After completing the course, students will have an idea about the mindset, the problems, and the tasks of production and logistics management in the automotive industry, and discover trade-offs like those between product design, custom orientation, logistics, and production. Thus that experience will enable them not only to focus their attention on broadening their knowledge of pure engineering, design, or development, but will also enable them to perceive and understand the dependencies and effects of their engineering work on other functions.
Students discuss specific tasks and problems concerning production and supply chain management and learn how to use well-chosen methods to solve related tasks and to prevent related problems.
Students will gain a deeper understanding in management tasks and skills in a technical environment, consider how the dilemma and polylemma have to be balanced, and speculate on the optimization of production systems. Included in the overall program are visits to production plants such as Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Porsche, and BMW as well as technology-oriented museums as the German Museum in Munich.
Thus students are able to deal with problems and tasks and have the ability and knowledge to act with self-assurance in production and supply chain environments
40 contact hours
Syllabus
Emerging Technologies
This course provides opportunities to explore emerging technologies and understand the
underlying technical concepts. Emerging technologies are characterized by novelty, relatively fast growth, prominent impact, and uncertainty. They are the tools that enable upstarts to disrupt whole industries.
The course explores the current and potential future impacts of new, emerging, and rapidly evolving technologies on organizations and their operations across a range of industries and sectors with a focus on high-tech-industries (i.e. Automotive industry).
During the course, we will develop an understanding of enabling technologies, their impact on business, and applicability in different business scenarios as well as how to ensure their scalable implementation and proper architecture planning.
30 contact hours
Syllabus
Innovative Laser-based Production Facilities
Innovative Laser-based Production Facilities play a significant and further increasing role in advanced automotive production. This can be explained through their various advantageous properties, such as high processing speeds or low heat inputs to the work pieces. On the other side high path-accuracies are requested for their successful operation in production.
Educational objective is a basic understanding of laser technology, laser materials processes and high-accuracy applications of robot-based production machineries. This will offer the capability to plan and to technologically accompany implementations of innovative laser-based production facilities in production.
Focus will be on: Industrial robots and their path-accuracy properties. Strategies to optimize path-accuracy. Lasers and laser-specific components of innovative laser-based production machinery. Welding and cutting for B-I-W. Welding, cladding, hardening for powertrain parts. Materials processes for the car interior. The lecture includes the possibility of supplementary practical demonstrations in the lab for the participants.
15 contact hour
Syllabus
Beginner
This course is aimed at students with no prior knowledge of German or those who have had only very little contact with the language.
By the end of the course students will be able to understand commonly used sentences and expressions and be able to make themselves understood in situations related to everyday life, e.g. personal information (where they come from, their education or work) and family, shopping, the immediate environment, describing things they like. They have gained an overview and understanding of the most important aspects of German history and culture, the idea of Europe and its political structures in the decision making process as well as an in the structure of the automotive industry as an important part of the German economy.
30 contact hours
Syllabus
Advanced
This course is aimed at students with a language level of A1 or higher.
Students can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. They can introduce themselves and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where they live, people they know and things they have. They can interact in a simple way, provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.
Students starting with a higher language level than A1 will additionally be provided with appropriately challenging course material and tasks in order to improve their language skills. The final exam will be adjusted individually at the discretion of the course instructor.
By the end of the course students will be able to understand commonly used sentences and expressions and be able to make themselves understood in situations related to everyday life, e.g. personal information (where they come from, their education or work) and family, shopping, the immediate environment, describing things they like. They have gained an overview and understanding of the most important aspects of German history and culture, the idea of Europe.
30 contact hours
Syllabus
Students from our partner universities Pennsylvania State University, Lehigh University, Rutgers University and University of Massachusetts Lowell are guaranteed 9 credits for successful completion of the full program.
Course block A: Production Management & Supply Chain Management
Requirement: written closed book exam, 3 credits
Course block B: Emerging Technologies and Laser-based Production Facilities
Requirement: two written closed book exams, 3 credits
Course block C: German as a Foreign Language
Requirement: written closed book exam, 3 credits
Students from other universities must arrange for credit transfer with their home university in conjunction with Pforzheim University. Please contact us for further information.