New Oracle Industry Lab spotlights worker upskilling

The new Oracle Industry Lab in Chicago provides a hands-on experience for customers to bring transformative technologies to life.

Oracle and Festo are joining forces to help educators create new opportunities and solve tough challenges at the Oracle Industry Lab. Opened in early May, the facility provides hands-on, simulated industry settings for customers to experiment, learn, and bring transformative technologies to life.

At the lab, visitors interact with a Festo “Learning Factory” used in training and workforce-development programs worldwide. The Learning Factory models the next generation of Industry 4.0 production facilities and provides students with a holistic platform to understand smart manufacturing. The automated machinery uses advanced sensors, controllers and software to produce “lot size one” simulated cell phones. Students learn and follow the process from order entry through production to final distribution.

“We are thrilled to be working together with the Oracle Industry Lab where we partner with the leading information company to harness the power of data for the education and training sector. The demand for skilled workforce in manufacturing is skyrocketing, and innovations such as this will prepare the next generation of workers,” said Ted Rozier, director of engineering with Festo Didactic Inc.

The 30,000-square-foot Oracle Industry Lab brings customers, technology partners, and the entire Oracle portfolio of solutions together to incubate and demonstrate new solutions across industries. Supported by Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband, the Oracle Industry Lab will first focus on use cases in utilities, construction and engineering, communications and manufacturing.

“Many industries are at a crossroads as they look to navigate increasing regulatory, environmental, and customer-driven demands,” added Burcin Kaplanoglu, vice president, Oracle Industry Labs. “We built the Chicago lab to bring together leading innovators like Festo Didactic so we can jointly help customers shape bold ideas into powerful solutions that improve productivity, operational intelligence, and sustainability.”