| | OCTOBER 20208M any leaders in the manufac-turing industry are begin-ning to accept that Industry 4.0 is here to stay. Surveys organized by CII and other industry bodies show that while adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies is relatively low in Indi-an manufacturing when compared to countries like China, there is a high level of awareness today. This aware-ness is expected to drive increased investments and adoption of Indus-try 4.0 technologies in the next 5-7 years. Industry leaders believe that tech-savvy millennials are best suit-ed to help the industry ride the wave of Industry 4.0. However, they are concerned that availability of young talent with the right competencies (blend of knowledge, skills and attri-butes) is a big challenge.Manufacturing needs millennials Some of the perceptions that have traditionally affected flow of young talent to manufacturing are that fac-tory work means harsh working con-ditions, manufacturing is only for mechanical engineers, and salaries in the manufacturing sector may not be attractive. Naturally, engineers, especially women tend to look for op-portunities in the service sector like IT/IT-enabled services, financial ser-vices, retail and travel. Industry 4.0 is going to radically change this per-ception. Industry 4.0 involves lever-aging Information and Communica-tion Technologies, Industrial IoT, Data Science & Artificial Intelligence, and Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality to digitalize the factory. The smart fac-tory of tomorrow will be a very differ-ent place compared to the factories of today. This will open possibilities for young engineers, including women, to re-engage with manufacturing and contribute to this digital transforma-tion in a big way. In other words, man-ufacturing is the new IT. However, it is imperative that young engineers develop three key competencies to be industry 4.0 ready.Three key competencies for Industry 4.0One of the key competencies that is required is the ability to reimagine operations. New technologies create possibilities for increasing produc-tivity and reducing costs significant-ly provided the teams can develop a deep understanding of the unique characteristics of the company's op-erations, i.e., product-process rela-tionship, and challenge prevalent assumptions. Identifying the most compelling product-service-process combinations, deciding the right lev-el of intelligence, picking the right metaphors and techniques will help increase the success of initiatives. For instance, manufacturers of expensive and highly stressed components can use these technologies to track the impact of every manufacturing step on the component to minimize defects and penalties. In case of process in-dustries like beverages they can use these technologies to reduce unit cost through optimal use of energy at dif-ferent stages of production. This calls for a more unified view of people, process, technology and data from multiple perspectives. It is Important to start looking at the everyday oper-ations with a new pair of glasses and pay attention to the minute changes. MANUFACTURING IS THE NEW ITBy Dr Sudhir Varadarajan, Dean (Design, Innovation, Incubation), IIITDM Kancheepuram, ChennaiVANTAGE POINT Dr Sudhir Varadarajan, Dean (Design, Innovation, Incubation)
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