Smart factories are no longer the exclusive domain of multinational manufacturing corporations with extensive infrastructure and costly automation systems. Engineering students can now design, test, validate, and optimize entire smart factory ecosystems within their laboratories using advanced simulation platforms such as FlexSim and AnyLogic. Free trial versions, academic toolkits, online training, and international simulation conferences provide industrial-grade modeling environments to students. By combining system-level simulation, industrial performance, and artificial intelligence (AI), a new professional profile, the AI process engineer, can be developed. This article delves into how simulation-driven education is reshaping student learning. It also underscores the necessity for students to advance beyond traditional operational skills toward predictive, analytical, and AI-enabled system design.