Research

Industrial Product Realisation

Designing new products. And putting them into practice.

Research and postgraduate studies are developed within the research profile "Industrial product realisation, especially applications for small and medium-sized enterprises". The main focus of research is on the development and manufacturing of physical products with accessory services; it comprises the whole chain from idea to finished product.

This focus of great national and international importance was chosen on the grounds that small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises and service companies linked to them, account for a large part of innovations and industrial product realisation in our country and, accordingly, economical growth. Half of the processing in manufacturing industry is estimated to be done in companies with fewer than 200 employees. Since companies in this category only to a small extent have been in contact with scientific research, we see a very large industrial growth potential in providing these companies with access to pioneering research.

This research orientation is especially appropriate in our region, since this region has the largest number of employees in small and medium-sized manufacturing companies in the country. Research in industrial product realisation is, to a large extent, made easier by the close association with regional industry which the School of Engineering has developed through the extensive host company programme in engineering courses.

Being able to develop and process products and accessory services as efficiently as possible is an objective of both smaller and larger companies. Increased competition and outsourcing of production as a result of globalisation puts heavy demands on many smaller manufacturers (often subcontractors) not only to streamline and automate their production but also to increase their participation in the product development process together with suppliers and customers. Such collaboration and integration between companies is facilitated by knowledge-management information technology.

Other companies experience the need to start developing their own products. Others, again, see the potential in developing the functionality of existing products, either by integrating electronics and software or by developing supplementary services to bring products in line with new demands and new customers in an international market.

Research areas

The general research orientation Industrial product realisation well meets the need for competence development in this structural transformation. Research and postgraduate studies with this orientation are carried out and developed in five research areas: production systems, product development, component technology, intelligent products and information engineering. These research areas are directly linked to and support our education for Diplomas in Engineering and Technology and Masters in Technology in the technology fields of mechanical-, computer-, electrical engineering and industrial engineering and management. Some research is also carried out in construction and chemistry with the aim of linking research to undergraduate education.

Research has an important contribution to make in a concentrated effort to be instrumental in a typical industrial context. Apart from fundamental demands for originality and solidity in research we attach the greatest importance to business relevance and applicability. Our ambition to contribute particularly to the development of small and medium-sized companies involves especially planning for research projects to successively deliver effective results and so be of practical use in relatively short time. Research at the School of Engineering should consequently bear the stamp of integration and integrality.