Operational Structure for an Industry 4.0 oriented Learning Factory

Abstract

Learning Factory (LF) - as a concept - is fully in line with the Industry 4.0 and also with the novel Industry 5.0 major trends, creating an integrated, realistic learning environment, combining didactics, layout and processes with testing and experimentation opportunities. There are already well functioning LFs but their main emphases are very different, fitted to the given, regional industrial potentials. To manage a LF, a precise and structured activity set is needed which formulation is the main contribution of the given manuscript. The paper reviews the main global trends and various existing LFs' activities. The comprehensive set of LFs' expectations is defined through the identification of the key target groups and their objectives together with the three main related pillars of “A”: Regional and market connections, "B": implementation and operation of the physical and virtual Learning Factory and "C": development and delivery of customised Learning Factory services. The paper suggests having an activity set consisting of ten, precisely formulated Work Packages. This novel framework also supported the concept formulation of a new LF in Hungary, Europe.