Engineering Research Center for Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems (ERC/RMS)

New Courses and Textbooks for Reconfigurable Manufacturing

The University of Michigan (UM) ERC for Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems (ERC/RMS) has developed a new College of Engineering undergraduate manufacturing systems concentration, with its supporting courses. About 20 students have participated in the program. One of the concentration core courses is a new, unique course entitled "Design of Manufacturing Systems." In this course the students learn the basic design concepts of large manufacturing systems and how to operate them in ways that enhance their productivity.

Two new graduate courses have begun to achieve national attention. The course "Reconfiguration Science-Base" was taught in Winter 2002 to 60 students, over half of them at remote industry sites in the US and Mexico. The course "Reconfigurable Manufacturing" was taught in 2001 simultaneously at UM and Wayne State University, and in the winter of 2004 to 60 students (22 of them in remote sites).

ERC/RMS has completed a draft of a new textbook entitled Reconfigurable Manufacturing-Product, Process, and Business Integration. The book discusses the influence of society and the markets on creating new manufacturing paradigms and explains how manufacturing firms can create a competitive advantage in the era of globalization. One of the tools that provide an advantage is possessing reconfigurable systems. Accordingly, three chapters in this book explain the design principles of RMS and analyze mathematically the performance of RMS. The book's 12 chapters elaborate on manufacturing paradigms, product design strategy, reconfigurable products, manufacturing systems (traditional and RMS), responsive business models, and organizational structures. It is being used this year as the text for the "Reconfigurable Manufacturing" graduate class.

To learn more about this topic:
Visit the Center for Reconfigurable Machining Systems' education page at http://erc.engin.umich.edu/education/curriculum.htm.

Return to the previous page.

Learn More

Help with Searching

Contact the ERC Achievements Showcase Webmaster.

Last modified: February 18, 2005