning factories in the future

Revision of the learning factory morphology

Since its first publication in 2015, the learning factory morphology has been frequently used to design new learning factories and to classify existing ones. The structuring supports the concretization of ideas and promotes exchange between stakeholders. However, since the implementation of the first learning factories, the learning factory concept has constantly evolved. Therefore, in the Working Group "Learning Factory Design" of the International Association of Learning Factories, the existing morphology has been revised and extended based on an analysis of the trends observed in the evolution of learning factory concepts. On the one hand, new design elements were complemented to the previous seven design dimensions, and on the other hand, new design dimensions were added. The revised version of the morphology thus provides even more targeted support in the design of new learning factories in the future

Sensor materials for the detection of human neutrophil elastase and cathepsin G activity in wound fluid

Human neutrophil elastase (HNE) and cathepsin G (CatG) are involved in the pathogenesis of a number of inflammatory disorders. These serine proteinases are released by neutrophils and monocytes in case of infection. Wound infection is a severe complication regarding wound healing causing diagnostic and therapeutic problems. In this study we have shown the potential of HNE and CatG to be used as markers for early detection of infection. Significant differences in HNE and CatG levels in infected and non-infected wound fluids were observed. Peptide substrates for these two enzymes were successfully immobilised on different surfaces, including collagen, modified collagen, polyamide polyesters and silica gel. HNE and CatG activities were monitored directly in wound fluid via hydrolysis of the chromogenic substrates. Infected wound fluids led to significant higher substrate hydrolysis compared with non-infected ones. These different approaches could be used for the development of devices which are able to detect elevated enzyme activities before manifestation of infection directly on bandages. This would allow a timely intervention by medical doctors thus preventing severe infections.Peer Reviewe