Festo and CRIQ sign an agreement to speed up Industry 4.0 initiatives in Quebec’s manufacturing sectors
By Canadian Packaging staff
General and Innovation Centre de recherche industrielle du Québec CRIQ Festo Festo Canada Industry 4.0 Quebec Provincial Ministry of Economy Science Stages of the Industrial RevolutionAgreement signed in Germany, home to the concept of Industry 4.0.
MUNICH, GERMANY—During an economic mission to Germany organized by the Quebec Provincial Ministry of Economy, Science, and Innovation, Centre de recherche industrielle du Québec (CRIQ) and internationally renowned company Festo signed an agreement to help speed up introduction of the principles of Industry 4.0 and smart factories in Québec’s manufacturing sector.
Smart factories—a core element of Industry 4.0—are characterized by continuous communication between the various tools and work stations of supply and production lines.
Under this agreement CRIQ now enjoys access to new specialized resources and to some 30,000 avant-garde automation technologies tried and tested in over 175 countries. The Festo team will collaborate with a research team from CRIQ that specializes in robotization, artificial intelligence, telematics, numerical control, production systems organization, and Big Data management.
Ultimately, this collaboration will give rise to factory technology showcases that other companies can look to for inspiration, and will breathe new life into Quebec’s industrial sector.
“This partnership is a clear commitment by CRIQ to the digital shift our Quebec companies are undertaking, and it speaks to the importance we place on the modernization of industry in our research activities,” notes Centre de recherche industrielle du Québec president and chief executive officer Denis Hardy.
For his part, Festo Canada president and chief executive officer Roger Hallett says that “Festo is delighted to have signed this collaboration agreement with Centre de recherche industrielle du Québec. In our ever-changing environment, our partnership will ensure the competitiveness of Québec’s manufacturing sector thanks to the adoption of the principles of Industry 4.0.”
Industry 4.0 owes its conceptual origins to Germany, with each “Industry” actually relating to an industrial revolution.
The first industrial revolution involved the mechanization of production using water and steam power beginning around 1760 to approximately 1820.
The second industrial revolution created mass production thanks to the introduction of electric power, and is generally acknowledged to have been between 1870 and 1914 when World War I began.
The third industrial revolution is the digital revolution and involves the use of electronics and IT (information technology) to increase automated production—its dates are more fluid, some say the 1950s to anywhere in the 1970s as a starting point, with its end-point coming at the end of the 20th Century.
Industry 4.0 is the term coined for the fourth industrial revolution and refers to a trend in automation and data exchange in the manufacturing technologies. Wikipedia says it includes cyber-physical systems, the Internet of things and cloud computing.
About CRIQ
For over 45 years, the mission of Centre de recherche industrielle du Québec (CRIQ) has been to make Québec industry more competitive and boost growth by supporting innovation, productivity, and exports, as well as fostering partnerships to improve products and services. With over 200 employees, and labs in Québec City and Montréal, CRIQ carries out close to 2,000 projects each year. More information at www.criq.qc.ca.
About Festo
Headquartered in Germany, Festo is a globally-renowned supplier of industrial automation technologies and education systems. Its 16,200 employees are committed to ensuring its customers enjoy optimal productivity and competitiveness. Every year Festo provides 10,000 customized solutions to manufacturing companies, and its 30,000 plus products are available in over 175 countries. See www.festo.com for more information.
Photo data: Signing of the CRIQ-Festo agreement shows Festo Canada president and chief executive officer Roger Hallett (left) and Centre de recherche industrielle du Québec president and chief executive officer Denis Hardy.
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