New Bachelor's Module on Smart Manufacturing to Begin in the Winter Semester

How can production systems be planned, analyzed, and improved in the digital realm? This question is the focus of the new “Smart Manufacturing” bachelor’s module, which the Institute for Production Systems will offer for the first time in the 2026/27 winter semester. The course is aimed in particular at students in the Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, and Logistics programs.

The module places current technologies within the disciplinary framework of industrial engineering, the digital factory, and Industry 4.0. Students will explore the digital planning and design of production systems as well as the integration of shop floor IT. A key focus is on the interconnection of machines, control systems, and operational information systems.

Building on this foundation, the course covers the collection and provision of industrial data. Students learn to structure data flows in production systems, evaluate interfaces and distributed data infrastructures, and process and analyze production data. Other topics include digital twins, robotics, intelligent automation, and industrial AI.

The lecture covers the conceptual and methodological fundamentals. In the accompanying lab, students apply selected approaches in a model factory. Two to three guest lectures supplement the course with insights into current projects and experiences from industry.

With “Smart Manufacturing,” the department of Mechanical Engineering is expanding its curriculum to include a course that teaches modern methods and technologies of industrial production and demonstrates how they contribute to the design of digital and networked production systems.

Further information is available in the course catalog and at https://ips.mb.tu-dortmund.de/en/study-doctorate/courses/bsc-smart-manufacturing-sm/.