INDUSTRY WATCH
Perhaps
understandably,
in conditions of
muted economic
growth and
uncertainty, CFOs
and CEOs who
may not yet fully
comprehend the
advantages of
Industry 4.0 are
reluctant to make
the necessary
investments.
industrialisation that is evident in
more advanced economies such
as Germany, where the notion of
Industry 4.0 was born.”
The Deloitte study identified
connectivity and accessibility as
key prohibitive factors for a slow
adoption of Industry 4.0 in Africa.
Deloitte’s Africa Manufacturing
& Automotive Leader, Karthi
Pillay also assigned this to a
“general reluctance to invest in
new knowledge and technologies
within government and industry,
as the current economic
environment forces South African
manufacturers to save costs first
and spend less on innovation.”
Carpenter listed education and
skills as major factors attributing
to the slow uptake in Africa,
because “Industry 4.0 is a STEM-
heavy environment”. He also
believes that “CIOs are most
concerned about cost – whereas
there should be a stronger focus
on value.”
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INTELLIGENTCIO
Preparing for a ‘smart’ future
Commenting on Deloitte’s 2016
report, Pillay said: “The majority of
our interviewees believe that Industry
4.0 will have a strong impact in the
coming years on Africa and the
South African manufacturing industry
in particular.
“At the moment, however,
manufacturing in South Africa is
going backwards in its percentage
contribution to GDP. The question we
have to ask ourselves at this moment
in time is, do we continue on this
path of deindustrialisation without
complementing it with Industry 4.0, or
do we try to reverse the decline? If it
is to be the latter, then it will require a
getting together of the right minds to
define where manufacturing is going
in South Africa.”
Mark McCallum, CTO & Head of
Solutions, sub-Saharan Africa, Orange
Business Services believes that
Industry 4.0 in Africa is coming fast
and will continue picking up speed:
“As technology and solution providers
lower the cost of entry and improve
services reach and availability then
the adoption path becomes easier
and timed shorter.”
In the meantime, he offers the
following steps for organisations
looking to prepare themselves for a
‘smart’ future:
•
•
•
•
Implementing the bimodal
approach whereby new
technologies and digital
are brought in in parallel
for a scaled and phased
approach to the adoption of
these technologies
Structuring a well-defined
strategy to implementation
and show benefits to business
Capitalise on new and lower
cost connectivity technologies
Limiting continued use of
proprietary solutions and
services, which lock
organisations into their
current path
www.intelligentcio.com
www.intelligentcio.com
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