This article outlines what Industry 4.0 means to Canterbury Christ Church University. There are nine technologies that support the Industry 4.0 concept which are recognised by industry as the foundations that are enabling this new revolution to flourish.

Industry 4.0 and Engineering

Businesses need a long term approach to take advantage of the benefits that are provided through the underpinning Industry 4.0 technologies. This will enable them to remain relevant and competitive in their market, and Christ Church will provide Engineering graduates to the workforce who will able to solve problems using these technologies.

Christ Church graduate engineers will help fill the projected skills gap and have the knowledge and expertise to operate in a world where Industry 4.0 is increasingly becoming the recognised approach to manufacturing. The projects that these engineers are likely to work on will rely on the ability to combine multiple technologies that result in new ways to drive efficiency and cost savings, and increase responsiveness to the changing demands of the economy.

The Nine Underpinning Technologies of Industry 4.0

The following list of technologies, and their descriptions, were originally detailed by The Boston Consultancy Group, in their report titled Industry 4.0: The Future of Productivity and Growth in Manufacturing Industries (Gerbert et al, 2015).

• Additive Manufacturing
• Cybersecurity
• Augmented Reality
• Autonomous Robots
• Big Data
• Cloud Computing
• Cybersecurity
• Internet of Things
• Simulation
• Systems Integration

More about the Engineering at CCCU

You can find more details about Engineering and it’s arrival at CCCU by visiting www.canterbury.ac.uk/engineering.