Industry 4.0 Learning Factory Phased Development

Abstract

Over the last decade, Learning Factories literature has evolved significantly. Existing Learning Factories definitions and morphology are already well established. Regarding the implementation process, a few models and several case studies are provided. The existing models and cases are mainly based on the Learning Factory implementation as a single integrated project initiative. However, the necessary resources and budget for a comprehensive Learning Factory deployment may not be fully available upfront in some contexts with limited means. In these cases, a phased Learning Factory implementation may be considered. In a phased implementation, the demonstrated results from one phase may support budget, resources, and partnership acquisition for the following stages. Hence, this paper presents a detailed case study conducted between 2015 and 2020 of a Learning Factory phased implementation that continuously and iteratively evolved in terms of resources, operation, partnerships, and teaching applications. The evidence from the case study is considered to expand the current understanding of Learning Factories implementation pathways.