Smart Cities and Sustainability
Published on : Tuesday 07-06-2022
The recently released 2022 Manufacturing Industry Outlook by Deloitte makes interesting observations, with five manufacturing industry trends to watch.
The first among these five concerns the current talent scarcity, which is critical to the future of work as record numbers of unfilled jobs are likely to limit higher productivity and growth in 2022. While this is more about the developed economies in general and the US in particular, skills shortage that leaves unfilled vacancies amid rising unemployment is a reality confronting most nations, including our own. As automation and digitalisation is causing a massive disruption in manufacturing, a lot of jobs are being eliminated, but those created by the same disruptive forces do not have enough skilled workers to fill. This is a gap that needs to be addressed urgently. Even without such disruption, the manufacturing sector was not attracting the best talent. The silver lining is, with the changing job profile, the sector is likely to attract the more skilled.
The other positive thing for manufacturing in general is that the sector is booming. German company Jungheinrich AG, one of the world's most successful intralogistics companies, recently held the groundbreaking ceremony for a new plant in the Czech Republic. “We are building one of the world's most modern manufacturing facilities for forklift trucks in Chomutov, taking our production to the next level," said Sabine Neuß, Member of the Board of Management at the company. Similarly, NORD Drivesystems, another German company and a leading manufacturer of energy efficient motors and drive solutions is expanding its site in Aurich, Germany, in view of the massive demand for customised configured devices. The point to note in both these examples is these are highly advanced products catering to the needs of the factories of the future and the attendant supply chains. As India embarks on its own drive to boost its manufacturing prowess, the focus must firmly be on high technology.
The theme of the Cover Story in this edition of Industrial Automation is Renewable Energy & Sustainability – with special focus on Smart Cities & Electric Mobility. The world is facing a cyclical energy crisis presently that has affected large parts including China, India, Europe and Brazil. What started with contracting demand for energy during the Covid pandemic has had a domino effect, complicated by coal shortages and the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Smart cities, with their emphasis on electric mobility and decentralised grids can provide a solution in a world where rapid urbanisation is changing centuries old lifestyles. Going forward, smart cities with emphasis on sustainability and smart mobility solutions can help make sustainable energy as a service model.
