The utopias of classic science fiction, which predicted that robots would facilitate and boost many of the tasks of human beings, have long been a reality. Today, automation, robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and, in general, a wide variety of Industry 4.0 technologies are fundamental in many processes of manufacturing products and providing services that we use every day. This is also a sector that decisively encourages progress and economic and social growth.
From April 18 to 20, Advanced Factories returns to Barcelona, ​​a benchmark event in industrial automation and robotics in southern Europe which, in this seventh edition, is loaded with novelties. First of all, it locates its location in Fira de Barcelona – Gran VÃa, which will allow it to offer all attendees more than 30,000 square meters of innovation. In addition, it will be held simultaneously with AMT – Advanced Machine Tools, a new biennial event dedicated to innovation in the machine tool sector.
Exceeding forecasts, Advanced Factories and AMT will bring together more than 30,000 professionals interested in learning about the latest solutions in the industrial sector that will be presented by more than 500 exhibiting firms, focusing on such outstanding sections as industrial automation, robotics, additive manufacturing, vision technology, the digital twin (that is, the virtual replicas created in the image and likeness of a given product), data analytics, cybersecurity, 5G, the IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things), the cloud (services in the cloud) and the industrial field.
There will also be interesting developments in machine learning, AI, integrated production systems, energy efficiency solutions, ERP software (enterprise resource planning system), MES (manufacturing execution system) or PLC (or programmable logic controller), as well like all 4.0 technologies associated with digital manufacturing. In total, more than 700 different innovations will be presented by leading firms such as Accenture, Beckhoff, Becolve Digital, Eurecat, HP, Inetum, Invelon, Schneider Electric, Mitsubishi Electric, Murrelektronik, Phoenix Contact, Bosch Rexroth, Siemens, Sothis, T-Systems, Tecnalia and Telefónica Tech, among many others.
This event is not only a magnificent opportunity to discover all the innovations in the industrial field, but also offers, thanks to the Industry 4.0 Congress, more than 100 hours of technology transfer and knowledge through four thematic axes: automation and robotics; connectivity and “servitizationâ€; data analytics and new business models; and new manufacturing processes. In addition, it has an agenda designed for each segment of the industry, with forums dedicated to health
This is not all: the congress will reschedule the Plant Managers Summit, especially dedicated to all plant managers in industrial factories, and the Industrial Artificial Intelligence Forum, focused primarily on publicizing the opportunities that this outstanding technology offers to the sector. For another year, the CIO’S Summit, the National Congress of Industrial Estate Managers, and the Industrial Cybersecurity Forum will also take place.
In total, there will be more than 380 experts who will address how the use of automation, robotics, AI and technologies such as virtual reality, artificial vision or the digital twin are key to improving the efficiency of industrial plants. Among them, we find professionals of the stature of Rosa Nieto, director of technical services at Enagás; Xavier Sala i MartÃn, professor at Columbia University; Alicia AsÃn, CEO and founder of Libelium; Cristina Periago, Human Factors Specialist at IDIADA; o Daniel Sánchez, responsible for process improvement, industrial transformation and change management at Cepsa.
Other notable speakers such as Iratxe MartÃn, head of innovation and technology projects at the Basque Cybersecurity Center will also share with the attendees the best practices, success stories and projects to boost the industry’s competitiveness; Guillermo Dorronsoro, Management Board Advisor of Zabala Innovation; or Xavier Pujol, CEO of Reibus, among many others. In addition, the industrial experiences of brands such as Nippon Gases, Canmartex, Nestlé, Sanofi, Cepsa, Motocono, Antolin, Familia MartÃnez, Seat Componentes, Dicomol, Premo Group, and BSH Electrodomésticos will be announced.
Advanced Factories offers the opportunity to establish synergies, find partners and create alliances, thanks to events such as the Leadership Summit or the Factories of the Future Awards 2023. It is also worth noting the technological tours, jointly designed by PIMEC (Small and Medium Enterprises of Catalunya) and AER (Spanish Association of Robotics and Automation), for SMEs to discover the latest techniques in advanced production. The Industry Startup Forum, for its part, will allow startups with the most innovative solutions for the industry to present their projects in front of industry leaders and investors.
For the first time, EIT Manufacturing, the largest innovation community in the European industry, will organize a conference that will serve to connect startups with large corporations to show technologies and solutions that help promote a more competitive and sustainable industry. For its part, ACCIÓ (Agency for Business Competitiveness) will hold the Open Innovation Challenge, an activity aimed at technology providers in which corporations such as Estabanell, Argal, Comforsa, Coty and Celsa Group will propose different challenges that require 4.0 technology. for your resolution.
In short, it will be three days dedicated to covering all facets of an industry in constant evolution and growth; In fact, only last year, according to the IRF (International Federation of Robotics), the increase in the installation of robots grew by 31% worldwide. As Salvador Giró, president of Advanced Factories and AER, explains, what truly marks competitiveness in the sector today is no longer cheap labor, but “production processes based on automation and robotics”. In addition, the most advanced countries in this field, “are those with the least unemployment” -he adds-, which confirms that technology not only does not have to reduce jobs, but rather, quite the contrary, is an essential factor of social and economic revitalization.
