Bosch announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Singapore Polytechnic to be a part of SP’s Advanced Manufacturing Partners Network. The signing ceremony took place at the Singapore Polytechnic campus, with Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry & Ministry of Education witnessing the formalization of the partnership between Soh Wai Wah, Principal and CEO, Singapore Polytechnic and Martin Hayes, President of Bosch in Southeast Asia.
A Big Step Forward for Education in the Manufacturing Sector
Bosch will partner SP to develop the first SP-Bosch Smart Connected Solutions Lab and SP-Bosch Rexroth i4.0 Innovation Lab on the polytechnic’s campus. The $800,000 labs, with a combined area of almost 260 square metres, will be equipped with high-tech Bosch equipment and technologies.
One such equipment is the unique scaled-down version of an actual Smart Factory system that reflects the future of production and distribution in the manufacturing companies. Students will learn to programme and integrate smart sensors with augmented reality into the Smart Factory System. They will also analyse and tap on big data to further optimise the manufacturing processes such as production and storage that are being used in the industry today.
Another innovation in the SP-Bosch labs is the Phantom Energy Monitoring System, which measures and tracks the energy consumption of electrical devices using Bosch’s proprietary sensors and data analytics platform. The system can help manufacturers reduce cost and improve productivity by allowing them to monitor and optimise energy consumption patterns. Around 800 students from the Diploma in Electrical & Electronic Engineering and Diploma in Computer Engineering will benefit from the two new labs annually.
As part of the collaboration, Bosch and SP will launch initiatives relating to Advanced Manufacturing and Smart Cities, including industry projects. On the adult learning front, both organisations will also jointly develop short courses or advanced diplomas for industry professionals to enhance their understanding of advanced manufacturing technologies and processes using the new facilities in the two labs. Currently, about 400 industry professionals have been trained in Digital Technologies for Smart City and Digital Transformation. By March 2019, an estimated 1,000 industry professionals will be trained in advanced manufacturing.
The MoU will also see the development of these initiatives between Bosch and SP over the next five years, and the exploration of more avenues for collaboration. This includes the Enhanced Internship Programme at Bosch for SP’s students, to help them gain industry-related skillsets and experience.
Bosch Ville 2018 – IoT Conference Returns for the Second Year
The MoU was signed in conjunction with Bosch Ville 2018, the second instalment of Bosch’s flagship IoT conference that showcased the latest Smart solutions by the technology provider through interactive exhibitions, workshops, keynotes and panel discussions with industry experts. This year, the event was held in collaboration with a tertiary institution to highlight the close partnership needed between industry and education sectors.
The main exhibition areas are:
- Smart Workshops: A showcase of Bosch’s smart automotive workshops that run with Connected Repair and Augmented Reality that complements the expertise of the technician to result in faster diagnostics, shorter repair time and improved quality.
- Smart Mobility: An interactive walk-through of how travelling can be made better, beginning from inside the vehicle with an integrated vehicle system and first-to-last connectivity solutions for the optimal mobility experience.
- Connected Living: An exploration of how homes and buildings can be made smarter through connected solutions that enhance comfort, energy efficiency and security.
- Digital Transformations: A look into Bosch’s IoT Suite which showcases how the automation of processes based on real-time needs as well as the collection and analysis of data can enable businesses to make better products.
This year, Bosch Ville was co-hosted with an annual roadshow by Bosch Software Innovations, “Bosch IoT Hotpot”, which featured Bosch’s IoT platform and explored methods for successful IoT implementations. Taking on a gastronomic theme, the roadshow covered everything from preparatory “ingredients” to the “recipes” for Smart Agriculture, Connected Buildings and Big Data.
Bosch also organised the Bosch Ville Hackathon 2018 last weekend to create possible solutions to address challenges facing smart city transformation. Sixteen teams comprising students from local education institutions participated in the hackathon. A multi-disciplinary team of five SP students from the Diploma in Computer Engineering, Diploma in Electrical & Electronic Engineering and Diploma in Visual Communication & Media Design took home the top prize of $1,500. Their concept of an urban agricultural toolkit that includes sensors, machine learning and cloud computing to help farmers grow their crops more productively wowed the panel of judges.