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Manufacturers told to catch up with 4.0 industrial revolution
As they are facing a fragmented state of industrialization, manufacturers in Asia should start their concerted efforts to follow the trend of the fourth industrial revolution, also called “Industry 4
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s they are facing a fragmented state of industrialization, manufacturers in Asia should start their concerted efforts to follow the trend of the fourth industrial revolution, also called “Industry 4.0”, lest they be left behind by others, experts have said.
During a recent press conference in Singapore that was a preview of an upcoming exhibition in October titled “Industrial Transformation Asia-Pacific (ITAP)”, experts from various sectors shared their insights on the benefits and challenges of the fourth industrial revolution.
Senthil Ramani, Accenture digital and consulting business lead for the Asia-Pacific, said in the event that Industry 4.0 was not a hype, as perceived by many people.
Ramni argued that industries in the region should catch up with Industry 4.0 because by 2021, the value of the digital economy in Asia was projected to be US$1.16 trillion, citing his company’s International Data Corporation Study in 2017.
“Companies who are digital leaders are 26 percent more profitable than those who are not,” Senthil said, citing the study that was done in collaboration with the World Economic Forum.
Voicing a similar opinion, Ho Chaw Sin, managing director of the Singaporean National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC), said technology in the context of Industry 4.0 would facilitate industrial processes at all levels better than before.
“[Industry 4.0] consists of a cyber-physical system that makes up smart machine production that triggered [business] actions,” Sin said during the event’s press conference.
Developing countries in Asia are trying to catch up to the new wave, including Indonesia, where the government has released a roadmap titled “Making Indonesia 4.0”, which stipulates automation and data exchange in manufacturing technology.
On a separate occasion recently, Ngakan Timur Antara, head of industrial research and development in the Industry Ministry, said the roadmap was a national program led by the ministry to prepare the country for Industry 4.0. Ngakan said some factories in Indonesia were close to Industry 4.0, but had not really implemented it yet.
Ngakan said Indonesia would achieve an industrial revolution through integrated automation, where all machines in a factory were connected. Therefore, technologies like the Internet of Things, advanced robots and 3D printing are required.
During the event in Singapore, Roxane Desmicht, Asian-chapter senior director for corporate supply chain in Infineon, a semiconductor manufacturing company, said while the term Industry 4.0 was initially crafted by German industries, it had been broadly adopted, so companies should not feel excluded to start their transformation.
“You can start in small things that could appear inexpensive at first,” said Desmicht.
For example, Desmicht said by transitioning to semiautomatic with wheels and controlling systems to carry nitrogen bottles in a warehouse, human workers responsible for the task experience less stress and are safer in the work environment.
As governments were urged to support the industries, educational institutions like universities and polytechnics should start equipping their students to produce future engineers and scientists that would spearhead the 4.0 industries, said Jackie Tan, vice president of Asia-Pacific digital service at TÜV SÜD.
The first Industrial Transformation Asia-Pacific in Singapore will be held jointly by Singaporean expo organizer SingEx Exhibitions, part of SingEx Group, and German-based event organizer Deutsche Messe AG, from Oct. 16 to 18 in Singapore.
Indonesian Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto and Singaporean Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing were also among the speakers during the “Industry 4.0 ASEAN Ministerial Dialogue”.
The upcoming trade event, dubbed the first integrated trade event on Industry 4.0, will host 200 industries from 10 countries and welcome 10,000 attendees from over 30 countries, said Aloysius Arlando, CEO of Singex Holdings Pte. Ltd.
