Educating for Global Product Realization on a Global Scale

Three universities on three continents co-operated in teaching global product realization. The Global Product Realization (GPR) course is a highly innovative course in which virtual classrooms and workshops have been formed via ISDN lines, internet facilities and other information technological means representing the state-of-the-technology. This paper gives an insight into the background, the goals, and the implementation of the course. It also outlines the course contents, the layout, and the supporting infrastructure. The GPR course is based on three backbones: academic lectures, company case studies, and a product development project. Parallel to learning of the theoretical and practical backgrounds from academic and industry experts, the international student groups were busy with the development of a global product. It was a coffeemaker for the American, Dutch and Korean markets. The results achieved by the students were presented at the GPR Closing Workshop and Exhibition, where all participants came together to meet the media and the interested parties from academia and industry. The GPR course is a good example of a successful utilization of the opportunities offered by the latest technologies for the implementation of global design and manufacturing in a global environment.