Value Creation Management

Study overview

Value creation management deals with the optimization of internal and cross-company value chains. It is based on a process-oriented, cross-functional view that encompasses the entire service creation process.

Future topics such as digitalization, automation, agile methods, artificial intelligence as well as Industry 4.0 topics are integral components in order to design optimal processes. Soft skills such as agile project management methods, teamwork as well as coaching and leadership skills are prerequisites for successful and rapid implementation in practice.

Holistic concepts such as lean management and lean production play a special role in value creation management. This is because value creation losses can occur both in production and in administrative areas. The teaching factory aims to reduce losses in production, while the teaching office aims to reduce losses in administrative areas.

Optimizing the value chain helps to conserve valuable resources and ensures greater sustainability in the company.

To this end, students learn about work philosophies and methodological concepts such as Total Productive Management (TPM) and Kaizen. The goal for graduates is to further develop themselves and the employing company in the direction of operational excellence.

The innovative study concept is particularly suitable for industrial foremen, technicians and technical business administrators - even without a high school diploma.

Value creation management: Build leadership competence with operational excellence, lean management, soft skills and future topics as a career booster!

Short form	WSM
Type of study	Extra-occupational, chargeable
Standard period of study	11 semester* _{^*Expertise and skills acquired outside of university including current professional experience can be accredited, making it possible to complete the course in just 6 semesters!}
Award	Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
Start of studies	Winter semester
Admission restrictions	None
Lecture location	Herrieden
Language of instruction	German
Course management	Prof. Dr. Constantin May
Student advisory service	Prof. Dr. Constantin May
Student Services	studierendenservice.wsm(at)hs-ansbach.de
Information events	Please register via our webform. For online events, you will receive corresponding access data from us. Currently, no information events are planned. Please do not hesitate to contact us for individual advice!

Course flyer (German)

Brochure (German)

Module manual (German)

Study and examination regulations (German)

Fee schedule (German)

This is value creation management

Achieving economic added value

In the context of lean management, value creation refers to all activities that increase the value of a product from the customer's point of view. Anything for which the customer is not prepared to pay is waste.

Value creation management deals with the optimization of internal and cross-company value chains with the aim of eliminating waste and creating as much value as possible for the customer. It is based on a process-oriented, cross-functional view that encompasses the entire service creation process. The holistic operational excellence approach and the lean management philosophy play a special role here. Future topics such as digitalization, automation, agile methods, artificial intelligence as well as industry 4.0 are also an integral part of the course. For successful and quick implementation in practice, soft skills such as agile project management methods, teamwork and especially coaching and leadership skills are taught.

What is waste?

Waste is any activity that does not add value to a product or service and for which the customer is not willing to pay. Loss hunters and value creation experts focus on different key areas here.

Waste or value-added losses not only have an economic impact, but also contribute to environmental pollution, for example through excessive resource consumption, excessive material inputs or unnecessary emissions. Reducing value-added losses is therefore of crucial importance for the future competitiveness of companies from both an economic and an environmental perspective.

The goal: reducing waste

Value-added losses can occur in both production and administrative areas. In the value creation management degree program, you will learn how to identify and eliminate these losses.

Target group

What is the study program about?

Today, productivity, quality and delivery times ensure competitiveness and thus employment in german industrial companies. Only those companies that continuously work on optimizing their value chain can survive in international competition. Medium-sized companies in particular need specialists who can identify and eliminate losses and waste in the company. Precisely this knowledge, which only a few specialists in large companies and management consultancies have possessed to date, is made available on a scientific basis in the part-time bachelor's degree program in value creation management at Ansbach University of Applied Sciences.

Study and work full-time

The part-time bachelor of arts (B.A.) degree program in value creation management starts every winter semester. As an attractive and forward-looking model of qualification, this degree program combines operational experience, practical study components in the company and theoretical knowledge. The students continue to work full-time and also implement the improvement projects supervised by Ansbach University of Applied Sciences in the company.

In particular, those who are already professionally qualified are offered opportunities to expand their competencies in a future-oriented manner.

What is to be achieved?

The bachelor's degree program in value creation management provides the knowledge to be able to recognize and eliminate losses and waste in industrial production as well as in administrative processes. The necessary scientific background as well as the technological and administrative strategies and methods are explained and directly applied in practice. The aim is that graduates equipped with such a "toolbox" will be able to develop their own company in the direction of world class. In doing so, they act like internal consultants and accompany a structured improvement process.

Attention industrial foremen, technicians and technical business economists!

