Skoda board member speaks about Industry 4.0 in practice

On June 22, 2016, a lecture on the topic “Industry 4.0—Practical Implementation at Škoda” was held at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering as part of the manufacturing technology class / course. The speaker was Mr. Dipl.-Ing. Michael Oeljeklaus, Executive Vice President of Production and Logistics at the Škoda main plant in Mladá Boleslav (CZ). The lecture took place at the invitation of Mr. M.A. Dipl.-Ing. Martin Sturm, acting professor of manufacturing technology, manufacturing measurement technology, and quality assurance, and was intended to vividly deepen the practical relevance of the course material taught in the manufacturing technology course using current examples from the automotive industry.

During this event, together with the Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Hans-Joachim Kretzschmar, the groundwork was also laid for potential future research activities between the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Škoda Auto a.s. Opportunities for closer cooperation in student education through Diplom and Master's theses were also discussed.

In the engineering sector, Škoda has a high demand for skilled professionals, which cannot currently be met by Czech universities and Universities alone. According to Mr. Oeljeklaus, the favorable geographical location of the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, as well as its comprehensive training—particularly in the Mechanical Engineering specializations of engineering design and production engineering—are well-suited to this development.Mr. Oeljeklaus’s presentation, followed by a discussion, was very well received by the students. There are plans to hold regular events of this or a similar nature in Zittau and Mladá Boleslav in the future. This is another important step in the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences’ internationalization efforts.