The world of manufacturing is going digital at a rapid pace. The Industrial Digital Transformation Hub team includes a diverse mix of manufacturing industry professionals who recognise the importance and necessity of digital technology, and the benefits and impact it can make in a manufacturing business.
Guided by our experience and expertise, using a structured program, the Hub can assist manufacturers in achieving the successful adoption and exploitation of digital technology – our goal is for manufacturers to become more competitive, resilient, and sustainable with Industry 4.0 (I4.0) digital technology.
As part of a digital transformation journey, manufacturers follow a path to digitalisation through a unique Digital Readiness and Transformation Program. This end-to-end service program leads manufacturers through stages of Awareness, Learning, Discovery, and Implementation. During the program manufacturers will:
- become aware of Industry 4.0 digital technology, value creation and business model innovation opportunities
- learn more details about specific Industry 4.0 digital technologies
- discover their level of digital readiness and maturity for digital technology adoption, and
- co-create a path and strategy for digital technology implementation.
About us
Located at Swinburne’s Factory of the Future, the Industrial Digital Transformation Hub is a unique and Australian first university-based, not-for-profit consulting entity of industry professionals.
We assist manufacturing businesses with digital technology adoption and transformation through our Digital Readiness and Transformation Program.
Since 2019, over 500 manufacturing businesses from diverse industries (advanced manufacturing, chemical, FMCG, furniture, mining equipment, transportation, agricultural equipment, clothing/textiles, food and beverage, healthcare/MedTech, packaging, wood product) have participated in our program.
Engagements span across the program’s path of awareness, learning, discovery, and implementation, with several businesses successfully completing the first iteration of their journey and several more remaining on that journey.
We advocate applying a business-centric approach to Industry 4.0 (I4.0) digital technology adoption, in favour of a techno-centric approach – addressing business outcomes through the considered use of technology, and in effect, pulling technology into the business. Our approach and our program have helped to catalyse multi-million dollar direct and indirect investment in manufacturing to realise mitigation of manufacturing challenges, next level productivity improvements, onshoring of work and job creation.
We take pride in working closely with our clients, seeking to understand and address their needs with recommendations and real-world industry solutions considerate of people, processes, and technology. We have access to a diverse multi-disciplinary team, with expertise and capabilities extending into operational improvements and optimisation, artificial intelligence and machine learning, internet-of-things, and software engineering.
The Factory of the Future is is a digital manufacturing technology centre, co-creating innovative solutions with industry.
Digital Readiness and Transformation Program
The transition to a digitalised manufacturing environment is becoming increasingly necessary to maintain competitiveness, resilience, and sustainability.
There is a natural curiosity around Industry 4.0 (I4.0) digital technologies for manufacturers - often questioning what it is, what the benefits are, how to apply it, whether they are ready to utilise it, and how to get started.
With many technology options and information available, diverse opinions, and techno-centric points of view, it can become overwhelming, confusing, unhelpful, and difficult to decide what to do.
That’s where we come in. The Industrial Digital Transformation Hub can guide manufacturers through a process of Awareness, Learning, Discovery, and Implementation. Manufacturers become aware and learn about I4.0 in our webinars and licensed workshops, discovering their potential with I4.0 through our digital transformation tools, and implement de-risked customised projects – a process of digital transformation.
Your transformation journey
Depending on your circumstances, your level of maturity or aspirations, you have various paths and ways of navigating the journey. You can enter and exit at any point, with the potential for several iterations.
You can begin by thinking differently about your business in the digital future. Explore your capabilities and raise your awareness and understanding about Industry 4.0 enabled opportunities and outcomes through the futuremap® awareness workshop.
If you are more curious, come along to the informative webinars we host with experienced Swinburne staff and industry technology providers for you to learn more about specific I4.0 digital technologies. Select clients are offered hands-on experiential training where they get to ‘play with’ I4.0 digital technologies and get a better appreciation of the capabilities.
Continue your journey by discovering the digital readiness of your manufacturing operation. An in-depth assessment of your production and supporting processes will expose how mature and ready your factory is to adopt I4.0 digital technology. The assessment will provide customised recommendations for operational improvements and surface targeted opportunities for technology adoption in line with your overall business strategy.
To help you advance further, discover if you can convert your products into smart products, and if you can monetise those products or your existing products through servitization in our facilitated workshops.
