Establishing a state-of-the-art manufacturing lab of the future

ProShop ERP, a leading software solution for precision manufacturing companies, has entered a partnership with the Industrial Engineering School (IE) at Purdue University, donating seats of their ProShop Digital Ecosystem to help the school establish a state-of-the-art manufacturing lab of the future. The IE program is ranked number two in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, having invested heavily in the infrastructure and technology to best prepare students for careers in such areas as smart manufacturing, supply chain resiliency, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML). The ProShop Ecosystem will play a big part in the creation of a 10,000ft² automated “factory floor” in the school’s manufacturing lab space to teach and perform lights out manufacturing operations. Students will eventually be taught how to implement a lights-out process from beginning to end, creating an overarching control system to manage production planning, scheduling, inventory, PM planning, and finished goods, tracking every aspect of the manufacturing process. The ProShop Ecosystem will be used as the shop’s inventory management and ERP system to help control the entire shop floor, helping faculty and students store and access quality documents for fixturing, setup, and tool setups and images of equipment. They’ll be able to track raw goods, raw materials, and tool inventory.

The ProShop Ecosystem will also be used to track and manage 3D printing, metrology, laser, and human integration labs on different floors. IE is also installing chip manufacturing equipment after being designated one of the major chip-making hubs in the U.S. Combine that with other assorted equipment and there’s a lot to be tracked throughout the school.

Additionally, ProShop ERP’s ability to help streamline certification and regulation documentation is well-known and will be beneficial in helping the school prove that Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and other certifications and training have taken place.

It was Aaron Ramsey, IE’s director of industrial relations, who first connected with Adrian Sansonetti, ProShop ERP’s director of Global Project Management Office and ProShop Oceania while Sansonetti was networking within the manufacturing community in the state of Indiana. After learning of the school’s needs, Sansonetti traveled to West Lafayette and demonstrated the different system functions that could meet those needs.

“ProShop’s ERP software perfectly aligns with our operational requirements, providing comprehensive tracking and management capabilities vital for our activities," says Craig Zehrung, PhD., the principal laboratory operations specialist in IE. "Our goal is to extend its application to fully leverage its extensive functionalities towards achieving a fully automated, or lights out, manufacturing environment. We are committed to evolving into a facility that operates autonomously, leveraging advanced AI and computer control systems. This initiative also offers practical learning opportunities for students, connecting academic knowledge with real-world experience.”

The partnership is a win-win for the school, its students and ProShop ERP.

“We can help facilitate the connections for students to get real world industry experience with leading manufacturing companies,” Sansonetti says. “It helps our clients but it’s also meaningful for the students who need to be able to work on real projects and solve real problems. There is a synchronicity in that we are both trying to achieve the same thing which is upskilling industry with best practices. The Purdue School of Industrial Engineering is graduating world-class students.”