Students will acquire advanced capabilities and skills required for effective and efficient management of a production plant. In particular, they will learn specific traditional and advanced techniques and tools for production control, industrial plant maintenance planning, organisation and management, as well as production performance measurement. They will be able to face organisational and managerial practices and techniques supporting the management of workplaces and production areas (in terms of efficiency and work standardisation), as well as industrial maintenance, and to organise ergonomic, safe, and healthy work environments aimed at ensuring workers’ well-being. In addition, students will develop specific competences and capabilities necessary to manage the relationship with other functions, including but not limited to quality, R&D, industrialisation and production planning and control.
The course is organised in theoretical lectures, exercises, case studies and laboratories. In particular, laboratories include the participation on two seminars in workplace ergonomics (8 hours). During the course, students will be also invited to participate to industrial visits, events, workshops and industrial workshops, that are important moments for personal training, being oriented towards industrial reality.
Students must attend a written exam of approximately 2 hours (consisting of open and multi-choice questions and numerical exercises) followed by an oral discussion (optional).
The course introduces the essential concepts underlying the organization of a factory. In particular, after introducing key areas and indicators for monitoring plant and production system performance, the course deals with the main techniques and tools for production control, tracking and documenting production activities (Manufacturing Execution Systems). Moreover, the (re)organisation of workplaces (5S, Spaghetti Chart, workplace (re)layout), also taking an ergonomic and safety perspective, as well as industrial plants maintenance services, including the Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), are discussed.