For quite some time now, vocationally qualified persons have been allowed to study at bavarian universities - Ansbach University of Applied Sciences offers special study concepts for this purpose. This course of study promotes lifelong learning and offers an innovative form of continuing professional development specifically tailored to industrial foremen, technicians and technical business administrators. Through their training and continuing education, this target group brings with them so much knowledge and skills as well as interdisciplinary qualifications that, as a rule, the first three semesters and, if applicable, the practical semesters of study can be credited. The duration of study is therefore often only six semesters.

Content

Content and structure

The part-time bachelor's program is divided into 11 semesters in order to offer working students the opportunity to combine work, study and family.

Content

Basic modules

The program includes 22 basic modules, consisting of five compulsory modules and two compulsory elective module blocks. You must select seven of the compulsory elective module blocks. Vocationally qualified persons such as master craftsmen, technicians and technical business administrators who have already acquired competencies and skills as part of their training can, if necessary, be credited with the basic modules after examination. In addition, the practical study semesters can be waived for this target group upon presentation of appropriate evidence. Participants without credit possibilities can complete the basic modules in distance learning via the Virtual University of Bavaria or in comparable institutions.

Advanced modules in the attendance study program

All aspects of value creation management are covered in 24 modules of the face-to-face course. The individual modules are clearly structured, and are divided into fundamentals of value creation management, soft skills, operational excellence and lean management concepts. Skills relevant to the future are also particularly important.

The fundamental topics lead the participants towards philosophy and understanding on the topic of value creation management. Very important are also soft skills starting with presentation techniques, change management, coaching and leadership skills. Especially with regard to the implementation of the philosophy of value chain management, but also with regard to the preparation of leadership responsibilities in the company, these must be in line with the professional competencies.

The pillars of operational excellence and lean management represent essential contents of the study program. Lean management focuses on the methods and procedures for the continuous improvement of operational processes from a logistics perspective. Here, methods such as value stream design, SMED, Heijunka and other strategies for administration and development are studied in depth. The operational excellence pillar focuses on problem-solving techniques, preventive and autonomous maintenance, quality methods to a holistic approach to the company.

The industry is currently experiencing rapid change, so future topics such as digitalization and automation, as well as agile management, artificial intelligence and industry 4.0 are of particular importance in the further optimization of processes in the company. These topics can be adapted very flexibly to the requirements of industry.

Teaching methodology and attendance phases

Attendance times, on-the-job effort and self-study

The total study effort is divided into three areas. Firstly, there are the attendance times, i.e. the lectures, workshops and practical exercises in the teaching factory. The attendance times are reduced to a minimum of about 20-30% of the total effort, so that the participants do not have to stay away from the workplace for too long. Therefore, part of the study effort is also shifted directly to the company. In concrete terms, this means that, particularly in the case of method-oriented modules, the in-depth study takes place in the company. Project tasks are defined in the lecture blocks at the university, which the students then work on in the company. At the same time, the results of the projects are included in the examination results. The time spent in the company together with the self-study amounts to approx. 70 - 80 % of the total time spent. This means that the participants can organize their studies themselves for most of the time, so that they can also best meet their obligations in their everyday working lives.

The study or lecture schedule is also ideally suited to participants interested in studying at Ansbach University of Applied Sciences beyond the region. Three block courses (block 1-3) are held per semester, usually all day from Wednesday to Saturday. This means that only nine working days and three Saturdays plus an extra exam Saturday are reserved per semester.

Experience has shown that in some modules it makes sense to hold some of the face-to-face events virtually in order to minimize travel times and absences from the home and work environment.

Between the individual blocks, the participants are in their companies. During this time, the students work on study-specific projects alongside their professional activities, which is regulated by a corresponding cooperation agreement. The participant is responsible for determining the amount of time spent on self-study.

Practical learning with teaching factory and teaching office

The part-time bachelor's degree program in value creation management takes into account the special situation of working professionals. In concrete terms, this means that attendance events, i.e. lectures, are kept to a reasonable minimum. Through the integration of the teaching factory and the teaching office, students experience a new dimension of learning, because there the theoretical training content can be conveyed and experienced in a very vivid and practical way. With these teaching factories and teaching offices, CETPM, an institute at Ansbach University of Applied Sciences, offers a unique learning environment in which many of the course's lecture units take place. Using real processes, you can directly apply the lean methods and tools taught and experience the effects for yourself. Our experienced professors and lecturers accompany and coach the students intensively in this process.

Subsequently, the contents are deepened and implemented in comprehensive study projects accompanied by the university in the cooperating companies. The examination takes place, among other things, through the evaluation of the projects and student research projects implemented in the companies.

