Advanced tech helps the next generation drive innovation

In Humber’s Barrett Centre for Technology Innovation, SEW-EURODRIVE developed a living laboratory, focusing on AGVs, mobile worker assistants, and connected automation equipment.

Industry 4.0 is a buzzword for the Internet of Things. The integration of information technology (IT) within manufacturing has been progressing for a couple of decades, but with the push for Industry 4.0, it is taking the manufacturing sector to places that were not thought of before.

Of course, this shift now makes the accessibility to machinery from outside a company’s facility much easier, but there is so much more to it than that. The ability to take data outside of the manufacturing facility to be analyzed in a company’s cloud or in one of the well-known clouds, such as AWS and Azure, lets manufacturers analyze their processes in more diverse ways than they previously could have imagined.

All of this leads to many more career paths for young people in the future. Disciplines such as computer science and engineering will overlap, and new areas of study and expertise will result. Opportunities in artificial intelligence and machine design will only increase when manufacturers demand unique solutions from the data that was previously unavailable.

Implementing Advanced Tech

When small and mid-size enterprises (SMEs) get to a certain size, often have increasing difficulty competing with larger international companies. In Canada, manufacturers often are gobbled up by their larger competitors once they reach a certain size. This limits the ability of SMEs to take their business to the next level and implement advanced technology, as this often requires extensive research and development, which takes money and time.

Canada should look to other countries that have been able to successfully develop a robust industrial sector and take the best aspects from each.

Skills for the Future Manufacturing Environment

Many of the best skills required to thrive in a manufacturing environment are no different from decades ago. Hard work and a willingness to learn continually are not new but often are the key elements to success for the employee and the manufacturer.

The new skills required for Industry 4.0 and manufacturing are very much related to the combination of electrical/electronics, mechanical, and computer science. Understanding technology while also understanding physical things such as mechanics is a skill set that will reward the employee and employer.

Developing Skills Surrounding Advanced Technologies

It’s often difficult to explain to students what many of these new roles will look like with concrete examples that they might be familiar with today. It’s much easier to explain to students what a chef or doctor does than the many diverse areas of advanced technology that are required for manufacturing today and in the future.

Many of the future roles will also require educators to gear their classrooms to more STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) from an earlier age.

Academia and industry need to keep pushing the STEM/STEAM model. This might mean making it more attractive to engineering professionals to take up teaching careers in elementary and high schools, and launching initiatives to show students how exciting skilled trades and engineering careers can be.

The laboratory was developed to demonstrate how mobile technology interacts with both people and stationary automation.

Once students enter academia, there needs to be constant feedback and partnership with industry regarding manufacturing trends and requirements. Academia needs to be more flexible and willing to switch up course requirements at given times based on trends. Industry/academia partnerships and continual cross collaboration are essential.

On an ongoing basis, there must be easier ways for workers to upgrade their skills while they are fully employed. This might mean that governments and/or employers cover wages during these upgrade periods. It requires that colleges and universities be much more flexible in how and where they offer courses. Workers should not need to start from scratch if they desire to upgrade from a technologist to an engineer, for example.

A Collaborative Effort

SEW-EURODRIVE, a producer of geared motors, servomotors, variable-frequency drives, motion controllers, and factory systems involving AGVs, electronics manufacturing services, and skillet systems, noted that many of its OEM and end-user customers were not able to find employees to support the technology and systems it was supplying to them. So in 2018 the manufacturer partnered with Humber College, Etobicoke, Ont., to build awareness and provide training and applied research opportunities related to Industry 4.0 technologies.

Through this collaboration came the development of a living laboratory, Humber’s Barrett Centre for Technology Innovation, that focuses on automated guided vehicles (AGVs), mobile worker assistants, and connected automation equipment. It provides students with real-world knowledge and applications that demonstrate how mobile technology interacts with people and stationary automation.

Humber brought to the table an extensive history of delivering first-class mechatronics engineering. Students are graduating with real-world experience, having developed real-world solutions for industry before graduation, and their final-year projects often are nothing short of phenomenal.

Both entities are extremely pleased with what has been achieved. Many collaborative applied research projects have resulted in individual products that SEW-EURODRIVE will sell in the future, as well as successful implementations in the field.

An Advanced Tech-centred Education

The success of the manufacturing sector in Canada will be defined by how well and how quickly the industry adopts and adapts to the latest smart technology. Industry 4.0 is here, and for Canadian manufacturing companies to thrive, they need to embrace this shift.

"We are currently living in a manufacturing environment that is demanding big changes from the existing and historical structure that is in place," said Dr. Shaun Ghafari, associate dean, School of Applied Technology, Humber College, Etobicoke, Ont. "Customers are demanding things that were not expected just a few years ago. Products are becoming highly customized and are required in much shorter timeframes. This type of manufacturing environment requires increased flexibility and skill sets. From design to manufacturing, Industry 4.0 technology provides the flexibility that industry needs to thrive in the years ahead."

The skills gap presents a challenge and barrier for shops and companies looking to adopt advanced technology. Not having a workforce that can operate and leverage the power of cutting-edge technology renders it effectively useless.

"One way that we are helping to deal with the skills gap, particularly as it relates to emerging trends, is to bring the latest advanced technology to our facilities," said Ghafari. "Colleges around the country need to promote polytechnic education, which combines theoretical learning with hands-on experience. Such educational environments offer a wide range of pathways for students to start on this journey, and it is our job to ensure that they enter the workforce with the necessary skills. Collaboration between colleges and industry provides students access to the newest technologies and gives them the opportunity to gain experience while working on industry challenges."

Industry 4.0 is here, and for Canadian manufacturing companies to thrive, they need to embrace this shift.

Along with technical skills, essential skills are just as important to ensuring success of the industry and workforce moving forward. Industry and academia need to work together to define and promote these skill sets. One way Humber College is doing this is through a collaboration with advanced tech companies like SEWEURODRIVE and Festo.

"The Barrett Centre for Technology Innovation is a very unique opportunity and environment for the industry to work directly with our students," said Ghafari. "Through this facility, students can work directly with industry and work on real-world projects. At the same time, it is a place to showcase the new technologies in a very safe environment. This is a showcase of the next generation of technology. Students and manufacturers can test it; use it; work with it; and see how it can contribute to innovation, market competition, and productivity."

The lab features AGVs, which Ghafari calls the future of inventory systems in the manufacturing environment; automated smart assembly cells, which use virtual reality; smart and collaborative robots; and various smart and embedded technologies.

"A lot of the programs we offer can no longer be siloed anymore," said Ghafari. "All aspects and areas of the manufacturing environments are much more blurred now. People from different divisions or specialties are now much more directly tied together. Bringing together a diverse workforce with different skill sets will help industry solve unique challenges and thrive moving forward. I believe in a collaborative approach from academia, industry, and even government. Co-operation is key for success and essential for the future of the industry."

Lyall Watson is sales manager for central Canada with SEW-EURODRIVE, 210 Walker Dr., Brampton, Ont. L6T 3W1, 905-791-1553, www.sew-eurodrive.ca.

Humber College, humber.ca