The Development Academy of the Philippines recently launched the Seminar Series on Industry 4.0 and Smart Technologies through its Center for Governance.
About the Initiative
According to a recent press release, the seminar series aim to equip participants with a basic understanding of the concepts, frameworks, requirements, and current trends on Industry 4.0 and its possible effects on the country’s industries.
Moreover, the seminar featured resource persons such as Dr Andreas Hauser, Head of TÜV SÜD Digital Service Centre for Excellence in Singapore; as well as Undersecretary Rafaelita Aldaba, Head of the Department of Trade and Industry’s Competitiveness and Innovation Group.
Dr Hauser gave a comprehensive lecture on Industry 4.0, its characteristics and its effects on the manufacturing sector.
He also tackled how the government and academe can foster an ecosystem that supports these developments.
Meanwhile, Undersecretary Aldaba presented the current position of the Philippines in the Industry 4.0 world and the country’s initiatives for adapting to this changing environment.
Participants who attended the seminar came from several agencies. These are:
- National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)
- Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)
- Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT)
- Office of the President
- House of Representatives
- Senate of the Philippines
- Department of Agriculture (DA)
- Department of Science and Technology (DOST)
- Philippine Science High School
- Government Procurement and Policy Board
- Foreign Service Institute
- Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP)
Industry 4.0 Explained
Industry 4.0 refers to a new phase in the Industrial Revolution that focuses heavily on interconnectivity, automation, machine learning, and real-time data.
It is also sometimes referred to as IIoT or smart manufacturing, which marries physical production and operations with smart digital technology, machine learning, and big data in order to create a more holistic and better-connected ecosystem for companies that focus on manufacturing and supply chain management.
Initiatives Across the Globe
OpenGov Asia had reported on initiatives pertaining to Industry 4.0 across the globe.
Vietnam, for instance, created policies for Industry 4.0. The Party General Secretary and President recently signed Resolution No.52 on behalf of the politburo.
The government plans to implement policies that facilitate the country’s active participation in the fourth industrial revolution.
Vietnam wants to maintain its position in the top three ASEAN countries in the Global Innovation Index (GII) rankings in 2025. It intends for its digital economy to account for about 20% of the GDP.
It also plans for productivity to increase over 7% per year on average.
The country even hosted the Industry 4.0 Summit 2019, which gathered 2,500 government leaders, representatives from embassies, international organisations, localities, and businesses.
The seminar series focused on five main topics- smart banking, smart cities, smart production, smart energy, and the digital economy.
The summit expected to help businesses learn and seek opportunities for co-operation and investment in Vietnam.
Hong Kong, for its part, launched a Professional Diploma Programme in Industry 4.0 in 2018.
The HKPC Academy of the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC), the Vocational Training Council (VTC) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology (Fraunhofer IPT) from Germany signed a Memorandum of Understanding to launch Hong Kong’s first Professional Diploma Programme in Industry 4.0.
The aim is to strengthen Hong Kong industry’s awareness of “Industry 4.0” and enhance the relevant skills of practitioners in the industry.
Accredited as a Qualifications Framework Level 4 course, the new professional diploma programme comprises of four modules: Implementation of Industry 4.0, Cyber-physical systems, Smart automation, and Internet of Things (IoT) applications.
