By Tom Griffith, event coordinator, National Industry 4.0 Summit
Futurists are telling us how we will be living in smart homes and smart buildings located in smart cities.
This revolution of technology and communications is also forging ahead in the manufacturing context with the advent of the smart factory.
We are all adapted to the language of the mobile phone revolution, with smart phones, smart TVs, smart watches and now smart heating systems becoming commonplace.
Industrialists have been to the forefront of embracing all that developments in technology can offer in terms of production speed, efficiency, safety, sustainability and of course competitiveness and profitability.
At European level, manufacturing leaders have grouped the most significant developments in information and communications technology (ICT) which all have a clear impact on production, under one broad heading now known as Industry 4.0.
Put simply, this concept refers to the fact that ICT development has been so world-changing from a manufacturing perspective that it amounts to a whole revolution in manufacturing industry; effectively the 4th recognisable Industrial Revolution.
THE NATIONAL INDUSTRY 4.0 SUMMIT
The relative affordability of components such as sensors and microchips is having and will transform the way manufacturing business will be conducted.
The National Industry 4.0 Summit will bring together the key players from an Irish perspective to one key event.
Delegates will learn how this new phenomenon in IT in manufacturing will affect their operation and crucially, the opportunity it presents to increase their competitiveness.
There are many definitions available online as to what Industry 4.0 comprises. Put simply, this concept refers to the fact that ICT development has been so world-changing from a manufacturing perspective that it amounts to a whole revolution in manufacturing industry; effectively the 4th recognisable Industrial Revolution
At European level, manufacturing leaders have grouped the most significant developments in ICT (Information and Communications Technology) which all have a clear impact on production, under one broad heading now known as Industry 4.0.
Few locations can offer such secure and consistent performance as Ireland:
- 15 of the 20 largest global medical device companies have R&D and manufacturing facilities located in Ireland, especially centred around Galway.
- New investments continue to be made from this year to the next, most recently by Bausch + Lomb, Zimmer, Johnson & Johnson, Hollister, BD and Stryker.
- Ireland is a lively hotbed of start-up activity for both medical technology and finished medical devices.
- Irish universities have adapted to the high demand for biomedical engineering with dedicated teaching courses and leading-edge research facilities.
INVESTMENT TRENDS
Ireland missed the last industrial revolution but has an incredible edge in building the next one in the form of the industrial internet of things (IoT). And the country’s regions are best placed to reap the rewards.
But, ultimately, for a country that missed the industrial revolutions of the 19th century and the post-war boom of the 20th century, Ireland quickly caught up because of brave education policies.
It was quick to catch the mobile investment trends that saw companies like Apple sweep into the country in the early 1980s, and the same with Intel in the 1990s.
Now, Apple is creating 1,000 new jobs in Cork and Intel has selected Ireland for the latest $5bn investment in manufacturing technologies to produce its next generation of chips
CHANGING MARKETS
An example of the transition capabilities that result in fairly plump pigeons coming home to roost can be seen in software.
In the 1980s, Oracle and Microsoft both established manufacturing facilities in Dublin where soon-to-be millionaires busied themselves packing cardboard boxes with instruction manuals and software discs.
Jump forward more than three decades and Ireland deftly moved with the changes to now being the home of the cloud when you consider the multi-billion data centres and tech campuses that Microsoft is building in Dublin and the 450 recent jobs announced in the city by Oracle.
Ireland is also proving it has the DNA to transition in the world of pharmaceuticals. During the 1980s and 1990s, many of the big pharma giants established plants that were centred on process and production.
In 2016, a large number of these plants have transitioned from factories with smoke stacks to sophisticated next-generation biotech campuses and Ireland is now the seventh-largest exporter of medicine and pharmaceutical products in the world, with the amount of products exported annually reaching €39bn.
But that is the multinational picture and the IDA is now reaching record levels in terms of job creation figures.
While the numbers are good, it is hard not to keep an eye on the prevailing international picture.
Ireland missed the last industrial revolution but has an incredible edge in building the next one in the form of the industrial internet of things (IoT). And the country’s regions are best placed to reap the rewards
Stock markets are being hammered by the faltering Chinese markets and all eyes are on the European Commission’s negotiations with Apple over tax arrangements and what that could mean for inward investment into the future.
The Government recently announced a €3m plan that could be leveraged to €6m to invest in regionally based accelerators.
Accelerators are ultimately about ramping up sales but with a bit of imagination plans could be designed to also jump-start and incubate industrial IoT companies in regional towns led by seasoned local executives with international insight.
Ireland is good at transition. The politicians are in election mode so they don’t want to talk about the next set of economic challenges that will come from the collapsing stock markets.
But another wave of economic change is coming whether we like it or not. This time, let’s play our cards right – why not visit the National Industry 4.0 Summit and get a feel for Competitiveness through Tech Innovation April 28th in Mullingar.
AT A GLANCE – Four historical Industrial Revolutions
Today: 4th Industrial Revolution – nanotechnology, big data, the industrial internet of things (IoT), brain research, 3D printing, mobile computing, the connected enterprise.
1950: 3rd Industrial Revolution – electronic, mechanical, digital technology, mainframe computers, telecommunications, personal computing and eventually the internet.
1870: 2nd Industrial Revolution – electrification, telegraph, rail networks, gas and water supply, mass production and assembly lines.
1780: 1st Industrial Revolution – mechanical; steam engines, cotton spinning, railways.
The National Industry 4.0 Summit, hosted this year by Mullingar Chamber of Commerce, takes place on April 28th with Martin Shanahan, CEO, IDA Ireland as keynote speaker. Standards organisations and providers such as Ericsson, Siemens, IBM, Rockwell Automation and Hanley Controls will be reviewing the issues to be considered as Companies embrace Industry 4.0 principles.
The wave of development being generated by Industry 4.0 in Europe and beyond makes this a ‘must attend’ event for any company in the manufacturing or supply chain sectors. Providing valuable insights into Industry 4.0 practices and techniques, this event is supported by IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland.
Delegates will hear from large manufacturing organisations such as Johnson & Johnson and Keenan Systems about their smart factory experience.
This is also an excellent chance for manufacturing CEOs and CTOs to upskill and network with thought leaders, IT and software solution providers.
Register online here.
About the blogger
An experienced blogger on various subjects from recruitment to music and politics, Tom has been on the LiveTeam of the Dublin Web Summit for the past two years and is hugely drawn to subject of Industry 4.0.
He said: “Where other IT events cover all of the nice-to-have subjects, Industry 4.0 relates to manufacturing which is the hands-on serious business of production, employment and getting stuff made, cheaper, faster, smarter. This is where we need to be looking for Employment in Ireland into the future.”
For more information:
Twitter: @industry4summit
