About Industry 5.0 at the New Industry 4.0 Conference in Katowice
On October 15 and 16, Katowice hosted another New Industry 4.0 conference addressed to a wide audience interested in the future of industrial production in Poland and technological changes that determine the prospects of its development. Scientists from the Silesian University of Technology participated in numerous debates and discussions.
The New Industry 4.0 conference is an opportunity to meet representatives of industry, technology industry and scientific community. The exchange of experiences, discussions in debates and behind-the-scenes talks allow us to develop new solutions for companies and set development directions for many entrepreneurs. During this year’s debates, the discussion was dominated by the topic of Industry 5.0.
"The term "Industry 5.0" refers to the European Commission initiative presented in 2021, which aims to shape a new generation of industry oriented to the implementation of key global social and environmental needs" - explained Dr Eng. Andrzej Soldaty, director of the Industry 4.0 Centre at the Silesian University of Technology, who participated in the conference. “By creating and delivering value, the industry will pursue its mission to respect the capabilities of our planet and put employee well-being at the heart of the manufacturing process. There is therefore a significant shift from productivity, which was the focus of the four consecutive industrial revolutions, including Industry 4.0, toward social and environmental goals. In response to the question of whether Poland is ready to introduce such changes on the industrial market, Dr Soldaty said he believes that this will be a great breakthrough for entrepreneurs who need to change the way they think about business. The experience of the Industry 4.0 Centre in cooperation with the market confirms that entrepreneurs are aware of these requirements and are preparing to meet them.
Young entrepreneurs will also have to take into account the change of attitude toward issues related to the use of artificial intelligence. Each time such a change should be subject to consultation with the public that will use the technology, but also with the employees who will operate the technology.
“One of the themes of Industry 5.0 is the social responsibility of using technology. We, already implementing the concept of Industry 4.0, as scientists of the Silesian University of Technology, put at the centre of new human technologies, among others promoting each new technological solution, informing what it brings with it, what benefits and possible threats - explained Dr Hab. Eng. Anna Timofiejczuk , Prof. of Silesian University of Technology, who coordinated test studies of the autonomous minibus at the Silesian University of Technology. “It was an example of how to prepare society for the advent of new technological solutions,” she added.
According to Dr Hab. Eng. Paweł Kasprowski, Prof. SUT, Coordinator of the Priority Research Area POB2 – Artificial Intelligence and Data Processing at the Silesian University of Technology, education of the society will be an important element of the concept of Industry 5.0.
“It is not that we will suddenly stop using machines, robots and artificial intelligence algorithms, but rather focus on the fact that, since we already have such technological solutions, we should teach society how to use these possibilities, how to apply them,” explained Prof. Kasprowski. The role of the Silesian University of Technology is to promote knowledge about technological solutions also among groups that do not have an engineering or technical background. Therefore, it will be important to cooperate, which representatives of various humanistic, social, medical, and technical environments should start to create. – When creating any technological solution for a group of people, e.g. for metallurgy, we should consult with metallurgists already at the design stage – added Prof. Kasprowski.
These challenges were discussed both during debates and in the backstage, among others at the Silesian University of Technology stand.
We are here to share our knowledge and experience. At the conference there are industrial giants on the market, led by Siemens or Tauron, who talk about the challenges that appear on the market. For us, it is an indication of the direction in which we should go as the Silesian University of Technology, what research we should conduct – said Dr Hab. Eng. Marcin Staniek, Prof. SUT, Vice Rector for Collaboration with Civic and Economic Environment of the Silesian University of Technology “Among the new fields of study that our scientists can talk about and have experience in this area are topics related to artificial intelligence, creating digital twins or cyberthreats,” he added.
Such cooperation is already happening. It is run by both the Centre of Industry 4.0 of the Silesian University of Technology and the Centre of Cybersecurity of the Silesian University of Technology.
On October 17, the NIS-2 Directive enters into force, which requires many companies to implement new cybersecurity regulations. We share our knowledge in the field of OT and IoT, segmentation, we are available in advisory, operational and audit scope – said Dr Eng. Jarosław Homa, Deputy Director of the Centre for Cybersecurity of the Silesian University of Technology.
The Silesian University of Technology gave a clear signal that the scientists of our University are ready to cooperate in many areas related to the challenges posed by the idea of Industry 5.0 proposed by the European Commission. The role of the University is also to prepare students for new challenges on the labour market.
“So far, there has been a lot of talk about digitalisation, an industry that is highly automated and robotic, but unfortunately, the human being and his role in this process have been forgotten. And without a human, this system will not work,” said Prof. Bożena Skołud, Vice-Rector for General Affairs of the Silesian University of Technology.
The professor pointed out the role of education in this area. “We need to convince young people to study in technical fields, because they will provide them with good jobs in the future,” added Professor Bożena Skołud.
However, as the Vice-Rector emphasizes, the so-called soft skills are equally important as hard competences. "We often talk about technical and digital competences, and they are undoubtedly necessary. However, we need to put more emphasis on soft skills, i.e. teamwork, cognitive science, so that people can talk to others, solve tasks in a group or work on projects. I believe that these competences need to be particularly developed today - emphasized the professor.
The New Industry 4.0 conference brought together about a thousand participants.
photo Maciej Mutwil, editorial cooperation: Jolanta Skwaradowska
