A Collaboratively Designed Learning Platform to introduce i4.0 technologies and Concepts in Applications Supporting The Process Industry

Industry 4.0 technologies can radically transform the process industry but face adoption hurdles due to the limited number of skilled practitioners within the workforce.To address this growing skills gap in the workforce, Endress+Hauser, in partnership with Purdue University, is developing a new Intelligent Process Laboratory that will serve as a showcase system to demonstrate the Process Industry and the capabilities of Industry 4.0 technologies.The project deliverables will present a technology forward perspective of the industry to a new generation of students.The industry-led effort drives multiple senior capstone experiences developing training systems and a showcase continuous demonstration system.The output of this collaboration is a set of permanent instructional and demonstration platforms housed in a new high-visibility laboratory.These systems will provide realistic data for activities in numerous courses delivered to support a new major (Smart Manufacturing Industrial Informatics) focused on applying Industry 4.0 technologies in the Process and Manufacturing sectors.This paper details the project goals and timeline, leadership strategies, and industry collaborations with faculty and students throughout the effort. Proceedings of the 2022 Conference for Industry and Education CollaborationCopyright ©2022, American Society for Engineering Education visibility.Simultaneously, enabling the showcase to be a key element of instruction can drive knowledge development through engaged learning with industrial-grade systems in environments not impacted by production timelines or economics. Proceedings of the 2022 Conference for Industry and Education CollaborationCopyright ©2022, American Society for Engineering Education This project will create permanent instructional platforms that will expose students from various disciplines to the devices, technologies, and applications within the process industry.The PIPES project was a first for Endress+Hauser and later generated additional university engagement with other Indiana institutions.Over six years, the system engaged undergraduate and graduate students from programs and domains including manufacturing, electrical, industrial, chemical, food science, pharmacy, and information technology.This investment has provided significant advantages in recruiting talent in a highly competitive market, with over 25% of the 75 hires into Endress+Hauser's Rotational Development program since 2014 from Purdue University.