Third ERASMUS+ SMARTRAIN project mobility (Spain)
During the first week of May, the European Erasmus+ SMARTRAIN project held the third of its mobilities, where Spain was the hosting country. It counted with the presence of students and teachers from Belgium, Italy and Spain.
With the coordination of AIDIMME and the CIPFP CATARROJA – Spanish partners of the project – a schedule of training activities was prepared in both centres and visits to companies of interest for the students and teachers who participated in the mobility, such as EMUCA, VICCARBE, KOO INTERNACIONAL and GRUPO ROYO. We would like to thank all of them for their predisposition and excellent attention.
This third mobility is focused on smart furniture and the possibilities it offers when it is incorporated into the furnishings, and to show the progress made in each of the collaborative projects that are being carried out in each country.
The three projects are clearly distinguishable, which allows us to see the different possibilities of incorporating the knowledge acquired in the development of the project by the participating students and teachers.
THE PROJECTS
Within the framework of a collaborative methodology (“Project Based Learning”) and learning through the direct handling of the concepts learned in the workshops (“Learning by doing”), each of the groups alternated working in mixed teams with members from all the countries and working in their own country groups. Throughout this, they have incorporated the concepts of CIRCULAR ECONOMY, ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING and SMART FURNITURE into each of their projects, so that in the end the participating students and teachers achieve an enriching result that can be easily extrapolated as a working methodology.
SPANISH PROJECT. KPORT
It is a base that can be used with laptops and tablets, which incorporates recycled materials, and a series of sensors and ports.
ITALIAN PROJECT. ILLUSION LAMP
In this case, the project is basically a lamp made from recycled wood inspired by the Moebius strip. The wooden packaging material has also been designed using laser cutting.
BELGIAN PROJECT. MUSIC DOME
The MUSIC DOME project – completely different from the rest – creates a work or leisure space, in which the modularity of the construction elements and the possibility of incorporating lights, sensors, loudspeakers, etc. stand out.
TRAINING AND GROUP WORK
Throughout the 3rd, 4th and 5th of May, the students received practical training at AIDIMME and at the CIPFP CATARROJA on the electronic components that can be found in smart furniture, with special emphasis on those that were of greatest interest for the projects of the three groups. The training covered the need to know the basic aspects of a connection between sensors and a mobile app, a key factor in all the projects.
In both locations, students and teachers from Italy and Belgium visited some of the facilities at AIDIMME and the CIPFP CATARROJA.
They visited AIDIMME’s Additive Manufacturing and PLASMA project facilities, and were offered explanations from AIDIMME technicians Mario Martínez and Antonio José Martín, from the Technologies and Processes Department.
The training at AIDIMME was conducted by technicians from the TECHNOLOGIES AND PROCESSES Department: Juan del Agua, ICT & Industrial Development technician, and Fernando Gigante, from Information Technologies.
At the CIPFP Catarroja on the 4th and 5th of May, students and teachers were able to handle and learn first-hand about sensors, ARDUINO boards and how to program the set of elements. Lorena Silvent Ruiz, Deputy Mayoress at Catarroja Town Council, visited the event and welcomed the participants of the mobility in Spain.
Under the coordination of Francisco Aparici, teacher of the CIPFP of Catarroja, the students studied and tested in a practical way the use of all the necessary elements for the instruction of sensors, basic programming, etc., in order to finally incorporate these elements into their projects.
On the last day of the mobility, the groups from each country made a presentation of their projects, which was led by Cecilia Amo, Project Coordinator at CIPFP Catarroja, with the participation of students and teachers from CIPFP Catarroja.
It also counted with the remote collaboration of Dr. Oliver Jancke, Business Development Manager at INNOVAWOOD, who asked questions about each of the projects presented: the recyclability of the components, possibilities of selling them on the market, etc..
THE VISITS
For the mobility, a visit to four companies in the sector was prepared, so that students and teachers could see first-hand the ways to apply the concepts learned, the companies’ point of view who are very focused on these mentioned concepts market-wise, the importance of design, the difficulties of production, etc.
VISIT TO VICCARBE
Rubén Mateos, Product Manager at VICCARBE Habitat, S.L., guided the members of the SMARTRAIN project to learn about the company’s concept of smart furniture, who visited the facilities in Beniparell.
Viccarbe is an international benchmark in the manufacture of collaborative furniture and, since its inception in the year 2000, its goal is to bring Mediterranean experiences to unique work, leisure and home environments around the world, through the creation of multipurpose chairs, stools, armchairs, sofas, tables and accessories.
The firm, founded by Víctor Carrasco, was granted the Prince of Asturias Award for Business Excellence in Design and is present in more than 80 countries, where it participates in the development of collaborative furniture for companies such as Apple, Google or LinkedIn among others, helping to foster collaboration, creativity and productivity in their workspaces.
VISIT TO KOO INTERNACIONAL
On behalf of KOO International, the group was attended by Jose Muñoz, Factory Manager, Jorge Mompó, Technical Manager, and Diana Castellano, Marketing and Innovation Manager.
Diana made an interesting presentation about the company, and especially about a concept that the company – with the collaboration of the GPS Section of AIDIMME – is committed to: circular economy. José Muñoz and Jorge Mompó exchanged impressions with SMARTRAIN students and teachers about the key characteristics of their products, such as their resistance, the possibilities for updating and repairing products, the types of filler material, etc.
KOO International is a seating furniture manufacturer with more than twenty years of experience in the industry, creating pieces based on design, innovation and consistency. It has won numerous awards in product design and has collaborated with renowned designers.
Under the name of CIRKOOLAR, the SMARTRAIN participants were able to learn how the company carries out its approach to the concept of circularity: https://www.koointernational.com/landings/cirkoolar/
VISIT TO EMUCA
The visit to this company was conducted by the Corporate Manager Carlos Flores and Andrea Savala from the Marketing Department.
EMUCA GROUP designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of products for the furniture, carpentry, hardware and DIY sectors. The company has commercial offices in Spain, Italy, United Kingdom, France and Portugal, which allows them to be in direct contact with the latest trends in the furniture sector and the Innovation department to transfer them to their products.
The students learned about EMUCA’s perception of the smart furniture concept, in which the user’s needs play a key role, without losing sight of concepts such as sustainability and circular economy.
VISIT TO MOBILIARIO ROYO
The last visit was made to the most important bathroom furniture company in Europe, ROYOGROUP. Its position has been strengthened since 2021 when it allied with the ROCA group, becoming responsible for manufacturing the firm’s bathroom furniture.
It is a company committed to sustainability, the modernisation of production processes and is also very active in the field of R &D, participating in numerous research projects.
On this occasion, the person in charge of the visit on behalf of ROYOGROUP was Rafael Lozano, the company’s Process Specialist.
During the visit, students and teachers were able to see first-hand the production process of the company, the characteristics of certain materials used and the wide variety of manufactured bathroom furniture products. It is a large industrial company, so the students and teachers found the experience very interesting.
The SMARTRAIN project is entering its final stretch and the results of the projects carried out by the three groups from Spain, Italy and Belgium will be presented shortly.
SMARTRAIN. BRIDGING PIVOTAL COMPETENCIES FROM VET CURRICULA TO CO-CREATION IN FURNITURE DESIGN
Project Number: 22000050
Grant Agreement: 2020-1-ES01-KA202-082778
Duration: From 01/10/2020 to 30/09/2022
Coordinated at AIDIMME by: SORIANO CARDO, CARLOS
R&D Line: INDUSTRIA 4.0
For more information, contact AIDIMME
Visitors: 65
