THE DEPARTMENT of Industrial Engineering has started using SAP Business One, an enterprise resource planning or ERP software, for some laboratory courses in the second term of UST’s “enriched virtual mode” of learning.
Laboratory supervisor and SAP coordinator Gabriel Bucu said the department partnered with Fasttrack Solutions, Inc., a software products and consultancy service company, through its SAP education arm FIT Academy, which offers information technology courses and certification programs.
The SAP (Systems, Applications, Products) Business One platform will be used for two courses: operating productive systems laboratory and information systems laboratory.
Assoc. Prof. Joehanna Ngo, the department chairperson, said most industrial engineering jobs now require professionals to be “SAP-knowledgeable.”
“This [partnership] shall equip our students with technical knowledge and hands-on experience in (ERP), making them more industry competitive—ready for Industry 4.0,” she said, referring to the so-called “Fourth Industrial Revolution,” which involves the automation of traditional production processes using digital technology.
SAP Business One courses usually cost P30,000 to P60,000 per module.
The operating productive systems laboratory course is offered to third-year students.
It focuses on the principles and techniques in solving real-world problems in managing operations and covers topics like productivity, product and service design, forecasting, supply chain, inventory management, aggregate planning, material resource planning, enterprise resource planning, ”just-in-time” and lean operations, and scheduling and project management.
Information systems laboratory, meanwhile, is a fourth-year course that focuses on the concepts and frameworks of information systems, analysis and design.
Students will be given a certificate of completion after finishing the courses.
The SAP partnership also covers the development of the platform, instructional materials and technical support.
Third-year students were oriented about the program last Feb. 20.
Industrial Engineering Circle President Zarina Posecion, a third-year student, told the Varsitarian that learning the software would help students acquire skills amid the virtual setup.
“[Laboratory courses with SAP Business One] will create more opportunities for us, because it will be an additional leverage for us in our chosen career,” Posecion said.
“Big companies are using the same system to manage their businesses and organizations, and they are also looking for industrial engineers who can manage their business processes using the same system,” she said.
