| | MAY 202219of process industries like beverages, they can use these technologies to reduce unit cost through optimal use of energy at different stages of production. This calls for a more unified view of people, process, technology and data from multiple perspectives. It is important to start looking at the everyday operations with a new pair of glasses and pay attention to the minute changes. Such competency can be developed by embracing design thinking.A second competency for leveraging Industry 4.0 technologies is the ability to integrate multi-disciplinary concepts and techniques. Companies cannot afford to have large multi-disciplinary teams to address their requirement. The demand is for smaller, agile, inter-disciplinary teams. A mechanical engineer with a good understanding of a machine tool will need to have an appreciation of the sensors & controls and data management tools to define the requirement of a solution to predict and control the behavior of the machine tool. Similarly, a software engineer with good understanding of software tools will need to have the ability to understand the structure-function-behavior of the machine tool and translate the shop floor requirement into a software specification. It will be great if they can also be adept at using modeling tools like SysML that allow them to express inter-disciplinary requirements.The third competency required for Industry 4.0 is leadership. Young engineers need to develop an entrepreneurial mindset to spot business opportunities, challenge prevalent assumptions, and collaborate with experienced professionals within & outside the company to develop & implement new solutions that deliver significantly higher productivity and cost savings. Picking Academic Institutions that are Industry 4.0 ReadyAcademic institutions are yet to gear-up to this challenge. The institute rankings or placement statistics do not necessarily capture the preparedness of an institute for the three key competencies for Industry 4.0. Even in cases where new programs have been launched, curriculum changes made or labs launched in partnership with platform vendors, the learning environments and pedagogy may not have fundamentally changed to support development of these new competencies.It is important for prospective engineering students and their parents to look beyond the institute rankings and placement statistics. They need to pay attention to the finer details and everyday practices in institutions. For instance, does the curriculum enable development of these key competencies in a systematic manner over the semesters; the percentage of credits given to inter-disciplinary subjects, soft-skills, practical work and industry internships; the student-faculty ratio for these types of courses; the percentage of faculty with atleast five years of industry experience; and whether the credit system values the student's learning effort or the faculty's teaching effort. They should also try to get a glimpse of the everyday activities in the institutions by reaching-out to senior students.Despite all the analysis about institutions, the admission process and competition may lead students to institutions that may be ill-prepared. Instead of cribbing about the institution, students must be prepared to take ownership for their learning. With this perspective, they will not only be able to navigate through the institution, but also contribute to it and develop leadership qualities. Above all, Industry 4.0 is a great opportunity for young engineers to contribute to national development and developing a new India. Millennials must use it and make a difference to the society. Dr. Sudhir Varadarajan, Dean - Design, Innovation & Incubation
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