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How to Find The Magic of Industry 4.0
I believe that when it comes to industry 4.0, the
true potential of your enterprise is not in what it
does, but what it can do. The potential of your team
is not what they can do today, but what they could
do in the future. The opportunity doesn’t lie in what
we know, it’s in what we don’t know yet.
The rate of change in the modern world is
staggering and it shows no sign of slowing down
– in fact, it is speeding up. Industry 4.0 is both an
example of this, and a result of it. Digital transformation
is at the heart of fundamental societal
changes that are emerging. In the region that I lead
for Rockwell Automation – specifically the Middle
East, Turkey and sub-Saharan Africa – there are
huge changes in progress.
Let’s start with the Middle East. It’s an area that is
no stranger to change, with great cities having risen
from the deserts – as well as great economies. And
the industrial change in the area now is one of rapid
diversification as whole new industries are
envisioned at national levels and realized at
break-neck speeds. Turkey, the ancient empire(s),
bridging Europe with Asia, bridging tradition with
future, bringing cultures together, is another
market with enormous potential and possibilities
for growth, always in a cycle of changes and
reinventing itself.
The continent where everything started for
humanity is set to reassert its position in our future.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the population is projected
to double by 2050. In fact, in the next 30 years the
world’s population is set to grow by an incredible
2bn – an increase of more than 25% - and a large
portion of that growth will be in sub-Saharan
Africa. This exponential population growth comes
at a time when the largest demographic for this
region will be of working age – a fact that points to
the potential for huge economic growth. Growth,
incidentally, that will be championed by the digital
generation.
The opportunities for industrial enterprises in these
regions are evident. There is no doubt that the
enterprises meeting the needs of the new markets
by leveraging Industry 4.0 technologies and
strategies are the ones that will succeed.
For most enterprises though, leveraging Industry
4.0 technologies requires strong change
management capacity. It requires learning new
skills rapidly, investing in the workforce, investing
in new approaches, systems and technologies. It
requires embracing disruptive technologies – and
often it will entail being a positive disruptor.
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