Fostering the adoption of ICT-enabled AMTs by European SMEs Erasmus Project
General information for the Fostering the adoption of ICT-enabled AMTs by European SMEs Erasmus Project
Project Title
Fostering the adoption of ICT-enabled AMTs by European SMEs
Project Key Action
This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices
Project Action Type
This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training
Project Call Year
This project’s Call Year is 2018
Project Topics
This project is related with these Project Topics: Enterprise, industry and SMEs (incl. entrepreneurship); ICT – new technologies – digital competences; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses
Project Summary
The problem
Small companies in specific sectors would like to adopt AMT to reduce production costs, improve the quality of their products and services, improve their employees’ productivity and reduce production lead time. However, they lack the knowledge and resources (human & financial) to break through the AMT barriers.
The target groups:
SMEs, including micro-SMEs from the following sectors:
– Food and Beverages
– Wood industry
– Metal industry – NACE 24 25
– Electronic and Electrical Equipment
The solution
The FAME project has developed a training program and tools to strengthen the skills of SMEs in the above selected sectors for them to adopt ICT-enabled AMTs. The project also facilitates the building of a network of FAME adopters through an AMT assistant and Knowledge Retention Skills space. The FAME Network of practitioners and enthusiasts promotes the uptake of high-end AMT through dynamic demonstrators and hands-on workshops even after the end of the project.
Main objectives
The specific purpose of the project is to support SMEs regarding skills, local ecosystems and access to finance, promote the uptake of high-end AMT through joint pilot plants and demonstrators, support new service-based business models for the diffusion of AMT, improve the alignment of European, national and regional policies. The focus is on ICT-enabled AMTs:
– 3D printing
– Cloud manufacturing
– Adaptable manufacturing
– VR and simulation
– Supply chain
– Product Lifecycle Management
– Enterprise Resource Planning
The partners
The partnership comprised 7 partners from 7 countries. A software development company with ECVET expertise, an educational technology and knowledge dissemination company, one higher education institute of engineering and industrial process management, one company known for innovation in product development, an ICT SME, a Furnishings Cluster and Innovation Hub, a consultant in business development.
Methodology
The project started with a comparative analysis of the current state of play in ICT-enabled AMT practices of SMEs in partner countries and winning practices in countries outside the partnership (Germany, The Netherlands, Norway). The aim of the analysis was to identify the actual needs of the target group in order to form a training program tailored to them.
The next step was the validation of the needs by representatives of the direct target group in order to address and describe the learning outcomes for the AMT Manager profile. The training methodology and strategies recommended for the SMEs are based on the validated needs.
Upon the results, the partnership developed an action-based course materializing the strategies and supporting their implementation in real working environments. To that end, 7 modules were created comprising specific actions linked to ECVET points in relation with the learning outcomes defined in the validation phase.
Together with the AMT Assistant, a personalized tool delivering the action-based course in all partner languages, the Knowledge Retention Service, was deployed with re-modeled actions complementing the training program.
Results
The outcomes of FAME comprise the:
– AMT Course: instructor led and e-Learning
– AMT Strategy Genie: personalisation of training paths
– Learning Motivation Environment: skills retention functionality
– ECVET tools for the AMT Manager for SMEs
Long-term benefits
With the support of the Learning Motivation Environment (LME), a virtual space developed for sustainability of the training program, SMEs are able to implement AMT management strategies at their business which will ensure reduction of production costs, improvement of the quality of their products and services, improvement of their employees’ productivity and reduction of the production lead time.
EU Grant (Eur)
Funding of the project from EU: 271759,4 Eur
Project Coordinator
ECAM-EPMI & Country: FR
Project Partners
- DANMAR COMPUTERS SP ZOO
- CCS DIGITAL EDUCATION LIMITED
- ATLANTIS ENGINEERING AE
- CENTRE DE DIFUSIO TECNOLOGICA DE LA FUSTA I DEL MOBLE DE CATALUNYA
- CIVIC COMPUTING LIMITED
- M.K. INNOVATIONS LTD
- HEARTHANDS SOLUTIONS LIMITED