The government has introduced a strategy for industry to help firms develop and adopt new digital strategies for the sector.

The Industry 4.0 strategy covers the period from 2020 to 2025 and will assist companies respond to the transformation of the manufacturing sector being driven by new digital technologies.

Business minister Heather Humphreys introduced the new plan, saying that it “builds on our industrial capabilities developed over decades, our thriving community of indigenous supply chain SMEs and the presence of world-leading software and ICT industries”.

Humphreys (pictured) continued: “Collaboration will be critical to the widespread adoption of new technologies and the strategy sets out a number of supports to enable that collaboration to take place.

“It includes a suite of actions that supports and promotes collaboration across the various stakeholders involved. By working together, we can ensure a bright future for this important sector.”

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The highlights of the strategy, according to Humphreys, include: 

• Eighteen strategic actions to address challenges including technology adoption, changing business models, skills, innovation, productivity and competitiveness.
• Supports to upskill the existing manufacturing workforce as jobs roles change, and to provide the right mix of ICT and engineering skills.
• Establishment of a new group, Future Manufacturing Ireland, to coordinate the activities of government-funded research centres and make it easier for companies to access the expertise that they need.
• Establishment of an Industry 4.0 stakeholder forum to oversee implementation.

The government has approved an Enterprise Ireland funding package of €23.5m for the Irish Manufacturing Research Centre as part of the strategy. The IMRC has a target of raising a further €43m from industry and other investors.

According to DBEI, the technologies underpinning digitisation includes: cloud computing; advanced sensors; high performance computing; advanced automated and autonomous systems; robotics; artificial intelligence; machine learning; augmented/virtual reality; blockchain; big data; and digital fabrication (including 3D printing), among others.