Staff are Lacking and Digitalisation is Essential
If a company wants to survive at a time when one crisis follows another, then digitalisation ceases to be a competitive advantage and becomes an absolute necessity. This is how the conference BRNO INDUSTRY 4.0, organised for the seventh time by INDUSTRY CLUSTER 4.0 in co-operation with Brno Regional Chamber of Commerce, might be summed up.
The lecture section of the conference took place on 15 February at Hotel International in Brno and hosted more than 200 participants, with another two hundred people registering to follow the programme on-line. The conference was opened by Tomáš Kubala, Chairman of the Board of Directors of INDUSTRY CLUSTER 4.0, and Jan Zámečník, Deputy Governor of the South Moravian Region.
More than a hundred B2B meetings were held over the course of two days (15–16 February) both at the venue and on-line. Other new contacts were made during informal networking and on the presentation stands of the exhibiting companies.
Strengthened by crisis
“Crises seem to be occurring ever more frequently, though you needn’t see them in an exclusively negative light, but also as a call for improvement. Never waste the opportunities that a crisis can offer you. That is the only way you will come out of a crisis stronger,” said Joerg Theis, President of ABB Machine Automation Division (B&R), warning that there are more difficult situations to come. He called for companies to build good relationships with their suppliers and customers, as it is just such relationships that will sustain them in the face of crises.
Austria has an extremely low unemployment rate and this is creating great demand for automation. Due to the most recent crisis, B&R is placing far greater emphasis on sustainability, reducing energy consumption, and renewable resources.
Is the end of Industry 4.0 on the horizon?
On the contrary, the potential of Industry 4.0 has yet to be exhausted. The panellists agreed that we are still at the beginning and that the more elements of Industry 4.0 are applied in practice, the more they contribute to the acceleration of further development. Great emphasis is placed on constant adaptation.
“The cluster and its members endeavour to share their collective experience and awareness, and this made it possible to put together a panel consisting of representatives of bitter rivals from some of the leading technology companies that make up part of our cluster – B&R Industrial Automation, BECKHOFF, and SIEMENS,” emphasised the principal organiser of the conference Radek Kopecký from INDUSTRY CLUSTER 4.0. The following panel featured a discussion among representatives of manufacturing concerns and implementation companies.
Both panels noted that companies are struggling with a shortage and exodus of staff. The digitalisation of processes, their simplification and their detailed description eliminate the threats associated with the exodus of employees and their know-how. In this way digitalisation assures the continuity of production threatened by this brain drain, while automation resolves workers’ lack of interest in boring, routine and dangerous work.
In a nutshell
In addition to the two panel discussions, there were also 23 lectures given at the conference. The afternoon lectures were divided into three specialised sections focusing on digitalisation, flexible production and cybersecurity. The programme also featured B2B meetings and the exhibition stands of partners. Those taking part in the conference praised the extensive programme, and particularly appreciated the inspirational practical examples that were presented.
The conference was organised by INDUSTRY CLUSTER 4.0 and its partners. Its principal partners were the companies B&R Industrial Automation, Beckhoff Automation and SIEMENS. The event was one of the activities of the European Cybersecurity Innovation Hub.
The B2B part of the conference was held by Brno Regional Chamber of Commerce with its partners from the Enterprise Europe Network, whose activities are co-financed by the European Union from the Single Market Programme on the basis of grant agreement no. 101052765, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic.
Lenka Votavová, Brno Regional Chamber of Commerce and INDUSTRY CLUSTER 4.0
Brno, 17 February 2023
Selection of the Photogallery
