Manufacturing Digital Transformation at Purdue University: Preparing the Next Generation Smart Manufacturing Workforce

Manufacturing companies have begun implementing new technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Data Analytics, Cloud/Edge computing, among others to drive growth, profitability, and sustainability of their operations. These technologies enable connectivity, real-time intelligent control, and data-driven insights and strategies to support higher productivity and efficiency in manufacturing. Literacies from the traditional manufacturing programs are no longer sufficient to support and enable the digital transformation of US manufacturing. New digital literacies aligned with Industry 4.0 and digital transformation strategies are necessary to prepare the next generation of manufacturing graduates. Purdue University partnered with the USA Smart Manufacturing Institute, US Department of Energy (USDOE), and other major U.S. corporations to address this need. This work resulted in a new BS degree in Smart Manufacturing Industrial Informatics (SMII) featuring 12 new courses integrated with student learning activities developed using Altair tools. These learning activities feature the systemic utilization of data to improve the productivity, quality, and efficiency of manufacturing operations.