What professional development programs does UDEM’s Engineering Department offer to its students?

UDEM’s Engineering Department has a partnership with Ternium, where people from the company across many different fields, including logistics, production and maintenance, for example, come to lecture a specific class several times per semester. It is both an opportunity for students to learn about factory operations up-close and for Ternium executives to meet prospective employees. This is a win-win situation for the school and for Ternium. Because of this relationship, many students have the opportunity to conduct thesis research at Ternium.

What particular innovations are UDEM students currently working on?

UDEM has a very strong relationship with Metalsa. Metalsa’s main manufacturing process is deep drawing, which is used as a steel punching method. The main problem with the deep drawing process is friction and wear on the tools, which can be very expensive. We are currently working in a very specialized area of engineering called tribology. Our goal is to reduce the friction and wear on steel tools and we have a new laboratory that is dedicated to this. Metalsa is helping us with our tribology program and with developing our knowledge of high-quality steel.

UDEM also has a partnership with Frisa Forjados. This company produces parts for windmills and oil rigs, which both require special types of steel. They also recently built a new factory in Monterrey that specializes in high-quality aerospace steel that is intended for the hot forming process. This process involves a lot of friction and wear, so we are working on tribological applications for Frisa Forjados as well. One particularly innovative application is laser cladding, which replaces welding with the use of lasers. The Mexican federal government just granted us US$1 million to continue developing this technology as part of their Programas Educativos Interculturales (PEI) programs. Laser cladding not only results in much lower energy costs than welding, but also the surface finishing is much smoother after the process, resulting in a better product.

How advanced is robotics technology in the steel production process?

Robotics technology is widely available and advancing very quickly. In addition to its tribological application, the laser cladding machine can also be used as a robotized 3D printer for steel. We keep this laser in a special chamber at Frisa Forjados’ manufacturing plant because it is very expensive and can also be very dangerous. The 3D printing of steel is becoming a very large business because manufacturers can print only the pieces they require without special tools or moldings. We recently visited an Industry 4.0 event in Germany, and robotics were everywhere, even with farming equipment.

Where do UDEM’s engineering students generally find employment?

Around 87% of our undergraduate students find employment within the first three months of graduation. The rest go directly into masters programs, many of which are abroad. Northern Mexico has a great need for engineers and about 40% of our students receive job offers before they graduate. To make sure our students have well-rounded skill sets, we emphasize technical design in our curriculum. Whether students are focusing on robotics, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or something else, they should be well versed in design. Design centers are growing a lot in Monterrey. If you have the ability to design, then you can learn how to manufacture. We also emphasize learning metal mechanical applications because Monterrey’s industry offers an incredible number of employment opportunities around this.

How will the recent investments from Ternium and ArcelorMittal in Mexico affect the labor market?

A significant portion of these investments are related to automation, so UDEM is placing an emphasis on automation in its engineering curriculum, in addition to robotics. The best way to know how to prepare our students is to be in constant contact with companies like Ternium. We need to understand what their needs are so that we can provide our students with the right tools to add value and find innovative solutions for their problems.