Accelerate digital transformation with Industry 5.0
Author : Phil Hadfield, Rockwell Automation
09 March 2022
The First Industrial Revolution brought the United Kingdom into an era of technology and productivity. Today, Industry 4.0 focuses on the interconnectedness of machines to optimise production processes on the factory floor. Now, with the rise of digital transformation and remote monitoring solutions which have been integrated as a result of the pandemic, Industry 4.0 is already underway. What are the next steps for manufacturers as they move towards the fifth industrial revolution?
Before COVID-19, the uptake of advanced manufacturing technologies and automation was gaining momentum, but many manufacturers were still addressing their digital strategy and how to transform their operations into the smart factory of the future. When the virus spread worldwide last year, it accelerated the adoption of digital solutions, as more manufacturers realised the importance of innovative technologies, such as digital twins, to increase end-to-end supply chain transparency.
These solutions enabled companies to turn analytics into flexible operations which were able to respond and adapt quickly to the new working conditions and legislations, such as social distancing, self-isolating, and ill-health. Those companies which had reimagined their operations and understood the value of forecasting were able to address potential disruptions and challenges before they occurred.
Customising the future – the new revolution
Once manufacturers introduced connected devices, data analytics and artificial intelligence, the big question is: what’s next? The journey does not simply end there. Each new stage of the Industrial Revolution represents an advancement in the manufacturing process and the ever-evolving changes to the way we think and work in the industry.
Industry 5.0 will continue to focus on the collaboration between humans and machines, but, specifically, on the added value workers will provide when robots are handling the more arduous manual tasks. Increasing automation will provide new opportunities for both the existing and future workforce as we enter a new phase of mass-customisation production that is more focused on agility and responsiveness.
To prepare for this, companies will need to identify how they can upskill and reskill workers. This may involve training on new software and systems to ensure employees are equipped with the right skills to develop, manage and maintain machines.
The role of humans
There is no doubt that automation will have an impact on employment in the coming years. This has raised concerns that machines will replace workers’ jobs, but Industry 5.0 brings attention to the need for a ‘human touch’ revolution, whereby workers will add a particular creativity and flair to personalise products for customers. Thus, digitalisation would not make humans in the manufacturing sector obsolete, but rather jobs will change and adapt to meet the new production needs.
The Government Office for Science foresight project, ‘Technology and Innovation Futures’, identifies technological areas that could give the UK a competitive edge. As part of the project, the ‘UK Growth Opportunities for the 2020s’ report was filed, which discusses how the increasing demand for personalised products will call for new manufacturing technologies, such as rapid prototyping, 3D printing and smart infrastructure. Adopting this bespoke manufacturing-on-demand model would enable the UK to provide new opportunities for local, niche manufacturing, which continues to innovate in the design of products and services.
Combining intelligent systems with existing workflows can better leverage human creativity and brainpower. The upcoming Industry 5.0 would therefore focus on the collaboration of humans and machines to deliver individualised products, services and customers experience. Thus, human involvement would be intellectual rather than physical.
A career in STEM
With technology at its forefront, many manufacturers question what the future workforce will look like. The rise in artificial intelligence (AI)-powered automated tasks and virtual reality learning means the upcoming workforce will need to keep up with this growth. The World Economic Forum in its 2018 report, ‘The Future of Jobs’, said, "The skillsets required in both old and new occupations will change in most industries and transform how and where people work."
Technology is a vital component of the future – and it’s important that we prepare the children of today by learning the underlying principles. Giving them opportunities to create and innovate, through tools such as computer programming, will be an important aspect of ensuring the future workforce has a strong skill set in STEM.
New categories of jobs will emerge, which will also help create the economic surpluses that will enable societies to address the workforce transitions that are likely to happen regardless, due to the retirement of the baby boomer generation. So, in the coming years, there will be increasing demand for data analysts and scientists, machine learning engineers and software developers – amongst other occupations.
Therefore, to prepare for Industry 5.0, we must train the existing workforce to understand and collaborate with machines – and we must also prepare the future workforce to learn and grow alongside future technologies which will reshape the global manufacturing landscape.
To find out more about how you can provide lifelong learning to empower your workforce, and how to inspire students to pursue a career in STEM, visit: https://www.rockwellautomation.com/en-gb/company/about-us/our-community/stem-education.html
Information on the Government Office for Science report can be found at: https://bit.ly/3CIhyZH.
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