Smart Sustainable Industry

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 is Smart & Sustainable Industry?

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.

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: