Industry 4.0, the so-called fourth industrial revolution represents industrial innovation and future development. It has become a worldwide trend. Therefore, what measures can be adopted by enterprises to respond to the changing industrial environment? How should a university train engineers for Industry 4.0? What are the best ways to combine enterprises with universities in conducting technological innovation research and application in the field of Industry 4.0? A Sino-German technological innovation and educational reform workshop, which was themed “Are You Ready for Industry 4.0?” was held by Tongji University on March 27th. Chinese and German experts from governments, enterprises and universities attended the workshop to discuss the core elements in the development of Industry 4.0. They also discussed the challenges that Industry 4.0 presents in cultivating the talent that is needed to conduct technological research and related applications in the university setting.
In October 2014, the first Industry 4.0 – Intelligent Factory Laboratory in China was collaboratively established by the Sino-German College for Applied Sciences of Tongji University and the Phoenix Contact from Germany on the Jiading Campus of Tongji. With its equipment and supporting hardware and software, the laboratory provided the setting for intelligent communication and cooperative work between humans, work pieces and machines. It aims to serve the teaching and research activities of the Tongji faculty, the technological innovation of students, and the cooperation between the university and related enterprises. Its goal is to become the demonstration project of the digitized, intelligent factories, used by the manufacturing industry, through the cultivation of talents and the research of Industry 4.0.
Besides the establishment of the Industry 4.0--Intelligent Factory Laboratory, Tongji organized an interdisciplinary group, in which scholars and experts from the Sino-German College for Applied Sciences, Sino-German College, and the Schools of Machinery and Energy Engineering, of Electronics and Information Engineering, and of Software design researched and discussed the development of Industry 4.0. To lay the foundation of the development of Industry 4.0 in China, the group will cooperate closely with the large state-owned enterprises in the fields of spaceflight, aviation, automotive and shipping. Meanwhile, the Sino-German College for Applied Sciences has been cooperating with international enterprises based upon its role of serving as an international communications platform. The cooperative projects include the Intelligent Detection Teaching and Research Base which were collaboratively established by Carl Zeiss. The software talent cultivation base will be collaboratively established by Siemens and the process industry laboratory for Industry 4.0 will be collaboratively established by Emerson Electric.
In order to lead the direction of Industry 4.0’s development and to promote the innovation of related technological fields in China, the Industry 4.0--Intelligent Factory Laboratory of Tongji University is in the second phase of construction, which includes the establishment of the intelligent warehouse and of the intelligent assembly line.
Translated by May Language Studio based upon
http://news.tongji.edu.cn/classid-7-newsid-46449-t-show.html