[Translate to Englisch:] Nachhaltiges Lernen

Campus

The CETPM in Herrieden, an institute at Ansbach University of Applied Sciences, offers a unique learning environment with its teaching factories and teaching offices. The teaching factory is an innovative training center where the most important methods and tools in the operational excellence environment are demonstrated, taught and trained. At the teaching factory, you will learn current methods and tools for bringing the entire manufacturing process to world-class status. The training factory is not limited to assembly processes, but maps the complete value chain of a company.

[Translate to Englisch:] Flaggen vor dem CETPM

Teaching factory

Why the involvement of the teaching factory and industrial companies?

The philosophy of value creation management requires a holistic understanding of the interrelationships of internal and cross-company processes. In order to understand the complex processes and thus to recognize the wastes and losses in all areas of the company, the deepening and implementation in practice is an essential part of our special study program in addition to the theoretical basics. The training factory at Ansbach University of Applied Sciences provides the appropriate environment and the necessary expertise to learn the methods systematically and in a practical manner. This knowledge is then immediately tested in practice in the student's own company - to the benefit of both students and companies.

At a glance: The university's teaching factory offers specifically for this degree program

a comprehensive approach of operational excellence and office excellence (integration of Lean, TPM, Kaizen and Six Sigma),
an end-to-end view of the complete value chain with real machines and products or, in the office, a realistic administrative environment,
the complete transformation of a poorly organized company into an exemplary one, where the students have to implement all the measures independently,
the supervision and support of the students during the implementation of the projects in their own company.

The teaching factory: Optimizing manufacturing

The teaching factory is an innovative training center where the most important methods and tools in the operational excellence environment are demonstrated, taught and trained. Just as a training workshop teaches technical skills, the teaching factory teaches you current methods and tools to bring the entire manufacturing process to world-class status. The teaching factory is not limited to assembly processes, but maps the entire value chain of a company - from raw materials with incoming goods inspection to the shipping process. Real machines are used to produce a wide range of products for customers.

Typical production structures found in numerous companies are set up in the form of real machines and functioning workstations so that participants can immediately identify with the environment.

The teaching office: Optimizing administration

Analogous to our teaching factory, the teaching office trains the most important approaches and methods to achieve operational excellence in the administrative area (office excellence). In a real office environment, a complete order processing process of a company is mapped: from the customer's order to the shipment of the goods and invoice. Participants apply their acquired theoretical knowledge to this exemplary business process. The learning objective is to identify and sustainably eliminate losses and waste in administrative areas. This realistic environment creates a very strong learning effect in the training office.

Cooperation

Cooperation between company and university

As already mentioned, the part-time degree program in value creation management takes place in close cooperation with the industrial partners. These are usually the companies where the students are employed during their studies.

Our study concept is based on three recipes for success: On the one hand, theoretical knowledge is imparted by experienced professors and lecturers during attendance times at the university and in the CETPM's teaching factory. Furthermore, students supplement their knowledge through appropriate self-study periods, supported by e-learning content. A very important component of the study program is the involvement of industrial companies, as corresponding study projects are carried out there to deepen the knowledge content. These projects are coordinated with the companies on a topic-related basis and carried out by the students on site.

In order to ensure a successful graduation for the students and a quick and lasting benefit for the industrial partners, the university concludes a corresponding cooperation agreement with the participating companies before the start of the study program.

Cooperation agreement

[Translate to Englisch:] Kooperation zwischen Unternehmen und Hochschule

Benefits for industrial companies

Rapid transfer of philosophy and scientific methods for operational excellence

The part-time study program value creation management is very practice-oriented.

Part of the study program is shifted to your company. Students - your employees - have the task of deepening the academic expertise they have acquired in their own company. This takes the form of project tasks that they carry out in their usual working environment in your company. The results are assessed in a neutral way as an examination performance and mean examination performance for the student. You as a company can benefit immediately from the project results by optimizing your processes. Productivity, quality and throughput time are improved at the same time.

Building up permanent expertise, through the training and further education of your own employees

The extensive and complete training of your own employees as bachelor of value creation management has the decisive advantage that the acquired competences are permanently available for the company. Your future bachelor of arts value creation management not only understand how to implement methods for optimizing processes in the company, but also gain a broad knowledge of the interrelationships between the methods and philosophy of lean management and operational excellence. In addition, your trained employees will know the soft skills required to implement the entire philosophy in the company. This knowledge is permanently available to you in comparison to purchased consulting services.

