A Method for Improving Production Management Training by Integrating an Industry 4.0 Innovation Center in China

Abstract Production Management is an important issue for organizations that spend considerable amounts of investment annually on personnel training. Especially in the era of Industry 4.0 and Intelligent Manufacturing, considering the exponential growth of new knowledge and information, personnel need to update and supplement the necessary knowledge. Nevertheless, there is a lack of adequate methodology for executing trainings in the field of production management. This paper aims to develop a method for executing production management training which combines online learning and offline training as well as practical parts by using an Industry 4.0 Innovation Center equipped with model devices. A procedure is to first starting with an E-Learning module containing basic knowledge, accessible on the Learning Platform Moodle. Secondly, an on-line survey is created to collect expectations and requirements. Then the training schedule is carried out for execution of professional training. The training part in the innovation center will contribute to build up the basis for adaptions of the training knowledge to practical need of a company. Lastly the test and evaluation is conducted via virtual team room (Vitero). A case study based on training service provider is used to validate the feasibility of the approach. The derived results are presented and conclusions are discussed.