Hi, my name is Emily McGowan. I am from the United States and moved to the Netherlands to pursue my master’s in engineering at HAN University – I am currently following the lean engineering track. Prior to moving to this beautiful country, I graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and a German studies minor. I then spent 5 years in industry designing business jets for the Cessna Aircraft brand. My focus was on new product development and I am proud to have been a part of the Citation Longitude team from initial concept to delivery. This experience introduced me to different struggles and successes of the product development process which led me to wonder how other companies develop complex products and a desire to understand more about improving new product development.

I completed all of my master’s coursework at HAN last year and I am currently working on my master’s thesis on smart modular dynamic U-shaped assembly cells. The research focus is exploring how different technologies can be used and implemented in high variety low volume manufacturing. Some of the specific topics of my research include incorporating digital twinning, big data, and other new technologies in organizations to increase the flexibility of the U-cell. The goal is to connect with different companies to understand their limitations, needs, and experiences and bridge the gap between the theory of smart technology in manufacturing and the practicality of it.

In addition to my thesis research, I am also helping teach the master’s Lean Product Development module as well as researching different ways to introduce lean principles to other master’s modules at HAN. The goal is to give all HAN masters students a base level understanding of lean engineering in connection with their individual career paths.”