Building expertise to introduce operational excellence to the entire organization

Depending on the size of your company, it is advantageous to train your best employees in the various positions for a bachelor of arts in value creation management at the same time or with a slight time lag. Introducing and implementing lean and operational excellence is not a task for individual employees. Success lies in the team. Employees and managers who see themselves as a team and discuss and tackle issues at eye level will move your company forward faster.

Use of cross-company and cross-industry networks through the study program

During the course of their studies, which last at least three years, your employees get to know their fellow students from different industries and companies, and usually also use these connections to share issues and challenges within their own companies. It is not uncommon for solutions to specific tasks in the company to have been solved through cross-industry perspectives as a result of the networks that have been created.

Admission requirements

Who can register for the study program value creation management?

The admission requirements for the value creation management degree program are based on articles 43 and 45 of the Bavarian Higher Education Act.

Normally, all applicants must prove that they have either a university entrance qualification or a technical college entrance qualification. In the meantime, the Bavarian Higher Education Act also makes it possible for particularly qualified professionals to study who have passed an advanced training examination, e.g. as an industrial foreman, technician or business economist, or who have several years of professional practice in their training occupation. It is precisely this target group that the practice-oriented value creation management degree program is aimed at.

The practical components are an additional requirement. They are provided in addition to the university entrance qualification through proof of industrial-technical or commercial training.

[Translate to Englisch:] Studienzulassung

Costs and funding

Financing of the study program

For the special form of the study program, the university incurs costs that exceed the state funding for regular teaching (e.g. special teaching materials, operation of the teaching factory, working materials, teaching assignments, etc.). Therefore, a tuition fee of 2.490,- € plus 67 € student union fee is charged per semester, which has to be paid by the student or the industry partner.

Any cost sharing or working time arrangements during the studies will be settled directly between the industry partner and the student.

Information for the student on financial support

If the requirements are met, the tuition fees can be claimed as income-related expenses for tax purposes. This also includes work materials, specialist literature, travel to the university, etc.

Funding and scholarships

Accreditation

Value creation management is assessed by the accreditation, certification and quality assurance institute ACQUIN.

You can view the accreditation and assessment by the ACCREDITATION COUNCIL in the accreditation database (click here).

Voices of our students

Martin Schnurbusch

Martin Schnurbusch
Production Manager
Wilhelm Schumacher GmbH

"I now have more than 20 years of management experience in one or more automotive supply companies. The topic of value creation is therefore not new to me.

The structure of the topics in the individual semesters immediately convinced me and made me want to study value creation management.

The expectations for this course of study were very high on my part. At the end of the first semester, I can only confirm that my expectations were exceeded.

The choice of lecturers is very well-made, as there is a high level of practical relevance. I am still motivated to take on this additional workload in addition to my full-time job.

I very much regret that this course of study did not exist earlier! At the age of 47, it is certainly no longer quite so easy."

Michael Voichtleitner

Michael Voichtleitner
Production Manager
Dräxlmaier Production & Logistics GmbH

"I am one of the pioneers who started the study program value creation management on Wednesday last week. Even at the introductory event, you could clearly see from the speakers' words the commitment that was required to push through the degree program. That is also the reason why I am writing to you, because I would like to thank you and all your colleagues for making this possible for me - and I think I can also speak on behalf of the other 13 participants.

For me personally, it feels incredibly intense to be there! It is a feeling of pride, of having arrived and of having initiated a right step in life that I have been waiting for a long time.

The first days were led by great instructors and we students felt very, very comfortable. I think when I tell you that even at 4pm on Saturday I still felt excited, you can get a rough idea of my feelings.

I just felt the need to write you these lines of gratitude and gladly pass on the thanks to all of you who have actively supported in clearing away menhirs and putting new ways of thinking and approaches to lifelong learning on the right track.

Many thanks."

Susanne Materna-Ruffershöfer

Susanne Materna-Ruffershöfer
Robert Bosch GmbH

"I have no regrets at all about choosing this course of study. Based on my experience in the winter semester, it is fair to say that the content is absolutely realistic and is also conveyed by the super lecturers. If the further semesters also remain at this level - great thing.

My view of this study program:

Absolutely top content
Immediate implementation in everyday working life possible
The topic of loss and waste is absolutely internalized
Culture change becomes a life task"

Klaus Schell

Klaus Schell
Technical Manager
Heinlein Plastik GmbH

"It is important for me to combine family, job and the part-time study together. The content structure of the program convinced me right from the start. The selection of topics paired with top lecturers and the high practical relevance leave nothing to be desired."