I will attend an Open Roundtable meeting on April 15, the speaker is Thorsten Wuest, WVU.
It has been a decade since digital transformation in manufacturing has been termed ‘Industry 4.0’. Processes and technologies have matured, and almost every company had some form of exposure to smart manufacturing’s digital technologies. However, at the same time, the digital divide between predominantly large organizations that have invested significant resources in their Industry 4.0 strategies and SMEs, who struggle to keep up and invest their scarce resources in an efficient and effective manner. It is safe to say, that SMEs are struggling to find and adopt a version of smart manufacturing that benefits their unique environment. In this talk, we will discuss the findings of a recent study on SMEs’ smart manufacturing adoption highlighting their struggles. Following, we will look at pathways towards adoption for SMEs that align with their resources and requirements, including selected examples.
About SMLC
SMLC is an industry-recognized, non-profit consortium of organizations from industry, universities, research and innovation labs, and associations. As Advanced Manufacturing International’s (AMI) new global membership business unit, SMLC was rebranded to the Smart Manufacturing Leadership Consortium, working to further expand the membership program. SMLC will continue to focus on cultivating trusted and mutually beneficial collaborative activities for member organizations of all sizes by sharing successes and challenges related to the adoption of smart manufacturing technologies and 4th Industrial Revolution digital technologies.