Strategy Event Industry 4.0

In December we organized a successful Industry 4.0 Strategy Event in Amersfoort. The interest was high: we had to switch to a larger venue in the centre of Amersfoort.

During the event, we presented an overview about the mission of the Industry 4.0 cluster, its participants and the current activities. The latter includes innovation as well as capacity building activities such as learning communities, use case libraries, and courses.

Digital technlogies

The cluster Industry 4.0 supports the application of digital technologies in research, operations, and maintenance. Our applied and fundamental research involves industrial data spaces and data sharing across companies, with related attention for security and standardization (projects IOF and AIDA). We build chains of sensors, data analysis, and visualisation in multiple projects such as the project Measurements4Management.

Another main topic is artificial intelligence, with applications for advanced process control (project INSPEC), predictive maintenance (project ERGO), research (project IOF) and technology scouting for multiple applications. We look for usage of digitalization to improve traceability of transactions and enable certification of green products and energy.

Plans for 2020

In 2020 we will organize learning communities, to discuss problems and reflect on current behaviour compared to the approach of other professionals. We gather multidisciplinary groups of end users and technology suppliers and plan for several events in 2020 with cluster partners for the topics:

• Transparency & Accountability when using AI algorithms.
• Data sovereignty when scaling up in I40 applications.
• Technologies and best practices for location tracking.

We will use websites and email to invite our cluster partners for the meetings of the learning communities.

Survey in impact, urgency and ease of integration

During the strategy event the participants filled in a survey on the impact, urgency and ease of integration of several technologies

The application of Energy Monitoring Systems is seen as the technology that is most easy to integrate. In addition, it gets the highest ranking in urgency and second highest ranking in impact.

However, the application of data sharing across sites and supply chain is considered to be difficult, although it is a high impact and urgent application.

In silico is a topic that gets rather low scores. However, this might be sector specific since pharma and food are interested in these technologies.

Tracing of products is a topic dedicated to circularity and does not get broad support.

Research into smart sensoring leading to network of sensors, self-calibrated sensors, is regarded as less urgent. However, monitoring for Advanced Process Control and Process Analytical Technology is an important topic.