Specialisation in Smart & Sustainable Industry

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Lead the way to a future-proof industry by researching and developing the innovative, digitally-driven and sustainable manufacturing systems of tomorrow.

In light of the fourth industrial revolution, the manufacturing industry is pushing hard for modernisation. The increasing diversity of products, environmental challenges and the lack of (technical) personnel call for smarter and more sustainable ways of producing goods and services. So what does it take to future-proof the industry? What is the potential of innovative, digitally-driven technologies such as autonomous robots, digital twins of factories, artificial intelligence and sensor technologies? And how can you implement such innovations within production facilities? The specialisation in Smart & Sustainable Industry focuses on the development, analysis, simulation and control of innovative and digitally-driven production systems.

“Innovation is a keyword within this specialisation. If you have an innovative mindset and you are eager to not only research but also implement state-of-the-art technologies in manufacturing environments, then this is the right specialisation for you.”

Dr. Ir. Tom Vaneker, specialisation coordinator Smart & Sustainable Industry

What to expect?

The key challenge you will focus on in this specialisation is: how can you enable the transition from traditional manufacturing environments to state-of-the-art autonomous production facilities? The development, analysis, simulation and control of these future production systems go beyond the realm of traditional mechanical engineering and also require knowledge for the integration of robotics, vision, sensor systems and artificial intelligence within modern production equipment and tools. You will learn to combine all this knowledge within a systems thinking approach. Because eventually, a factory is more than the sum of its parts. Every single part of a production facility is highly interconnected and real optimisation can only be achieved if you are able to look at the highest levels of a system.

Thanks to the applied nature of this specialisation, you will be able to contribute to challenges that stem directly from industry. In essence, you will learn to lead the way with smart industry solutions for improving efficiency and sustainability. You might for example focus on the implementation of sensor technologies for better, automated alignment of production processes, detect production errors through artificial intelligence or explore how to convert to a different or more efficient energy system. But also: how can manufacturers deal with the complexity of the increasing data and connectivity between machines, and keep control of the automated processes? With your expertise, you can become the missing link for many industries seeking ways to initiate digitalisation.

Examples of courses you follow during this specialisation:
  • In the course Sustainability in Manufacturing you will learn how energy and material efficiency and substitution will impact the manufacturing, achieving the holistic view of the circular factory with enabling technologies.
  • In the course Machine Learning in Engineering you will learn how to classify data and construct predictive models as well as optimize the learning machine so as to synthesize results of the analysis into a meaningful conclusion for industry
  • In the course Smart Industry Systems you will learn main concepts of smart industry (smart products, smart technologies, smart applications, etc) and their impact on business, engineering and organizational aspects as well as designing a smart application based on I5.0 technologies with integration with IT landscape.

Assessing financial risks involves a lot of mathematics. That’s why some courses in this specialisation are being taught in collaboration with the Master’s in Applied Mathematics. You will also benefit from comprehensive management training and learn to apply strategic skills to manage an organisation’s innovation and technology. Moreover, you get the opportunity to bring theory into practice, as you work on real-life cases as well. For example, you will complete your master’s assignment in the field, solving an actual problem.  

What will you learn? 

As a graduate of this Master's and this specialisation, you have acquired specific, scientific knowledge and skills and values, which you can put to good use in your future job.

  • Knowledge

    After completing this Master’s specialisation, you are able to explain and apply:

    • a systematic framework for smart manufacturing and sustainability analysis based on a cross-industry approach;
    • the concept of circularity, digitalization and smart manufacturing;
    • smart and sustainable industry principles and technologies such as human-machine interaction, applied AI for manufacturing, sustainable manufacturing, energy generation and conversion technologies.
  • Skills

    After successfully finishing this Master’s specialisation, you are able to:

    • to envision long-term goals and align innovation initiatives with the organization’s strategic objectives;
    • analyse complex problems and make data-driven decisions such as technology scouting and evaluation;
    • collaborate across various sectors to foster innovation and collectively implement smart and sustainable practices.
  • Value

    After completing this Master’s specialisation, you:

    • are able of well-informed decision-making and enhanced insights across multiple industry sectors with a focus on smart and sustainable transformation;
    • are able of integrating advanced technologies to optimize operations and reduce environmental impact; 
    • have a balance of strategic thinking, technology expertise and effective change.                                                                                                                                                             

Other master's and specialisations

Is this specialisation not exactly what you’re looking for? Maybe one of the other specialisations suits you better. Or find out more about these other master's:

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