Academic institutions are increasingly including and promoting hands-on training models like case studies and business games to prepare students for professional life and allow them to apply their theoretical knowledge practically. Some universities have proven that using learning factories enhances teaching and learning alongside traditional classroom methods. In a conventional learning factory, operational disarray often ensues due to the complexity of managing numerous concurrent tasks with groups of students. Instructors usually guide students through structured pedagogical frameworks to ensure success. However, few academic institutions have effectively devised scalable solutions to accommodate large student cohorts in learning factories. This paper explores the complexity of adapting the learning factory model to a large group of Industrial Engineering (IE) students at a South African university without reducing the impact and benefits of its application. It assesses how well the practical aligns with module learning outcomes and how a large group of students can be accommodated in a learning factory using a didactic process on smaller rotating student groups. By evaluating the learning factory methodology’s impact on student achievement and engagement in large cohorts, students demonstrated improved performance following their participation in the learning factory practical, indicating measurable learning gains. Applying a structured pedagogical process with a prescriptive model has proven efficient for managing large student cohorts in a learning factory. Integrating this approach with a didactic process accommodates these cohorts while maintaining a high-quality, consistent teaching and learning environment.