The Smart Industry Conference 2021, organised by the Ethernet POWERLINK Standardisation Group in collaboration with B&R Industrial Automation, ABB Robotics, Utthunga, and Tata Technologies, took place virtually on 19 August 2021. Designed to assist Indian manufacturing companies in navigating Industry 4.0, the event attracted over 100 delegates and highlighted the journey of digital transformation, focusing on smart, connected, and secure devices.
Exploring Smart Industry Implementation
The conference's main aim was to inspire Indian manufacturers by addressing technology, innovation, and communication standards, pushing them to construct the next phase of Industry 4.0. It featured a keynote speech, three presentations, and a panel discussion, shedding light on the challenges and possibilities of implementing smart industry solutions, emphasising digital transformation supported by security, analytics, and cloud solutions.
Strategic Insights into Digital Transformation
Rahul Sharma, Director of Industrial Practice at Frost & Sullivan, delivered the keynote focusing on emerging trends and technologies influencing the Indian manufacturing ecosystem. Sharma emphasised the importance of sustainability, encapsulated in the four dimensions: People, Partnership, Process, and Planet. He argued for the need to integrate digital transformation strategies with sustainability to establish a mature organisation.
Navigating Competitive Business Environments
The conference also featured a panel discussion on how the Indian manufacturing sector can remain competitive in current economic conditions. Panelists included Vinay Rajagopal from Red Hat, Guruprasad S from ABB, and Jhankar Dutta from B&R India. Discussions revolved around revisiting operations, supply chains, and customer engagement, with a focus on automation, robotics, and Industrial IoT technologies, to drive innovation and enhance efficiency.
Optimising Digital Culture
Panelists highlighted the necessity of connecting machines, processes, and people to foster a digital culture underpinned by data-driven models. They underscored the growing significance of cybersecurity measures to protect against cyber threats, thereby avoiding severe business disruptions. A strategic approach and adherence to industry standards were deemed essential for progress.
Presentations on Operational Excellence
The event hosted technical presentations on connected factories and their implementation, including "Democratising Manufacturing via OPC UA" by Smitha Rao of Utthunga Technologies and "Connected Manufacturing and its Significance in a Digital World" by Niraj Tyagi of Tata Technologies. Discussions covered automation, M2M communications, interoperability, big data analytics, and evolving business models.
Concluding with Real-Time Industrial Communication
The conference concluded with a presentation by Ranjithkumar from B&R on "New Era in Real-Time Industrial Communication for Smart Factories," paving the way for a digital future with unified communication impacting shop floors.
The Smart Industry Conference 2021 provided valuable insights into the latest technology trends and offered Indian manufacturers a strategic pathway to achieving global competitiveness, combining practical applications of cutting-edge technologies across various key sectors.
The Ethernet POWERLINK Standardisation Group, in collaboration with B&R Industrial Automation, ABB Robotics, Utthunga, and Tata Technologies, held a virtual conference titled 'Smart Industry Conference 2021'.
The sixth edition of the flagship conference was designed to benefit the Indian manufacturing companies that are shaping Industry 4.0. Frost & Sullivan was the knowledge partner of the conference. The one-day virtual conference was held on August 19, 2021, and was attended by more than one hundred delegates.
Solutions of smart industry implementation
The conference focused on the journey of digital change towards smart, connected devices with security
Attendees from across the manufacturing ecosystem witnessed various topics covering technology, innovation, and open communication standards. The core agenda of the conference was to look beyond the cutting edge to inspire Indian manufacturers and construct the next level of Industry 4.0.
Through its keynote address, three presentations, and one-panel discussion, the conference provided a platform for the challenges and solutions of smart industry implementation. The conference focused on the journey of digital transformation towards smart, connected devices with security, analytics, and cloud solutions.
Digital transformation strategy
Rahul Sharma, Director of Industrial Practice at Frost & Sullivan, delivered the keynote on "Trends and technologies shaping the Indian manufacturing ecosystem," which focused on the preparedness of Indian manufacturers and the readiness of consumers to adopt the various digital mediums.
He also spoke on the sustainability perspective for manufacturing transformation in India, noting that sustainability should be the most significant theme of any organisation. According to Sharma, sustainability needs to be seen on four dimensions; People, Partnership, Process, and Planet and the mark of a sustainably matured organisation successfully interweaving digital transformation strategy with sustainability.
Staying competitive in the business and economic environment
The way forward for the Indian manufacturing drive to become competitive in the new firm environment
Well-received by the delegates, the event's panel discussions focused on the connected ecosystem and digital strategies and the way forward for the Indian manufacturing industry to become competitive in the new business environment.
The panel discussion topic was addressed by panelists Vinay Rajagopal, ISV, IoT & Embedded Technology Lead, Red Hat; Guruprasad S, Associate Vice President, ABB; and Jhankar Dutta, Managing Director, B&R India.
Latest Industrial IoT technologies
The panelists discussed that the businesses' new realities have made stakeholders revisit their operations, supply chain, and customer engagement strategies. Advanced automation, robotics, and the latest Industrial IoT technologies are unfolding new opportunities for factories to become more innovative and profitable.
The discussion helped identify easy ways to optimise processes, improve productivity, and make shopfloors smart. Identifying low-hanging fruits and harnessing them at the right time will be crucial to achieving industry goals. The panelists agreed that the connection between machines, processes, and people is essential to building a digital culture supported by a data-driven model. But with the looming threat of cyberattacks and data breaches, prioritisation of cybersecurity is crucial to preventing profound business impacts. Well-defined strategies, targeted preparation, and alignment with industry standards are the needs of the hour.
Achieving operational excellence
The presentations covered the topics of connected factories, implementation possibilities, and solutions
The conference also hosted several technical presentations, including "Democratising manufacturing via OPC UA" by Smitha Rao, Cofounder and OPC Expert, Utthunga Technologies and connected manufacturing and its significance in a digital world" by Niraj Tyagi, HEAD COE MES Enterprise Solutions, Tata Technologies, amongst others.
The presentations covered the topics of connected factories, implementation possibilities, and solutions, stressing the critical aspects of automation, digitalisation, m2m communications, interoperability, big data analytics, and new business models. The conference concluded with a presentation titled "New era in real-time industrial communication for smart factories" by Ranjithkumar, B&R, heralding the next phase of unified real-time communication invading the shopfloor to prepare for the digital future.
Latest technology trends
The conference served as an ideal platform for understanding the latest technology trends and helped draw a roadmap for Indian manufacturers to become globally competitive.
With an exciting lineup of topics and knowledge exchange, delegates received helpful guidance on the practical application of these state-of-the-art technologies in all the key sectors.
