One-day seminar on basics of Industry 4.0

During the seminar, attendees will learn what drove the development of Industry 4.0 and what is it aiming to achieve. The main objective is to enable delegates to understand the drivers, goals and features of Industry 4.0 that can benefit both their individual job roles and the wider business.

Neil Lewin of Festo Training & Consulting said: “There are many ways that Industry 4.0 can help companies improve their productivity, quality and processes. However, before embarking on the journey it’s essential that all those involved have a common understanding of the core principles and technologies, and how these can be applied. Our new one-day seminar is perfect for achieving this.”

Strong demand
‘The Fundamentals of Industry 4.0’ seminar has been introduced following the success of Festo’s Industry 4.0 leadership workshops. These were launched in summer 2017 and are designed to equip business leaders with the strategic skills and insights necessary to make the most of the opportunities presented by Industry 4.0.

Lewin said: “We are delighted with the take-up for our leadership workshops. We received very positive feedback from the outset and it quickly became apparent that there was demand for another course that would help teams to grasp the basics of Industry 4.0.”

One company to have benefited from the Festo leadership workshop already is Atlas Copco Henrob, a major supplier to the automotive industry. Product Engineering Manager Gerard Robinson explained: “Atlas Copco Henrob wants to be a leader in this area and Festo’s leadership workshop helped us to demonstrate our readiness for Industry 4.0. It provided a vision beyond technology, incorporating the impact on strategic business models to deliver added value.

“Those two days provided us with the tools to aid and implement the process, both internally and externally, of applying Industry 4.0 to achieve our goal of an increased service offer and after market business growth of over 30% year on year.”

While the leadership course provides tools to support the post-workshop journey, many attendees indicated they would benefit from further access to Festo expertise. The new one-day introductory seminar aims to fulfil this need by helping business leaders to introduce others in their organisation to Industry 4.0. Lewin concluded: “Ensuring that everyone understands the essentials is key to gaining positive buy-in, providing reassurance during a time of change and ultimately deriving maximum benefit from Industry 4.0 implementation.”

As a global manufacturer and automation specialist, Festo has been involved in the development of Industry 4.0 technology and standards since the outset. The company also has practical experience of the effects of implementation, incorporating Industry 4.0 technologies within its main manufacturing facilities. Its training courses are developed based on first-hand insights of how people respond to the changes and challenges that Industry 4.0 brings.