RUSSELL SCHWULST South African industry will have to maintain its pace with changes to remain competitive in the ever-globalising world
The expected changes influencing manufacturing and industry over the next 25 years, including digitisation, hyperconnectivity, automation and integration, will require that many factories become centres of learning, says German industrial systems education and training subsidiary Festo Didactic head Dr Daniel Boese.
A core element of industry 4.0, which is the name Festo gives the expected form industries will take in future, is the skills that will be required to support various elements of these industries, including automation and the adaptable mass production of customised or varied products, he notes.
The complexity means that schools and training institutions must closely cooperate with industry during training, which also bolsters the importance of continuous training at places of work, says Boese.
“Manufacturing continues to represent a significant portion of gross domestic product of many developed and developing economies, and the massive forces and radical changes that we expect to see impacting on this sector will require companies to change their business models,” he says.
The ability of companies to assume and manage risks is one of the expected changes to industry and will lead to the creation of adaptive business models, linked to adaptable production capabilities.
“Given what is at stake, there are significant and varied opportunities and threats to industry segments. The changes will not arrive overnight and might come piecemeal in various territories or segments, but they are coming.
“Science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills and training can help to mitigate risks. Festo is well known for its learning factories and involvement in engineering student competitions. We are taking these internally proven concepts to market and have partnered with [German database and business software giant] SAP to produce a curriculum that combines software and manufacturing skills,” says Boese.
The Festo learning factories include likely elements of industry 4.0, including the expected cyber-physical hybrid systems that will typify industry 4.0.
Festo South Africa business development manager Russell Schwulst notes that software skills are the most immediate skills required to further the current wave of virtualisation and digitisation of industry. They also reflect some of the likely additional skills required by future manufacturing, including networking, information technology skills, and analytical and simulation skills.
“The basic concepts captured within our World Skills competitions for students are prevalent in practices worldwide, but contain elements of industry 4.0, specifically the integration of components and enabling the components to interface seamlessly, as well as the development of problem-solving capabilities.
“Portions of these mechatronics and mobile robotics competitions often contain intentional tests to see whether students understand the various elements – mechanical and electronic – well enough to isolate and resolve the set-piece problems. Students who do best in local competitions then compete in the international World Skills events.”
The complexity of integrating the components necessitates practice to develop the experience to isolate problems, but the participants, who include university and vocational students and artisanal apprentices, have successfully developed these skills in Festo’s learning factories piloted in cooperation with its various industry partners, notes Schwulst.
He adds that engineering students worldwide are learning significant software and programming skills during their training and South African students are no different.
“The reality is that industry 4.0 is slowly emerging and South African industry will have to maintain its pace with changes to remain competitive in the ever-globalising world.”