at the FHTE Esslingen, Germany

The FHTE Esslingen reports:

A state-of-the-art automation laboratory was put into operation at the Göppingen site on the 30th of July.  

Successful cooperation with industry
Cooperation in this form previously did not exist at the Fachhochschule Esslingen – University of Applied Sciences (FHTE): In close cooperation with six well-known industrial concerns, an ultra-modern automation laboratory has been set up at the Göppingen faculty, which is used jointly by the companies and the university.

GÖPPINGEN - Professor Karl-Heinz Kayser, head of the automation laboratory at the Göppingen faculty of the FHTE, is delighted: „We’ve never had anything like this here before; this system offers us a host of new opportunities in the future.“

Under the auspices of Messrs Festo and Siemens and in close collaboration with the FHTE, a state-of-the-art interdisciplinary automation laboratory has been created within just six months. Also participating in this venture are other international companies such as Mitsubishi, Emco and Grässlin. For Professor Rainer Würslin, Dean of the Göppingen faculty, the successful cooperation between the university and industry opens up a „new chapter in matters cooperation“ since, in these times of short funds, it is extremely important to promote contact with companies. Moreover, this project offers a new opportunity for the university to become involved at an international level, because „only in this way can we maintain the high standards of our laboratory.“

In Göppingen, we have succeeded. The cost of equipping the new laboratory came to approximately
300,000 Euros, which in future will be used not only by the university, but also by the companies concerned. Because, as Professor Jürgen van der List, vice chancellor of the university, stressed, in future it will be increasingly of greater importance for universities to get involved in further training at the operational level of companies. „It makes sense for universities and industry to jointly make use of these excellent facilities.“ .... Equally positive are the comments from the industrial partners in that the university has succeeded in bringing seven laboratories under one umbrella. In future, the laboratories for electrical enginering, electrical drives and systems, data processing, precision engineering, microtechnology as well as physics and photonics will be able to make joint use of the equipment. „The heads of the laboratories have put their egos to the back and cooperated splendidly“, praised Professor Würslin.

The facilities enable the formation of a complete factory in a small-size format. „Every process can be simulated, from order entry, storage, assembly and production through to quality control“, explained the head of the laboratory, Mr. Kayser. „And all combined with the appropriate communication technology.“ Final year project work as well as application oriented research will be the main areas of use for the facility on the part of the University.