INTEC starts the first Learning Factory in the DR

SANTO DOMINGO- With a meeting between representatives of sponsoring companies and engineering students, el Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC) began work on the first Learning Factory in the Dominican Republic, a program in which students develop improvement initiatives taking the industry as a study model.

During the activity, Matt Parkinson, Director of the Learning Factory at Penn State University, United States, presented to teachers, coordinators, students and sponsors the details of the program that originated in that university, and concluded with an exchange about the projects to be developed in the coming months. 

“You are pilots, the first people, walking on the moon for the first time, crossing the flames, it's really cool that you're a part of this,” Parkinson told the first students to take part in the program. He also referred to sponsors as "the last to get the experience of our students, who provide this experience while they are in the transition of becoming professionals", for which he considered the support of companies as a vital element in the development of your projects.

The activity had the participation of the academic vice-rector of INTEC, Arturo del Villar, who described Learning Factory as an innovative proposal in the country, which will transform the way in which students relate to the learning experience. Similarly, the coordinator of the Learning Factory INTEC project, Luis Toirac; Jessica Feliz, general coordinator of INTEC Laboratories and the coordinators of Engineering and Biotechnology careers.

Likewise, representatives of the sponsoring companies Mercasid, Eaton, ACCUMED, MACROTECH, Grupo Ramos and Bionuclear attended.

LearningFactory o learning factory It is a space in which students take companies as study models and develop initiatives such as proposals for improvement, through the implementation of new technologies, transfer of skills and the promotion of research and innovation at the business level.

Big hopes

“Our expectations with this project is that it will be an enriching work experience for students, with the opportunity to interact with professionals in their area in a production plant. At the same time, we want them to leave a legacy of their work that we can implement in our factory," he said. ivan rivera, Industrial Maintenance Manager de market, whose project seeks the creation of a preventive maintenance plan for a company's corn plant.

This plan that the students must create will seek to reduce failures and unforeseen stops, increasing preventive maintenance according to the equipment manufacturer.

Reynaldo Hernández, lead electronic hardware engineer at Eaton company, explained that the project that the students will develop for them will help to modernize one of their most solid products on the market. “We want students to be able to develop a proposal to the point that all that remains is to make the adjustments for a manufacturable design. For this, the main functional objectives that will measure the success of the process have been defined. I understand that it is a challenging project, but I am confident that, with the knowledge acquired, the necessary advice and the interest of the students, it will be successful”, he assured.

The country manager of the manufacture of medical equipment AccuMED by Lear, Selvi García, seeks to establish a long-term link with INTEC to collaborate with the training and development of students. “Among our objectives we consider expanding the portfolio of improvement projects with the resources added from the university, and integrating the lessons learned into the management of the following projects,” he said.

Matt Parkinson works as an INTEC advisor in the installation of the first Learning Factory in the Dominican Republic based on the extensive experience of Penn State University, which has developed more than 2,752 projects with 620 sponsors throughout its history, benefiting some 13,000 students. engineering.  

In the coordination work, he has made several strategic visits to the country in which he has participated in the presentation of the project to the business sector and to the academic community of INTEC. On this occasion, Parkinson's visit also included a follow-up tour of the companies allied to the project and an open talk on the Learning Factory model for students from the Engineering Area.