To piece together a plan to test out and implement the recommendations and improvements surfaced in the assessment, or test out and implement an identified smart product, we can help you develop a strategy.
Awareness
As a first step in your journey the futuremap® Industry 4.0 awareness workshop will help you explore alternative ways of creating value for your business and your customers and take a step in your digital transformation journey. The workshop content will provoke your thinking and demystify how Industry 4.0 digital technologies, business model innovation and leadership can transform your business.
Typically delivered through an interactive workshop, participants engage with the futuremap® business diagnostic tool which generates a point-in-time assessment and report that identifies opportunities for growth and potential investment in relation to the following areas:
- Market: market positioning, servitisation, global supply chain positioning.
- Leadership: strategy, change management, sustainability.
- Innovation: technology utilisation, innovation update.
- Digital: digitalisation, Industry 4.0 awareness and utilisation.
A visual representation of these areas is shown in the futuremap graphic:
futuremap graphic: Text alternative available.
The image is a circular strategic framework known as the FutureMap wheel. It presents a holistic view of Industry 4.0 readiness and business transformation. The diagram consists of a central circular hub surrounded by multiple concentric segments and connected sections forming a wheel. Each section represents a business capability area that contributes to long-term competitiveness and digital maturity.
The capability areas shown include Industry 4.0 utilisation, market positioning, servitisation, global supply-chain positioning, leadership, change management, sustainability, innovation and creativity, the digital and innovation wave, and the concept of reaching a tipping point. Together, these elements demonstrate that successful digital transformation depends on more than technology adoption alone. The wheel visually communicates that strategy, leadership, innovation, organisational culture, sustainability, and market opportunities are interconnected factors that influence a company's ability to create and capture value through Industry 4.0 initiatives.
The circular layout reinforces the idea that business transformation is an ongoing, integrated process rather than a linear progression, with each capability influencing and supporting the others as organisations advance their digital and innovation maturity.
Learning
We offer a range of learning opportunities including webinars, in-person training and interactive workshops.
Webinars
We are passionate about digital technology transformation, that’s why we have a Digital Readiness and Transformation Program. Part of this program covers learning about I4.0. If you are keen to learn more about I4.0 technologies then consider attending one of our free webinars. We have delivered over 50 free webinars to more than 500 manufacturing businesses across Australia. Our webinars introduce you to a broad range of topics including:
- IIoT in Manufacturing
- Digital Twins
- Vision systems
- Metallic Additive Manufacturing
- Smart supply chains in Manufacturing
- Medical Robotics
- Process optimization using Simulation
- Lean Industry 4.0
- Future of Work in Manufacturing
- Creating conditions for Innovation
- How biases inhibit successful Digital transformation
- Asset tracking in manufacturing
To keep up-to-date with our webinar offerings follow us and subscribe to our Eventbrite page.
Training
For clients who have engaged in the Discovery phase of our program and completed one of the modules (A, B or C), we offer the opportunity to attend a 10-day exclusive in-person training program. Training is tailored to benefit middle level managers of varying degrees of digital and automation systems literacy and is delivered through a mix of presentations and hands-on experiential activities. Several topics are covered during the training, including (but not limited to):
- Introduction to IIoT and enabling technologies
- Introduction to Big Data, Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning
- Cyber Security
- Sensors, Smart sensors & Cloud
- Introduction to Simulation & Digital Twins
- Introduction to cobots
- Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality
- Additive manufacturing
- Value proposition design for I4.0 and Business Model Canvas
- Lean Industry 4.0
You won’t leave as an expert, however, you will leave with an increased level of understanding and appreciation of I4.0 technologies, how to best utilise and take advantage of them.
Workshops
Please check back soon to see our upcoming workshops.
Discovery
Our business readiness program comprises of four individual modules to provide a comprehensive suite of services to help you become better prepared for I4.0 digital technology adoption and better utilise and exploit it in your business.
Each module can be completed individually.
The duration of each module varies depending on business complexity and requirements.
Following completion of Modules A, B or C, businesses will be provided an opportunity for Industry 4.0 training.
Module A: Smart Factory - assesses your Industry 4.0 process and production readiness
We deliver a strategic analysis and evaluation of your business’ manufacturing processes to identify Industry 4.0 improvement potentials and provide:
- a current snapshot of the business’s Industry 4.0 readiness and maturity
- areas for possible business optimisation
- suggested activities and actions for operational business improvement.
