Since its first publication in 2015, the learning factory morphology has been frequently used to design new learning factories and to classify existing ones. The structuring supports the concretization of ideas and promotes exchange between stakeholders.
However, since the implementation of the first learning factories, the learning factory concept has constantly evolved.
Therefore, in the Working Group "Learning Factory Design" of the International Association of Learning Factories, the existing morphology has been revised and extended based on an analysis of the trends observed in the evolution of learning factory concepts. On the one hand, new design elements were complemented to the previous seven design dimensions, and on the other hand, new design dimensions were added. The revised version of the morphology thus provides even more targeted support in the design of new learning factories in the future.
The increasing importance of sustainable business models due to the scarcity of resources and resulting political regulations leads many companies and research institutions towards the concept of Circular Economy. Subsequently, the learning factory community is facing the challenge of expanding existing concepts to include Circular Economy in their learning factories. Therefore, a learning factory- and competency-based module for Circular Economy is developed by eight members of the International Association of Learning Factories to define a common ground. The module covers the basics of Circular Economy in the production environment and make it tangible through concrete use cases. To achieve these goals, extensive research on existing concepts has been conducted by IALF experts to analyze learning objectives and requirements in detail and derive required competencies. Based on that, the learning module is developed.
