'A futuristic production node that we all believe in'
ITM has a new department for Production Engineering
A brand new department is launched at KTH. It is a merger of the ITM school's two previous departments in the field of production. ‘I see this as a unique opportunity to create mutual reinforcements between strong experimental environments, research excellence and lifelong learning for the production area,' says Head of Department, Magnus Wiktorsson.
After almost a year of work and planning, the 'Department of Production Engineering' finally got its Swedish name 'Institutionen för produktionsutveckling'. The lengthy name discussion is proof of how difficult the English word 'Engineering' actually is to translate. The merger of the Department of Sustainable Production Development (HPU) and the previous Department of Production Engineering (IIP) is now official, and the ITM school has a new department.
Pär Jönsson, Head of School at ITM, welcomes the merger, which he believes creates opportunities for stronger collaboration with industry and society, and makes both the ITM School and KTH stronger actors in the production area.
'There has been a great deal of consensus regarding this merger. Industrial partners as well as KTH’s management support the new initiative, and the merger also received strong support from the RAE-panel,' says Pär Jönsson.
Monica Bellgran, one of five professors at the new department and head of KTH's platform for industrial transformation, believes that the merger contributes strategically to bringing together KTH’s research and education in the field of production:
'Both HPU and IIP have a clear focus on sustainable and circular production, and the merger will increase the conditions for further co-development of the area.’
Monica Bellgran tells that the climate transition, the pandemic and the war in Ukraine in a short time have changed the field for manufacturing companies, which increases the pressure on sustainable production and supply chains, something she believes gives Swedish production a clear competitive advantage.
'For us at KTH, this means that we need to strengthen the production area properly in order to support the industry's transformation. Properly used, an internal organisational change can provide a boost to continue developing the core operations,' says Monica Bellgran.
Magnus Wiktorsson is Head of the new department. He says that it will focus on three main research areas, which will in turn be divided into two or three thematic research areas.
'The merger in these three main areas gives us an edge. I also see strong links between several of the research themes, as well as research across system levels,' says Magnus Wiktorsson.
Although the vision is clear, there is still some work to be done.
'There are still things we need to develop, such as the automation area, which today is a central part of the production process. We also need to learn how to connect the different infrastructures, and how to support the diffusion of new innovations. We have a strong entrepreneurial spirit within our department, which is something we are proud of and want to take advantage of,' says Magnus Wiktorsson.
Anna Jerbrant, Deputy Head of School and Deputy Head of School at ITM, describes the broad education portfolio as both a strength and a challenge, but emphasises that the new department will have a unique opportunity to teach the rest of the school through their experience.
'They need to work together to integrate all their programmes, specialisations and degrees. They will learn from this, create new courses and be able to show how we can move between programs and thus shape the education of the future,' says Anna Jerbrant.
June 9th was the official kickoff for the new department. The formal decision will be signed on July 1 and the practical work will begin in the autumn. By the end of the year everything will be ready, and the new department will be a fact in education, research, collaboration, infrastructure and administration.
Department of Production Engineering website
Text: Alexandra von Kern