Lego sculptures have entered our shared cultural experience, whether they are created by your 3-year-old daughter building her first space ship, or a serious artist using millions of pieces to create a one-of-a-kind installation on a grand scale. At Auburn, Lego tiles are being used to design and build a 273-piece vehicle, with a twist – it can be produced at a rate of 70 cars per hour in the department’s new manufacturing laboratory, located on the ground floor of the Shelby Center.

The lab offers students the opportunity to simulate real-life manufacturing operations, requiring them to understand the interdependence of all elements, from material receipt to delivery. Students who are studying occupational safety and ergonomics work in teams to research and propose solutions for a factory that includes workspace, offices, a quality lab, and even a satellite lab for electronics testing. Here students determine optimal inventory requirements for raw stock, work in process and final assembly. They also look at error proofing strategies as well as training and safety plans, in the context of workstations that produce the required number of vehicles per hour.

The lab also teaches preventive lean manufacturing principles; safety, quality, delivery, cost and morale metrics; continuous improvement system structure; and a preventative maintenance program for electrical and mechanical systems. The lab will soon offer robotics and auto storage and retrieval systems that require OSHA standards be met in order to cycle equipment.