By Dr Troy Coyle, HERA CEO
I previously shared the findings of HERA’s 2021 research report, with research conducted by BERL. It established the potential economic impact of Industry 4.0 uptake in the New Zealand construction sector could be as much as $8 billion over the next five years.
The potential for individual businesses and the wider industry is clear – if we can take advantage of digital and data-driven technologies. At HERA, we are focusing on tools and methodologies to help members and other manufacturing organisations with their transition to Industry 4.0.
As a starting point, we use the SIRI Assessment. SIRI, short for Smart Industry Readiness Index, is an Industry 4.0-focused global assessment scheme which uses benchmarks for 12 different manufacturing industries.
Developed out of Singapore and now available in New Zealand, we know over 300 companies worldwide – and multiple manufacturers such as Red Steel in New Zealand – have used the SIRI Assessment to formally evaluate their facilities and processes and kick-start their Industry 4.0 transformation.
It is designed to establish where a company should invest to progress innovation within the Industry 4.0 context.
HERA’s SIRI Assessment takes 1.5 days, and is done by the company with the support of an assessor as a guide or facilitator. The objective is that the organisation’s leadership and relevant internal experts have buy-in and commit the necessary resources to complete the assessment.
A company can then build their holistic innovation roadmap – from management to products, processes, R&D, and integration with suppliers and customers – to achieve company-wide improvements and efficiencies.
For HERA as an industry body, this also gives us a picture of where Aotearoa’s industry is in relation to global standards. New Zealand companies tend to cover a wide spectrum of industry 4.0 maturity, with some advanced in innovation (such as many fabricators) and others still in relative infancy.
What they have in common is that without an innovation roadmap, there is a risk of being left behind; something the assessment addresses by giving companies a view of where they are and where they can go next.
If you’re interested to learn more about the SIRI Assessment, how to access it or the additional support HERA offers, get in touch with the team: https://www.hera.org.nz/industry40/ .
Dr Troy Coyle brings more than 20 years’ experience in innovation management across a range of industries including materials science, medical radiation physics, biotechnology, sustainable building products, renewable energy, and steel. She is a scientist with a PhD (University of NSW) with training in journalism and communications.