Swinburne Industry 4.0 recognised with Australian Business Award

Industry 4.0 is the future of business and is going to disrupt the very way in which companies create value, experts say.

This shift is enabled by a set of technologies including autonomous robots, simulation technology, system integration, the Internet of Things (IoT), cybersecurity, cloud computing, additive manufacturing, augmented reality and big data.

With the ceaseless march of technological advancement, Industry 4.0 is guaranteed and, in fact, already starting to take shape. Which is why Swinburne University of Technology places such importance on it, both in how they function and what they teach.

Nowhere is this better captured than in the university’s Industry 4.0 Initiative; a programme that builds strong industry relationships for social and economic impact – and was just awarded the 2019 Australian Business Award (ABA) for Business Innovation.

“Swinburne is very proud of its Industry 4.0 Initiative, and we are pleased to have it recognised with an Australian Business Award,” Swinburne’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Development), Professor Aleksandar Subic, said in a statement.

“Swinburne has made a real difference through its strategic industry links, preparing our business partners, as well as the current and future workforce for Industry 4.0 transformations. We have positioned ourselves as a national and international leader in Industry 4.0 research, innovation and education across the entire continuum – from vocational to research training.”

It’s not hard to see why the initiative managed to bag the top prize. Its unique collaboration model has led to significant successes across a whole range of fields.

Working closely with some of the leading companies in Australia and across the world, Swinburne has set up the Victorian Industry 4.0 SME Hub for Advanced Manufacturing and the National Industry 4.0 Testlab Network – done in collaboration state and federal governments.

They have boosted local businesses in both the state of Victoria and nationally in Australia with the Siemens MindSphere Centre for Australia; the DXC Digital Transformation Centre for Victoria; the Data for Social Good Cloud Innovation Centre for Australia, powered by Amazon Web Services; the Capgemini Global Blockchain Centre of Excellence; the Wipro AI Centre; and the CISCO Networking Lab.

Further afield, international projects include a data science institute in Tel Aviv, Israel; a Silicon Valley office with CSIRO in the US; a research hub with the Hong Kong Productivity Council; an advanced manufacturing centre in Weihai, China; and a research hub with ARENA2036 in Stuttgart, Germany.

Swinburne was also the first Australian university to introduce an Advanced Diploma for Industry 4.0, developed in collaboration with Siemens and Ai Group.

“Each year the ABA100 Winners are recognised for their innovative initiatives, products and services, which are leading business and digital transformation within the Australian marketplace,” Australian Business Awards, Program Director, Tara Johnston said.

“Innovation is vital for every company, but it’s even more important for business growth and expansion. Innovation makes it easier to grow, regardless of the size of the business. You need new, unique ideas, and the ability to bring them to market before the competition.”