RE-MAIN – REmote MAINtenance of Smart Industry Installations

The RE-MAIN project aims at improving the skills of VET students at European level in relation to remote maintenance of industrial equipment. In this field, digital transition has determined (and made it possible) that industrial plants of all kinds need to implement several changes to survive in the medium and long term. Thus, the application of the principles of the so-called Industry 4.0 in the maintenance of industrial plants is a strategic tool that increases the competitiveness of companies and, to an increasing extent, determines their very survival in a context of highly competitive markets. To date, existing training programmes in the field of industrial plant maintenance have been characterised by an eminently classroom-based approach. Although this kind of maintenance is still necessary to some extent, the reality is that the industrial sector is rapidly shifting towards models of remote maintenance thanks to the aforementioned new technologies.

The advent of the information society, improved telecommunications and the wide possibilities opened by digital technologies have made it possible to move away from the conventional reaction-based, on-site maintenance model to new approaches based on remote, early warning and prevention, which are also safer, more cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and inclusive.

The project partnership strongly responds to the needs of the sector, with the participation of four highly specialised vocational training centres and universities, leading in their respective territories, together with a long-established company highly specialised in industrial equipment and its latest trends. Together, these partners will research and develop training modules aimed at transferring new skills and competences to students in a way that responds to the present and future needs of the industrial sector.

The project is thus addressing fundamental new changes in the delivery of training for industrial maintenance personnel, offering them a set of skills that are crucial for the development of a career in the modern industrial sector.

RE-MAIN is intended to address a clear lack of skills in relation to remote maintenance of industrial installations and to provide training in variable monitoring, secure remote connection (cybersecurity), remote corrective maintenance, remote update of programs/functionalities and remote acquisition of data and parameters, especially for the unemployed, people with disabilities or other vulnerable groups.

In addition to the above, the participating entities will also benefit from the implementation of a pilot joint course jointly with other entities at European level, contributing to improve their teaching methodologies and to update their training courses, which will result in an enhanced competence of the organisations. Based on the abovementioned and taking into consideration the needs of the sector, the general objectives of the project are:

• To connect students with the tools, competences, and current opportunities in the sector.
• To design and implement a pilot course that takes into consideration the set of skills that companies currently demand.
• To create and lay the foundations for the sustainability of the course through initiatives of other training entities in Europe.