On February 10th, at the Cercle de Economia in Barcelona (CCIB), Advanced Factories announced the plans for its next edition, which will place artificial intelligence on the same level robotics has occupied in recent years.

The year's event will mainly serve as a gathering place for industrial CIO's, hosting both Industry Forum 4.0 for the Automotive Industry and the first National Congress of Industrial Park Managers.

 

Advanced Factories, the signature event for transforming industry and helping to improve the competitiveness of our country's industrial SMEs, will open its doors from 3 to 5 March and has recently unveiled the event's focus on main areas of innovation at the Cercle de Economia in Barcelona. Among them, the latest solutions in industrial automation, robotics, advanced manufacturing, as well as novel 4.0 technologies, such as artificial intelligence, to capture the attention and imagination of attendees. Three days in which the most significant and impactful advances slated for incorporation into production lines will be covered by topics such as digital twin replication, cybersecurity, the so-called industrial internet of things (IIoT), 3D printing and predictive maintenance. These exciting topics are all geared toward improving the productivity of industrial plants and will feature in the fourth edition of Advanced Factories, which expects to receive over 17,000 professional visitors at the CCIB.

 

After four years, Advanced Factories has consolidated itself as the signature event for professionals working in the automotive, food, aeronautics, railway, health, steel, textile and energy industries seeking the latest solutions for transforming their production facilities into 4.0 factories. "Advanced Factories helps our national industry have the opportunity to lead this technological revolution that we are experiencing," says Albert Planas, Director of the event, who went on to add: "Our goal is to expose all players to the many advantages of industrial automation, digital manufacturing and the world of Industry 4.0."

 

In the words of Matilde Villarroya,General Manager of Industry at the Generalitat de Catalunya, "Advanced Factories is the go-to event for our industry leaders to gain familiarity with the sweeping transformation now taking place and be aware of the importance of embracing this change in order to remain competitive. Sometimes it may seem that we are all quite familiar with the concept of Industry 4.0, but the truth of the matter is that there is still a long way to go. In fact, often when we talk to companies, we see that they aren't fully aware of the many advantages that Industry 4.0 can afford them, or where to start. It could be the case, without exaggerating, that those who do not catch up by moving up a notch will cease to be competitive. At Advanced Factories these companies can witness examples of success that could serve as inspiration," Villarroya goes on to say.

 

Industry 4.0 Congress: Implementation and Consolidation of Industry 4.0

With a specific agenda for every kind of professional in the field, the Industry 4.0 Congress will provide CEOs, IT managers, and plant or operations managers in each industry with the digital tools they need to boost their business. "We in a time of consolidation, no longer just talking about Revolution 4.0, rather more about the actual implementation of these new technologies", stresses Oscar Inigo, Director of the Industry 4.0 Congress. "Our conference is an event that is well prepared to serve industry and centers on providing attendees with a meaningful and practical step up", Inigo adds.

 

The event will witness the participation of over 260 international experts including Henrik von Scheel, originator of the concept of industry 4.0 and chief adviser to the government of Angela Merkel during the past decade, as well as to major German industrial corporations, whom he has helped to lead the current technological revolution and subsequent industrial transformation.

In addition to important keynote presentations, this year the organization has placed special emphasis on providing stories of successful implementations of solutions in robotics, transformation of manufacturing methods with 3D printing, project execution using artificial intelligence, and bringing products to market with IIoT solutions at dozens of major corporations, such as Nissan, Draco Systems or GSK.

The largest European conference on advanced and digital industry will feature among its latest innovations the CIO Summit for industrial technology leaders, taking advantage of the leadership they have had to show in virtualizing production lines, sensing products or protecting data and equipment from cyberattacks, topics that will also be addressed during the Industrial Cybersecurity Forum, along with the keys to elaborating plans and measures to reduce response times in the face of a cyberattack and contain the negative effects it can have on production. "The risk of a cyberattack is not just that production may halt, but that we never even learn about such attacks and end up unwittingly losing our proprietary know-how," Iñigo points out.

 

 

The Industry 4.0 Congress will also host for the first time the celebration of the first Congress of Industrial Park Managers, which will be honored with the participation of representatives from various industrial ecosystems in Spain in order to share key lessons learned and thus act as a conduit for information about intercompany innovation, SMEs, workshops and factories located within their industrial parks.

 

In addition, the Valencian Community, which has been named European Industrial Region 2020, will be the guest region for this edition of Advanced Factories, leading to the creation of an institutional and business agenda to promote technological transfer among players in the Valencian business ecosystem, and will represent the second largest such event among recent editions.

The conference has a laser-like focus on digitization, yet remains mindful of commitments to sustainability and has aligned its agenda with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals "so that all industrialists may be part of the solution to the challenges that climate change represents", added Planas.

 

An Industrial Innovation Boutique

Over 350 exhibiting firms will present their latest innovations and solutions in Industry 4.0 at Advanced Factories, such as ABB, Accenture, AMADA, Delta, HP, Infaimon, Igus, Bosch Rexroth, Schunk, Siemens, Tecnalia, T-Systems and Universal Robots, among many others.

 

Discount Pass for Advanced Factories HERE