A concept born in Germany in 2010, Industry 4.0 refers to the fourth industrial revolution being felt around the world. It covers technology innovations, such as automation, the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence, which respond to three key issues: greater competitiveness of assets, flexibility in response to demand and the regionalization of production. The majority of industrialized countries have started the transition to Industry 4.0 to respond to these challenges and prosper. It is essential for Québec manufacturers to do the same.
An essential shift
Considered one of the pillars of the Québec economy, the manufacturing sector represents 14% of the province’s economic activity and 765,000 jobs.[1] It also accounts for 90% of Québec exports.
However, international competition is increasingly intense. To maintain the competitiveness of companies and increase their productivity on national and international markets, they have no choice but to make the transition to Industry 4.0. It will be a major driver of development and differentiation for industrial equipment suppliers.
Benefits for businesses
Businesses that make a transition to innovative manufacturing enjoy a number of advantages. Profitability is improved thanks to reduced labour costs and maximized asset utilization rates (faster product changes, reduced machine downtime, inventory and maintenance time...). Greater flexibility in the manufacturing process increases the value of products and improves margins.[2]
High-value-added jobs
Manufacturing Industry 4.0 requires different skills than those of traditional manufacturing. Robotization and automation change the nature of processes and procedures in industry and can result in jobs being eliminated. But contrary to conventional wisdom, moving to Industry 4.0 creates high-value-added jobs. Employees have more autonomy in quality control and managing complex manufacturing processes. In a word, innovative manufacturing employees are more qualified.
Strategic Forum on Innovative Manufacturing
Investissement Québec and the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal encourage Québec and Montréal manufacturers to innovate in their processes, adopt new technologies and train their employees to create a new face of skilled labour that will drive the sector.
To underline the importance of innovation to the prosperity of the Québec manufacturing sector and offer industry players concrete strategies, a Strategic Forum is being held on April 7, 2017.
To consult the program and register, click here
For more information on the topic (only in French): http://www.manufacturiersinnovants.com/
You can consult the interviews conducted by Investissement Québec with experts from the Manufacturing Initiative:
- “Bâtir le Québec industriel de demain,” Sylvie Pinsonnault, Vice-President, Venture Capital, Innovation and Innovative Manufacturing, Investissement Québec
- “L’innovation sur le terrain,” Marc Langlois, Interim Vice-President, Regional Network, Investissement Québec
- “Accélérer l’innovation dans l’entreprise,” Albert De Luca, Tax Partner, Deloitte, Chair of the ADRIQ
- “Comment se préparer à l’accord Canada-Union européenne?,” Didier Culat, Legal Counsel, BCF
- “10 conseils pour vous,” Richard Blanchet, President and CEO, STIQ
- “Pour rester en tête de la concurrence,” Louis J. Duhamel, Strategic Advisor, Deloitte