Until the end of 2021, HOGENT’s department of Fashion, Textile and Wood Technology is taking part in the European DITRAMA project. This projects aims to support the wood furniture industry in its transformation towards more digitalised processes, including the development of a competence profile of a 'Digital Transformation Manager' and a related training programme. HOGENT is primarily in charge of the development of the training modules.
As well as circular economy, the integration of new technologies can be considered as a key driver for the further development of European industrial sectors, including the furniture industry: to remain competitive in a connected and globalised economy, the sector needs to evolve towards personalised smart products and services based on digital production systems that are resource efficient and sustainable. To achieve this, companies have a need of specific competencies and skills in digitalisation.
Based on this observation, twelve European partners - active in industry, research and education - joined forces in the Erasmus+-funded DITRAMA project to define the profile of the 'Digital Transformation Manager' for the furniture industrie. HOGENT’s department of fashion, textile and wood technology is one of those partners.
A Digital Transformation Manager is a sector-specific expert who is able to supervise and direct the integration of new technologies into business processes (both design and production, delivery and distribution processes) and guide the company in its strategy to grow and become future proof.
MOOC
As a first step, DITRAMA examines which skills, competencies and knowhow a Digital Transformation Manager needs to perform properly. Based on these requirements, the next steps are taken: the development of a curriculum and a complete multimedia training programme (MOOC, in 7 languages). This learning content will be integrated into an open and freely accessible e-learning platform.
HOGENT's contribution is mainly situated at this stage: the university of applied sciences is developing the learning content for the MOOC. These are mainly training modules about digitalising the production processes for furniture. HOGENT collaborates closely with the Belgian furniture sector. For instance, the learning content will be documented with practical examples from these companies. HOGENT also contributes to the validation and local roll-out of this learning package and will involve students from its bachelor’s programme in Wood Technology.
As an outcome of the project, the partners want to offer an adequate answer to the companies’ needs to be able to entrust the definition and implementation of their technological transformation to a highly skilled manager. In addition, the project partners want to have a positive impact on the European vocational education system and establish a sectoral alliance in order to take the lead in the digital transformation process of the furniture industry in the EU.
Partners
- Aarhus Universitet (Aarhus, Denmark)
- AMIC - Associacio Agrupacio Moble Innovador de Catalunya (Barcelona, Spain)
- CETEM - Centro Tecnologico del Mueble y la Madeira de la Region de Murcia (Murcia, Spain)
- CFPIMM - Centro de Formação Profissional das Indústrias da Madeira e Mobiliário (Lordelo, Portugal)
- FederlegnoArredo - Federazione Italiana delle industrie del legno, del sughero, del mobile, dell'illuminazione, dell'arredamento (Milan, Italy)
- HOGENT (Ghent, Belgium)
- OIGPM - Ogolnopolska Izba Gospodarcza Producerow Mebli (Warsaw, Poland)
- Método Estudio Consultores - (Vigo, Spain)
- U.E.A. - European Furniture Manufacturers Federation (Prague, Czech Republic)
- Universitatea Transilvania din Brasov (Brasov, Romania)
- WOODWIZE (Brussels, Belgium)