An international facility design project

This paper describes an international facilities design project for manufacturing and industrial engineering students. American and Turkish engineering students collaborated to create and implement the re-design of a Turkish wheelchair manufacturing facility. The company needed engineering assistance to improve the efficiency and increase the capacity of their existing factory. Turkish industrial engineering students went on-site to collect data and draw the existing facility layout. American manufacturing engineering students analyzed the data and developed new layout designs. Four American students traveled to Turkey between semesters to implement the initial phases of their design. In the second semester, the Turkish students simulated the new layout to see the performance improvements, completing their project. Student learning outcomes were positive for both groups of students. The paper explains critical steps in identifying projects and partners. Lessons are shown about successes and shortcomings in planning, operating, and communicating with design teams across cultures.