By Lizete Hernandez
Industry 4.0 is a convergence of physical, digital, and biological technology with a search for competitiveness in all types of organizations, especially those that involve the use of processes.
This concept has spread through various sectors and is defined based on the capabilities of advanced manufacturing on the internet, the cloud, big data, and other forms of implementation, allowing the connection between individuals and organizations.
Adriana Martínez, head of the Division of Continuing Education and Innovation at the Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad León, reported that automation should not be confused with Industry 4.0, given that automation already existed as part of the industrial revolution and was subsequently related to the development of information and communication technologies. What this has to do with Industry 4.0 is knowing how to take advantage of existing machines and robots by allowing them to communicate with each other.
“This is where we are—where we make use of the things that this interconnection allows. What we are working on is how to get companies to change over and obtain certain technological capabilities,” said Martínez.
Marcela Amaro, coordinator of the Interdisciplinary Studies Seminar on Science, Technology, and Innovation at IIS UNAM, announced that Industry 4.0 implies a certain level of convergence between different technologies and others that have been improved and created. She considered that the appearance of artificial intelligence has made it possible to connect humans with machines, making use of big data used in productive areas at the organizational level within industry.
“Currently we see that this is not only focused on the areas of production, but has also been applied in management, administration, and other specific areas within an organization. Technology and data are today used to create production networks, speed up certain processes, and change dynamics. I believe that with the use of data, the resources and the form of organization could be analyzed in greater detail, in order to generate an ecosystem with different levels of convergence, from the inter-company level, productive chains, and the context of the region or the locality, among other things,” Amaro said.
The Challenge is in SMEs
Alejandro García, head of the Center for Biological Research at the Autonomous University of the State of Morelos, said that regarding the technological capacities that exist in Mexico to face the challenges that Industry 4.0 entails in the productive sectors, special attention should be given to the processes linked to learning, which include various skills.
“We must start by reviewing the human resources that are available, since there are still no specific statistics regarding the application of Industry 4.0 in a specific sector. Therefore, it is important to promote the application of case studies to know the limitations that organizations have to adapt and transfer technologies,” said García.
He considered that there are no specific statistics to show how many small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) have transitioned to the new technologies, due to the fact that many of them have difficulties in the use of the internet, broadband, lack of trained personnel, and skills, among other requirements, despite the fact that they are organizations that are flexible to change.
«We believe that there is still a very exclusive sector of companies, such as transnational companies, that are adapting some elements of Industry 4.0 in many of their processes, which makes it difficult for suppliers to meet their standards and requirements,» he concluded.
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