Production management in practice: :
Three field trips, many insights

As part of the Production Management module on the Master's programme in Engineering and Management, students under the supervision of Prof. Dr Thies Beinke organised three field trips to regional industrial companies. The visits offered the opportunity to experience the central content of the course directly in practice and to discuss current issues in modern production at first hand.

JUMO: On the way to the "black factory"

The first field trip was managed at JUMO's Sensilo plant. The focus was on the question of what is actually behind the concept of the "black factory" or largely autonomous production. It became clear that full automation is much more than just the use of robotics. Above all, stable and reproducible processes, high data quality and consistent traceability, a functioning material flow and business conditions are crucial. The discussion with the specialist managers on site showed how closely technological, organisational and economic aspects are interlinked and what conditions must be met in order for automation to be implemented successfully on a sustainable basis.

MORELO: Synchronisation despite batch size 1

At MORELO Reisemobile GmbH, the students were given an insight into a production process that is characterised by a high number of variants and customised products. The question of how synchronised production can be reconciled with the principle of batch size 1 was particularly exciting. Topics such as modularisation, prefabrication, material provision and dealing with fluctuating processing times illustrated the conflicting goals of predictability and flexibility. The field trip made it clear which hybrid approaches are necessary in order to design stable and efficient processes even in a high-mix/low-volume environment.

MÖLLER Medical: Improvement ideas under regulatory requirements

The third field trip to MÖLLER Medical focussed on the special features of production in medical technology. Here it became clear that improvement measures cannot be prioritised solely according to efficiency aspects, but must always be assessed in the area of conflict between patient safety, regulatory requirements and the quality management system. The students learnt how structured evaluation logics, clear implementation processes and measurable key figures contribute to the effective and sustainable implementation of changes.
 

We would like to thank our partner companies JUMO and Möller Medical as well as Morelo for the exclusive insights and the employees who warmly welcomed our students and took a lot of time for a committed, understandable and exciting management. 

The close practical orientation of field trips strengthens the students, provides a deep understanding of current economic challenges and emphasises the practice-oriented training at the department and the Fulda University of Applied Sciences and represents a central condition for a forward-looking and application-oriented education of business engineers.