Potentials and Limits of Learning Factories in Research, Innovation Transfer, Education, and Training

In this paper, potentials and limits of learning factories are described regarding its key application fields: Education and training, research, and innovation transfer. On the one hand it is shown how learning factories support the methodical modelling of effective competency development, how they enable important feedback processes for the learner, how they open up possibilities in production research, and how the concept is used in recent years for innovation transfer purposes. On the other hand, for the learning factory concept as it is implemented today several limitations can be identified. The limits of learning factories are systematized in limits regarding the resources needed, the mapping ability, the scalability, the mobility, and the effectiveness of learning factories. In order to overcome the identified limitations, various learning factory concept advancements are identified.