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free trial of maturity carried out on a platform with 416 companies shows that most are at levels 1 and 2 on a scale from 0 to 5 in the use of digital technologies, such as the internet of things and big data
As a way of encouraging Brazilian companies to follow the 4th technological revolution, the National Service for Industrial Learning (SENAI) provides a free online test that measures maturity in the use of digital technologies. So far, 416 representatives from 15 segments have answered the questionnaire, which assesses the use of resources such as the internet of things, big data and autonomous robotics, as well as the company's involvement with technological updating. Most participants are in the early stages of the so-called Industry 4.0, at levels 1 and 2, on a scale of 0 to 5.
“Industry 4.0 is a great opportunity for Brazilian companies to become more productive. SENAI understands that the path towards advanced manufacturing is more than adopting new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and big data. It requires, among other aspects, the qualification of professionals who will program complex machines, implement new processes and, above all, make informed decisions in real time. It also involves investing in innovation, that is, in the development of intelligent products and processes”, explains the director general of SENAI, Rafael Lucchesi.
SENAI already offers improvement courses in each of the Industry 4.0 technologies, as well as a partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to offer engineers a postgraduate course on the subject. In addition, it is updating all its courses to introduce knowledge and skills that will be required of professionals in this field. The institution also works with entrepreneurs to show that companies of all sizes can now follow the technological revolution with low investment.
QUIZ - SENAI has a platform (senai40.com.br) on which it provides the quiz to companies in any economic sector, not just industry. Among the questions are: “Which areas of the company received investments in the implementation of Industry 4.0 in the last two years?”, “What is the level of involvement, support and knowledge of the company's leaders (executive directors and senior managers) regarding to the theme Industry 4.0?”, “What is the level of use of sensors on the factory floor?”, among others. Respondents are, in general, partner-owners, IT, process, production and manufacturing coordinators.
Of the total number of participants, 134 are at level 1, and 170 companies are at level 2. Only 112 are at levels 3, 4 and 5. On average, the companies scored 2.45.
With an average score of 3.03, large companies have a small advantage in terms of maturity level in Industry 4.0. Medium-sized companies scored 2.6; small companies, 2.29 and micro-enterprises achieved 2.21. Most respondents (37%) are micro-enterprises, followed by small businesses (25%).
“We realized, from the tests carried out on the SENAI platform, that the size of the company is not a relevant factor in the insertion of Industry 4.0. We believe that there are other reasons that explain the technological update: the existence of an engaged leader; the opening of the company to partners, suppliers, universities; and the agility to learn from decisions and experiments. These are the three decisive factors”, explains the executive manager of Innovation and Technology at SENAI, Marcelo Prim.
Companies that identify themselves as supporting the industry are those that have reached the highest average level of maturity, with an average score of 2.60. Then there are the companies in the electronics segments (score 2.54); specialized services (2.48); food and beverages (2.35) and metalworking (2.35). Most of the respondents (134) are representatives of companies in the areas of automation or metal mechanics.
Regarding location, most (89) of the test participants are from São Paulo; 39 are from Paraná; 48 from Rio Grande do Sul; 18 from Pernambuco; 23 from Santa Catarina; 28 of Minas Gerais, among others. Companies from 24 states carried out the assessment on the SENAI platform.
O maturity test proposed is based on a model developed by the National Academy of Science and Engineering (Acatech). Companies that are in stage 1 plan production through empirical methods and control it through clipboards and paper. At level 2, they implement lean manufacturing methods and use sensors to collect information in real time, connecting production to production management systems.
On the third step, when considering that the company is actually on the path towards Industry 4.0, the company uses technologies such as cloud computing, big data and machine learning, which allow learning from the production system, through the analysis of its history, becoming more agile based on analysis and action plans. In the following stages (4 and 5), it is possible to predict situations and adapt quickly using decision support systems, artificial intelligence and collaborative robotics. These are the most advanced stages of Industry 4.0.
GUIDE - In addition to the test, SENAI has a guide with five steps that small and medium-sized companies must follow to enter Industry 4.0 after identifying their degree of technological maturity. The institution's consultants can directly help companies interested in updating themselves technologically. The recommendation is that, first of all, entrepreneurs organize their production system to reduce waste, through tools such as lean manufacturing or lean manufacturing. The technique was implemented by SENAI in companies served in the Brasil Mais Productivo program with an average increase in productivity of 52%.
Then, the orientation is to install sensors in the main production lines, the so-called digitization, and train employees to analyze the information generated by the equipment. Having qualified professionals is the key point for companies that will adopt digital technologies. They will be responsible, for example, for making strategic decisions based on the information generated.
Digitization, one of the first steps towards insertion in Industry 4.0, helps companies to get to know their factory floor better and to be able to anticipate events such as machine breakdowns, which affect the efficiency of the production process. The next stages recommended by the guide are to make the data produced by the sensors visible in the cloud and integrate it with the company's indicators; introduce technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence and use these capabilities to respond quickly and flexibly to customer demands.
INDUSTRY 4.0 STEP BY STEP
STAGE 1 - OPTIMIZATION: Increase the productivity of your shop floor and your employees, while reducing waste, increasing your profit margin. Train leaders in the industry 4.0 theme and prepare for the second stage.
STAGE 2 - SENSING AND CONNECTIVITY: Now that you have adjusted your production process, it is necessary to sense your main production lines. Your technicians will be empowered to analyze data in real time, learn from your shop floor and make quick decisions.
STAGE 3 - VISIBILITY AND TRANSPARENCY: As process data is already being captured by sensors, it is time to make it visible in a cloud and integrated with other company indicators and throughout its value chain.
STAGE 4 - PREEDITIVE CAPACITY: Now that your company has started to learn from its production process, it is time to introduce technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence to assist in possible tests and predict different scenarios.
STAGE 5 - FLEXIBILITY AND ADAPTABILITY: In this phase, the systems and technologies implemented are capable of identifying and solving problems, in addition to responding flexibly to customer demands for new products and services.
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