The Australian Advanced Manufacturing Council will be part of a new Prime Ministerial taskforce to help drive common standards for the industrial internet.
The “PM’s Industry 4.0 Taskforce”, led by Siemens Australia Chairman and CEO, Jeff Connolly, will take part this week in roundtable discussions at the world’s largest industrial fair, Hannover Messe. The discussions are expected to build on conversations begun in March between the world’s two industrial giants, the United States and Germany.
Chairman of the AAMC, Mr John Pollaers, said: “The establishment of the PM’s Industry 4.0 Taskforce puts Australia at the head table – it crucially links us into the international collaboration on global standards for the industrial internet.
“A prosperous Australia depends on supplying high value solutions to the world, using state of the art processes,” he said.
“Australian companies must be globally competitive and actively engaged in multinational supply chains. And to do that we need to be at the forefront of developing and using cutting edge technologies. “
In early March this year, the German Plattform Industrie 4.0 group and the US Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) – two independent standards bodies for the industrial internet – announced collaboration to set global standards for the “Internet of Things”.
The combined strengths of both IIC and Plattform Industrie 4.0 will substantially help to pave the way for development of a digitalised economy for international businesses.
The PM’s Taskforce includes the following members:
- John Pollaers, Chairman AAMC (represented in Germany by Jennifer Conley, Executive Director, AAMC)
- Stephen Durkin, CEO Engineers Australia
- Keith McLean, CSIRO Manufacturing Flagship Director
- John Ruthven, President and Managing Director SAP Australia and New Zealand
- Professor Aleksandar Subic, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (R&D), Swinburne University of Technology
The Australian Industry Group welcomed the formation of the group and the appointment of partner organization, the AAMC. “Australia’s involvement, through the Taskforce, in building cooperation on global standards for the Industrial Internet of Things is important,” Ai Group Chief Executive, Innes Willox, said. “We need to ensure technology choices are simplified and that they are broadly accessible – to encourage and enhance global interoperability for our predominantly small and medium sized companies.”
The Prime Minister’s Industry 4.0 Taskforce enters the roundtable discussions this week at the world’s largest industrial trade event, Hannover Messe, in Germany.