Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Students majoring in management and engineering at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University have teamed up with a qualified client, Power Machines, to create comprehensive final qualifying theses. The work has the special status of "Project as a Final Qualifying Qualifying Thesis" and is being completed by students from the Institute of Industrial Management, Economics, and Trade and the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Materials, and Transport. The creation of new formats for employer participation in the updated model of higher engineering education is being implemented with the support of the federal program "Priority 2030."
The main objective of the "Project as a Final Qualification Work Project" is to improve the operations of an industrial enterprise by optimizing technological and logistical processes. The project is being implemented by a team of students with both engineering and economic and managerial competencies. The team consists of six people from four areas of study: two students from the Higher School of Physics and Materials Engineering at IMMiT (Materials Science and Metallurgy), two students from the Higher School of Industrial Management at IPMEiT (Management), and two students from the Higher School of Service and Trade at IPMEiT (Trade).
Academic supervision on behalf of the Polytechnic University is provided by faculty from the Institute of Mechanics, Economics, and Technology and the Institute of Mechanics and Technology (IMMET). Student consulting on behalf of the qualified client is provided by employees of Power Machines.
Students focus on the comprehensive analysis and optimization of the company's production processes. Their primary focus is on exploring the potential use of current inventory for tooling production, as well as mathematical modeling of blank production processes from various alloys. Concurrently, work is underway to create a material interchangeability matrix and develop methods for more efficient use of slow-moving inventory.
By completing a comprehensive final qualifying work, students from various fields of study will, in addition to solving their core problems, be able to improve communication between engineering and management staff. This will allow them to more quickly adapt to the company upon employment and better understand the tasks and terminology of various departments, says Zoya Simakova, the project's lead investigator and Associate Professor at the Higher School of Industrial Management.
The goal of this comprehensive thesis is to improve the company's operational efficiency by addressing two key objectives. First, a plan will be developed for integrating slowly used inventory into production—either by using it in new projects or by modifying its technological properties. Second, the thesis will determine the economic feasibility and propose specific steps for establishing in-house production of some tooling equipment at Power Machines.
"Adding metallurgical and process analysis to the final qualifying thesis will not only allow for the economic justification of proposed management decisions but also the development of specific engineering solutions for materials processing and tooling production. This will enhance the practical value of the thesis and its applicability to JSC Power Machines," comments Pavel Kovalev, Deputy Director for Educational Activities at IMMiT.
It's worth noting that this project has significant practical and methodological implications: over the course of three years, students completed comprehensive final theses commissioned by Power Machines, with the Graduate School of Industrial Management serving as the responsible executor on behalf of the university. In 2023, students from the Graduate School of Industrial Management, the Graduate School of Engineering and Economics, and the Graduate School of Service and Trade completed final theses as part of the project "Harmonization of Production Needs with the Provision of Components and Materials." by order of the Electrosila plantIn 2024, the "interschool" student project focused on transforming the purchasing activities of an industrial enterprise to reduce slow-moving inventory. for the Leningrad Metal Plant, and last year, students successfully defended a project for LMZ on solving real production and management problems.
The comprehensive final qualifying project, completed by students majoring in management and engineering, is of strategic importance for our city in the context of technological independence, economic sustainability, and social development. The proposed project aims to address challenges related to the development and implementation of new material properties through additional technological processing of slow-moving inventory, the selection and economic justification of alternative materials for tooling, reducing dependence on foreign technologies when analyzing the feasibility of tooling insourcing, optimizing warehouse processes, and developing human resources for solving multidisciplinary problems, says Anna Chernikova, project manager and IPMEIT Deputy Director for Academic and Methodological Work.
An important aspect of the project is the presentation of the final result of the comprehensive final qualifying work at a meeting of the Unified State Examination Committee chaired by the management of Power Machines. The members of the SEC are representatives of the qualified client and faculty from the Institute of Mechanics and Electronics and the Institute of Metallurgy and Metallurgy. The defense will take place in June 2026 at the Leningrad Metal Plant.
For JSC Power Machines, integrating education and production is a strategic priority, and participating in the integrated final qualifying work in the "Project as a Final Qualification Thesis" format allows us to identify talented students before they begin their professional careers and assess their competencies in a real-world production environment. We highly value the Polytechnic University's systematic approach: teamwork among students from various fields of study, support from academic supervisors, and a focus on results that are meaningful to the company. Such initiatives are a significant contribution to technological independence and sustainable industrial development," commented Evgeniya Khmel, Director of General Supplier Development at JSC Power Machines, on the significance of the joint project.
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