Humber and SEW-EURODRIVE team up to bring unique technology to North America

Partnership will equip students and employees for jobs of the future

TORONTO, July 10, 2018 /CNW/ - Humber College and SEW-EURODRIVE are entering into a five-year partnership agreement designed to build awareness and provide training and applied research opportunities related to Industry 4.0 technologies, a critical aspect of advanced manufacturing. Industry 4.0 places a high value on clean technology, renewable energy and robotics and transforming traditional factories into smart ones using the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing.

The partnership will expand the knowledge of faculty, students and employees. It will also enable both large Canadian companies and small and medium-sized enterprises to explore how aspects of Industry 4.0 can help enhance their manufacturing processes and increase their productivity.

As part of the agreement, SEW-EURODRIVE will showcase their Industry 4.0 laboratory for the first time in North America. This living laboratory focuses on Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), mobile worker assistants and connected automation equipment. Located in Humber's Barrett Centre for Technology Innovation (CTI), the laboratory will demonstrate how mobile technology interacts with both people and stationary automation.

"By collaborating with SEW-EURODRIVE, we are finding new ways to invest in our students and strengthen Humber's expertise in advanced manufacturing education and training," said Dr. Chris Whitaker, president, Humber College. "This partnership reflects how in our polytechnic approach to education we are working closely with industry to engage students and faculty through emerging technologies."

The partnership will include:

• Investment of more than $4 million in SEW-EURODRIVE technology at Humber
• SEW-EURODRIVE Industry 4.0 Live Laboratory in the Barrett CTI
• $125,000 to establish new scholarships through the SEW-EURODRIVE Ernst Blickle Awards
• Employment and exchange pathways for Humber students to work at SEW-EURODRIVE locations in Canada and around the world
• Educational programs in the areas of drive automation and industry 4.0
• STEM outreach activities and awareness events with a goal of inspiring high school students to consider industrial automation careers

"At SEW-EURODRIVE, we see great value in investing in Humber students and providing the opportunity for students to develop the skills and gain the practical experience that today's employers demand," said Anthony Peluso, SEW-EURODRIVE Canada, COO. "We look forward to working with other industry partners to lead and build a world-class automation and learning systems centre at Humber."

Through this partnership with SEW-EURODRIVE and its work with other industry partners and community champions, Humber is building a network of Centres of Innovation, hubs that are bringing together people, ideas and technology to solve complex, real-world innovation challenges.

About Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning

Established in 1967, Humber College is a global leader in polytechnic education. Combining in-depth theoretical learning and hands-on experience with applied research and extensive industry connections, Humber provides career-focused education to 31,000 full-time and 23,000 part-time students across three campuses. The college offers a comprehensive range of credentials including honours undergraduate degrees, postgraduate certificates, diplomas, apprenticeships and certificates. More than four out of five Humber graduates are employed within six months of completing their studies. Visit humber.ca.

About SEW-EURODRIVE

As a world leader in drive technology and a pioneer in drive-based automation, SEW-EURODRIVE has established a reputation for quickly solving the most difficult power transmission and motion control challenges. SEW-EURODRIVE is movement, tradition, innovation, quality, and service all in one. We prove this to our customers every day and have done so for more than 80 years. We do not just move countless conveyer belts, bottling plants, sports stadium roofs, gravel plants, assembly lines, processes in the chemical industry, your luggage at the airport, or even you on escalators. We also are moving ourselves. In our company, there is no such thing as standing still. Every day, more than 600 researchers and developers are working to create the future of drive automation and making it a little better. Collectively, more than 17,000 employees around the world are moving to develop solutions that help you optimize your processes. This is how SEW-EURODRIVE has evolved throughout its history to become the market leader in the industry of drive automation with a turnover of more than EUR 3 billion.

SOURCE Humber Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning