Professor Aleks Subic joins Prime Minister's Industry 4.0 Taskforce
In Summary
- The Prime Minister’s Industry 4.0 Taskforce will feature only one university representative, Swinburne’s Aleksandar Subic
- It has been formed to support Australia’s transition to the fourth industrial revolution, known as Industry 4.0
- The taskforce is holding important roundtable discussions at Hannover Messe
The new Prime Minister’s Industry 4.0 Taskforce includes a representative from the university sector, Swinburne’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Development), Professor Aleksandar Subic.
The taskforce has been formed to support Australia’s transition to a new economy and connect the nation to the fourth industrial revolution, known as Industry 4.0, through close collaboration with German industry.
It is participating in important roundtable discussions at the world’s largest industrial trade event, Hannover Messe, in Germany.
Opportunities for international collaboration
Professor Subic says opportunities for increased trade and investment between Australia and Germany are the focus of the visit.
“Industry 4.0 is all about the next stage in manufacturing driven by digitisation. Automation and the Internet of Things are transforming the manufacturing industry, presenting us with new business opportunities through integration with the global supply chain,” Professor Subic says.
“We will be looking to ways of building on Australia’s National Science and Innovation Agenda to advance our innovation capability in advanced manufacturing.
“Our taskforce will be meeting with the two most powerful groups in industrial transformation, the German ‘Plattform Industrie 4.0’ and the US ‘Industrial Internet Consortium’.”
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann welcomes the commitment and initiative of the taskforce.
“It is vital that Australia is connected to critical developments in industrial digitalisation being led by Germany and the US,” Minister Cormann says.
Industry 4.0 taskforce members
Professor Subic joins other taskforce members:
- Jeff Connolly, Chairman and CEO of Siemens Australia
- John Ruthven, President and Managing Director SAP Australia and New Zealand
- John Pollaers, Chairman of Australian Advanced Manufacturing Council
- Stephen Durkin, CEO of Engineers Australia
- Keith McLean, Director CSIRO Manufacturing
Swinburne Innovation Precinct
Swinburne is creating an Innovation Precinct at its Hawthorn Campus, which will position the university as a centre of entrepreneurial activity, integrating research, new business development and commercialisation.
“The goal is to create a culture of innovation across the campus. This approach fits neatly with the National Innovation and Science Agenda’s call to ‘embrace risk, pursue ideas and learn from mistakes,” Professor Subic says.