A GREAT FUTURE

INDUSTRY 4.0 PROMISES TO MAKE LIFE BETTER AND MORE SAVVY, ONLY IF ADOPTED AT THE RIGHT TIME

- MOLLY R

WE ARE MOVING INTO AN ERA WHERE mindset is more important than skills. This is not to say that skills are not important anymore. But the mindset will be our ability to adopt, collaborate and bridge cross-competencies in specialised areas like quantum science and artificial intelligence. Today and going forward, a number of smart and connected technologies will become embedded within organisations, people, and assets. The most impactful will be robotics, analytics, artificial intelligence and cognitive technologies, nanotechnology, quantum computing, wearables, the internet of things, additive manufacturing and advanced materials.

This waning year of 2019 featured a constant flurry of commentary about how the business world is being transformed by advanced manufacturing. IIoT, 5G, 3-D printing, AI, VR, revolutionary robots and cobots – they’ve all had gallons of real and virtual ink spilled about how they’re fundamentally changing the production and supply chain picture.

Industry 4.0 is the new disruptor in the world of manufacturing globally and now in India. This industrial revolution of connectivity is clearly a global megatrend, and many MSMEs, Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers are yet to fully understand what smart manufacturing is all about.

Speaking from the shopfloor and MSME perspective, N Anbucheziyan, general manager, operations, Caterpillar India, said, “Rather than just looking at the newer connected technology, we should look for sustainable and smart manufacturing. It has to be scalable in the future. MSMEs should work on four areas namely, smart innovation, smart factory, smart solutions and smart supply chain to ensure sustainable and smart manufacturing.”

STRUCTURAL CHANGES