EDITOR’S LETTER It is time for “Humans 4.0”. Richiedi la versione in italiano a info@ipcm.it
T
he paradox of the fourth industrial revolution, the era of the Digital Factory, is that human capital will remain a crucial resource to seize its opportunities. With the advent of the concept of Industry 4.0, the dichotomy between man and robot
has been overcome and replaced by the centrality of human resources in the digitisation process. Already in 2017, the World Economic Forum had confirmed the importance of the human factor, highlighting that by 2020 one third of the skills required of employees would include competences that are not considered crucial today. Companies are no longer required only to invest in 4.0-oriented machines. It is imperative to find specialised personnel able to manage them, exploit their full potential, and above all analyse big data – skills without which the Industry 4.0 loses part of its appeal and purpose. The incentives that all European governments have given to companies willing to invest in machines and plants 4.0 have been widely used to renew production lines and create digital, interconnected factories that track production, predict errors, and perform necessary maintenance. Now it is time for these companies to invest in human resources. These include professionals able to solve complex problems and think critically to help organisations adapt quickly to changes; software programmers; data analytic experts and data scientist transforming the collected data into strategic suggestions; and IT security experts to protect networks and expertise. Extremely specialised technical skills will be needed, some of which perhaps do not exist, yet. Graduates in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematic (STEM) subjects and super-experts are the most sought after by global companies, and they will be for many years to come. However, the question is if the current educational offer will be able to meet the demands of the world of work in the next five years. Indeed, after making huge investments in technology, several manufacturing companies are now facing a sense of disorientation among their employees. The older ones feel threatened by digital machines and struggle to adapt to the new production environment; the younger ones do not have the technical skills to manage the new digital factory, yet, and they struggle to find information and training resources. The human factor, therefore, must be enhanced even before technology. There are no technology and innovation, without adequate human resources. The technological changes call for a different education and culture for students and workers. Strengthening the school-work link, as many European countries are doing, is certainly one of the keys to preparing the new generations of engineers to the reality of the digital factory, which develops so quickly that knowledge becomes obsolete within a few years. Plug & play training and the development of professionals ready to enter specific work environments are the solutions to reduce the gap between students’ education and businesses’ needs. The ipcm Academy project, i.e. the professional training courses organised by the ipcm® magazine, is aimed precisely at this. The different modules make up a training course able to refine the professional skills of participants and offer immediate specialisation. ipcm Academy has very interesting development projects in store, in line with the demands of the manufacturing world for 2019 and 2020.
Alessia Venturi Editor-in-chief Direttore Responsabile
2019 will also be the year of ipcm®’s 10th anniversary. Therefore, we end this year full of energies and ready to work! Happy Holidays. We will see you all next year.
international PAINT&COATING magazine - NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 - N. 54
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