We are empowering the future of learning and research! Discover Lean and Industry 4.0 at the one of a kind scaled production environment at the Smart Learning Factory – Skopje!
ABOUT SMART LEARNING FACTORY – SKOPJE
The Smart Learning Factory – Skopje (SLFS) was established in 2023 and situated at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” University in Skopje. It is run by a team from the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management.
The SLFS originates from the Learn4SMEs project “Learning Factory for Improving Digital Competitiveness and Industry 4.0 Readiness of SMEs in Balkans” financed by EIT-Manufacturing, co-funded by the European Union where Technical University Wien and Festo Lernzentrum guided the process. Team members are as shown below.
The main goal of the SLFS is to create a physical simulation environment for learning production concepts where students and people from the industry can learn new technologies and further develop their skills, focusing on Lean Management and Industry 4.0. For now, the SLFS is equipped with a Smart Kanban supermarket, smart Poka Yoke station, working station, transporter, 2D machine vision, and a SCARA robot.
The Smart Learning Factory – Skopje is envisioned as:
The Smart Learning Factory – Skopje is based on 30+ years of experience and knowledge from the Deparment of Industrial Engineering and Management. Topics like Production Systems, Management of Technology Development, Performance Management Systems, Lean Management, Simulation and Modelling of Business Processes have been taught, developed and implemented in numerous subjects, research and industry projects.
THE LEARNING FACTORY CONCEPT
The concept of a “learning factory” refers to a facility or program that provides hands-on, interdisciplinary and industry-focused engineering design projects to students. The term was first published in 1994 when the National Science Foundation (NSF) in USA awarded a consortium led by Penn State University a grant to develop such a program.
The aim of a learning factory is to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, by providing students and practitioners with real-life experience in solving industry problems and designing products to meet identified needs.
The IALF (International Association of Learning Factories) is one of the most organized networks of Learning Factories. There are around 70 LFs in the world, spread around on every continent, with their number increasing every year. More about the concept can be read in the paper Learning factories for future oriented research and education in manufacturing and the book Learning Factories.
TEAM
Aleksandar Argilovski, MSc, Teaching Assistant
aleksandar.argilovski@mf.edu.mk
+389 71 254 429
LinkedIn – Aleksandar Argilovski
The Smart Learning Factory – Skopje team also consists of two project assistants: Mihaela Zlateska and Damjan Vasilevski.