What do the world-famous LEGO bricks have to do with the Paderborn software company FASTEC? “Quite a quantity,” explains FASTEC Managing Director Christian Reusch. “Our software for production optimization is often something very abstract for interested parties and customers. That’s why we came up with the idea of designing and building a Lego production plant model that we could use to demonstrate our software in a simplified way.”
The company brought professionals on board to build the model: the Lego teams from Gymnasium Schloss Neuhaus and the MINTeresse e.V. association. Nine students from seventh to eleventh grade took a week of their summer vacation to actively support FASTEC with their expertise. The model is quite complex. It consists of several modules that together represent all the processes involved in food production. “We were delighted with the help of the Lego teams and are very impressed by the commitment of the young people and the quick results,” emphasizes Reusch. The model is then connected to the FASTEC software via an additional controller. The software records and analyzes all production data so that companies worldwide can optimize their production processes.
The pupils were also able to learn something new. They were given exciting insights into the software company: “It’s a win-win situation,” explains Ingrid Löcke, teacher and coach of the Lego teams. “FASTEC can use the model and the pupils get to know the day-to-day workings of the company and also gain an insight into STEM professions.” FASTEC also expressed its gratitude in the form of a donation to the association.
The Lego teams from GSN and MINTeresse have already successfully taken part in many competitions at international level. For example, the overall victory in the European finals of the First Lego League 2018 went to Team Jawas. The dedicated youngsters were also no strangers to the software company: FASTEC already supported the three finalists of the World Robot Olympiad at the world finals in Thailand in 2018. The financial support made it possible to secure their participation on site