DTI pushes for smarter manufacturing

DEPARTMENT of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez is calling on manufacturing firms to innovate and go into digital transformation, to be ahead of the curve and be competitive.

Lopez cited the accelerating pace of technology solutions in the 4th industrial revolution (4IR) that companies must adopt.

In a meeting with Siemens Philippines President and CEO Joseph Jorel Nuyda last 31 July, Secretary Lopez invited Siemens to be a digital transformation partner to help provide digital solutions to manufacturing firms in the Philippines.

“DTI is committed to continuously increase the manufacturing industry’s contribution to the GDP. Any company that you help will be an addition to the industry’s growth.  Just like in Singapore, we can consider technology providers like Siemens as a digital transformation partner that will inspire a digital revolution in the Philippines, one company at a time,” Lopez said.

Siemens, an industrial conglomerate that focuses on electrification, automation and digitalization, established its first fully integrated Digitalization Hub in Singapore in 2017. Supported by the Singaporean government, the Hub brings Siemens’ expertise and innovations in the Internet of Things to support digitalization efforts of companies in Southeast Asia’s urban infrastructure, industry, energy and healthcare sectors.

For the Philippine food and beverage industry, the company devised a “Digital Factory” that simulates machines and plants in a digital platform. This helps factory managers remotely monitor their production and find ways to streamline their business. The concept can be adapted to other industries.

Instead of physical models and tests, companies can also use artificial intelligence to create a “digital twin” of a product and conduct tests virtually. This reduces the cost of and wastage of material needed to make models and tests.

Sec. Lopez invited the company to present their technology at the upcoming Inclusive Innovation Conference 2019 on September 23, themed “Bridging the Transformation Divide: Fostering Regional Inclusive Innovation Centers and Startup Ecosystems.”

DTI, the Board of Investments (BOI) in collaboration with the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC)-Berlin, and Siemens also agreed to explore on collaborating to produce a Philippine Roadmap that focuses on smart manufacturing. While the initial identified areas for participation in the roadmap included rail, intelligent transport systems, future grid, and building technology, a composite team from BOI provided inputs that would possibly focus the roadmap in upscaling the Philippine manufacturing sector through promoting the benefits of Industry 4.0 among local industries.

Sec. Lopez also asked the company to provide insights on the Philippine e-vehicle industry roadmap being crafted by the DTI. The DTI’s goal is to set up the necessary infrastructure and incentives to make e-vehicles a viable choice for Filipinos.