Falling into the usual cliché often attributed to Albert Einstein and repeating that “in the midst of every crisis lies great opportunity” doesn’t sound creative or genuine. And yet it perfectly encapsulates the will coming out of the last couple of years of experience coping with covid, along with the economic downturn, the supply chain constraint, and then the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine. Harsh realities change things. And the industry has also learned the lesson, as panellists highlighted during the first day of the IOT Solutions World Congress 2023 in Fira de Barcelona.
“Productivity and growth are not sufficient anymore,” said Sean O’Reagain, Deputy Head of Unit Industry 5.0, Directorate General for Research and Innovation at the European Commission. The human-centric approach in the path to Industry 5.0 has become critical. And so have sustainability and resilience in a world where workers want employers who share their values.
So, “in this transition from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0, what makes a difference is people,” said Cyril Perducat, Chief Technology Officer at Rockwell Automation, as “technology isn’t so great without the human in the loop,” reminded Jessica Poliner, CEO of Relayr, who made it also clear that “now it’s the time to invest”. Sean O’Reagain echoed that sentiment by stressing that “it’s time to move even faster and doubling down on your digitalization investment”.
Obviously, that means relying on technology, be it Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, or the different forms of Digital Twins and Front Running Simulations that Michael Grieves, Chief Scientist Executive Director, Digital Twin Institute, described during his session in the Auditorium.
In the end, said Jeff White, Chief Technology and Information Officer at Dell Technologies, “it’s better not to bet against technology, as it always find a way to solve problems” even if, in some cases, “the most important use cases are yet to be invented”. Be as it may, there is always a way of doing well by doing good.
Leading by example, the event put the transformation trailblazers right front and centre in a networking session seasoned with local beer tasting and live jazz music which delighted all the participants and boosted their energy to continue discussing how to successfully and safely navigate these challenging times to drive value to IoT businesses.
The IOTSWC23 will give you additional hints tomorrow. Stay tuned… and all that jazz.
Article by: Anna Solana