The assessment takes a holistic view of the business and focuses on five key areas:
- business strategy and planning
- operation of your process/value stream
- handling and use of data/information/knowledge streams
- production support systems, methods, and tools
- workforce management.
Several assessment indicators are used to determine the business’ current readiness and maturity with respect to digital technologies including:
- IT supported production/logistics
- industry 4.0 target planning
- machine to machine communication
- continuous improvement practices
- use of smart data
- production planning methods.
Module B: Smart Products - surfaces new business opportunities enabled by Industry 4.0
We facilitate a workshop, involving the business’ leadership team, to analyse the competencies underlying the business’ existing product, technologies, and service offerings with the goal to enhance your current product/service portfolio exploiting I4.0 digital technologies. The result of the workshop is to identify:
- potential future products and/or smart products
- potential future markets and applications
- new business opportunities related to Industry 4.0.
Module C: Strategic Roadmapping - creates a business plan for Industry 4.0 technology implementation
Working with your business’ leadership team, this facilitated workshop aims to define and integrate Industry 4.0 into your business strategy by:
- analysing the current business environment and critical trends
- identifying relevant strategic options based on the analysis
- redeveloping your strategy using roadmap style planning.
This module leverages the insights developed from module A and/or B to develop an actionable business plan/roadmap projecting out your resource and technology requirements to deliver your products to identified markets over the next five to ten years.
Module D: Servitization - business model innovation with servitization
Servitization is the act of transforming your business model from selling products towards providing services attached to your technology enhanced products, to service customer needs and offer them reassurance and a guaranteed capability. Advanced services examples include heating-as-a service, lighting-as-a-service and compressed air-as-a-service.
Through servitization, evidence shows that businesses can expect a triple-bottom-line impact of people, planet, and profit, along with a long-term impact of differentiation, financial sustainability, increased market share, and customer loyalty.
The Industrial Digital Transformation Hub has partnered with the Advanced Services Group (ASG) from the UK to offer a servitization program. ASG have been successfully pioneering servitization in the UK and across the globe over the past few decades.
The servitization program will guide and step you through the servitization journey, from awareness, to exploration, engagement, expansion, and exploitation.
Implementation
We’re providing digital solutions for safer and improved experience for customers.
If there is a recommendation surfaced through the readiness modules you would like to implement, or you have another production issue you would like to resolve, we encourage manufacturing businesses to engage with us. We apply a customer-centric, personalised, and considered approach towards tackling your manufacturing production problems and providing real-world solutions.
During our collective experience working in industry, we have developed skills in planning, developing, implementing, and managing many kinds of projects - converting ideas into reality. Backed by a diverse multi-disciplinary team, with expertise and capabilities extending into operational improvements and optimisation, artificial intelligence and machine learning, internet-of-things, and software engineering, we are confident about tackling your production problems.
Here are some project work examples implemented for the manufacturing industry through the Hub and the team at Swinburne’s Factory of the Future:
- Robotic Blood bag folding (to address OH&S and productivity)
- New state of the art Industry 4.0 enabled factory including autonomous robots (to improve efficiency, provide extra capability and increase capacity)
- New production factory layout and Operational/process optimisations (to streamline workflow, improve productivity and efficiency, increase capacity and capability, improve OH&S)
- Real-time monitoring of productivity and production yield (improve productivity and efficiency, and improve product consistency)
- Real-time product quality detection and monitoring (to reduce defects and rework, and ensure quality consistency)
- Real-time monitoring and detection of asset condition, with alerts (predictive maintenance, and optimise maintenance activity).
Upcoming events, breakfasts, workshops and training
To keep up-to-date with our webinar and workshop offerings visit our Eventbrite page.
Our I4.0 champions
As part of the transition towards digitalisation we encourage the development of I4.0 champions.
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Vikram Sachdeva | Industrial Digital Transformation Hub Manager |
| Vince Lorefice | Industry 4.0 Transformation Consultant |
| Dr Sharad Menon | Associate Director, Industry Research Engagement (Digital Manufacturing) |
| Director, Factory of the Future and Digital Innovation Lab |
Download our flyer
Advanced Manufacturing Industry 4.0 Hub
Contact the Industrial Digital Transformation Hub
For enquiries or information about how the Industrial Digital Transformation Hub can help your business, please contact industry4hub@swinburne.edu.au.