March 2019

45 www.drivesncontrols.com March 2019 EXECUTIVE VIEWPOINT n of a team working closely with UK customers to deliver its benefits. Above all else, it has helped me to understand how uniquely well-positioned the UK is to benefit from its adoption and expansion. Many UK businesses are making excellent progress on their 4IR journey and already benefitting from a return-on- investment that will continue to multiply as their enterprises become better connected. Moreover, the financial barriers to entry are dropping quickly and as more companies become connected enterprises, their success will further evidence the benefits. Without embracing this opportunity, many businesses face the prospect of becoming uncompetitive in the global marketplace. But there are challenges: significantly, security and capability of network infrastructure. Two years ago, I dedicated most of my contribution to the Viewpoint feature to cyber-security. This remains a key issue to many in industry who are wary of the risks involved in the levels of connectivity at the heart of 4IR. Another topic that I believe goes slightly under the radar, is the human one. At Rockwell Automation, we work very hard to make sure that our software and technologies enable our customers to expand human possibility. To maximise the value-add of their most important asset – their people. This emphasis on the human element might sound incongruous for an automation company, but it is vital to our ongoing success. At an immediate level, we, as a company, are affected by the global skills shortage, like so many of our customers. This means we need to provide an attractive place to work, and it also means that we need to develop our own talent. To achieve this, we have ambitious lifelong learning goals for our people. We take time and invest effort and resource in helping our staff to continue to develop throughout their career. We offer a clear development path for every employee, in which they are full and active partners. We also work globally and locally with various STEM programmes and enable our staff to spend time with the next generation of industry in local schools and education programmes. Beyond our own people, we offer various training programmes and accreditation schemes to help our customers to develop their own employees and fill their own skills gaps. And through our connected services offerings, we also offer the benefit of our teams’ intimate understanding and experience in applying 4IR to our customers. Wherever your company is in its journey to 4IR adoption, it is always worth revisiting the strategy and thinking about the human element. How do the changes affect your staff? Where are the gaps that you need help to fill, and what options do you have to fill them? What are the consequences for your existing staff – from HR to finance, from OT (operational technology) engineers to IT experts? Has everyone bought into the change? Are you getting the most out of the people you have? How can 4IR technologies expand the human potential in your business? n Lenze has visited schools around the country and we’ve been enthused by the appetite for engineering through classes, clubs, competitions and engagement with different STEM disciplines. As a business, we have gone to great lengths to address the UK's shortage of STEM skills and we’ve been encouraged by both boys and girls wanting to explore the world of automation, robotics, software programmes and beyond. As engineers, we are also excited by Industry 4.0, seeing the changes and the impact it will have on the world around us. With this generation – the digital natives – who use robotics, AR and AI in everyday life, it should be an easy conversation to steer them to the opportunities from IIoT and beyond. We have a policy of proactively supporting girls and boys who express an interest in industrial automation at both the technical academy and higher education levels. We have a System Engineering Trainee Program, preparing the future generation of mechanical engineers with hands-on experience. The trainees receive individualised coaching and mentoring throughout the program and into subsequent job entry. The provision of Teachware consoles for students’ exclusive use at their places of education, as well as places at Lenze’s professional training days, enables students to gain insights into automation engineering at a more practical level. For example, we have donated teaching consoles covering electric motor drive technology to the new Bridlington Mechatronic Centre. This Centre, set up by UK tech companies, offers specialist engineering courses in response to address the growing skills gap issue. While the government has the greater responsibility to deliver the nation’s education needs, industry, too, has a role to play. Companies can use their, not inconsiderable, mentoring powers and technical resources to further the government’s aims of engaging young people with career opportunities that are not only rewarding, but which ultimately add wealth to the economy. Finally, the narrative also needs to change and in a world where Instagram and YouTube are the platforms to consume media, we need to adopt new ways to bridge the communications gap as well as the skills gap. We need to find the next generation of role models to fill the shoes of Helen Sharman, Shirley Jackson, Elon Musk and Dr Brian Cox. Working together, we can spread the message further and faster to persuade both boys and girls that there is an exciting future in science, technology, engineering and maths. n

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