CHAPTER 2

ENGINEERING
CHALLENGE IN
GLOBALIZATION

Prepared By Samsiah Shaaban

ENGINEERS ROLES IN INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
4.0

• The role of the engineer is presently redefined by the rapid and very
much disruptive emergence of the fourth industrial revolution, asserts
professor anthony guo, head of school of engineering at monash
university malaysia.
• The fourth industrial revolution, also referred to as the industrial 4.0 or
4IR, was sparked by the steady development of the internet. This has
been leapfrogged further by cloud technology, which is connecting the
world and driving a shared economy.
• “Previously, the internet could only be connected through personal
computers. People would have to sit at their desktops,” professor guo
explained. “Today, you can access it from anywhere, as long as you’ve
got a mobile device such as your smartphones or tablets. This
technology is also getting more powerful every day, rapidly changing
the way we do things - either in daily life, or at the workplace”
What does this mean for graduates looking to carve out
specialised career paths in the engineering sector?
Opportunities abound! Engineering graduates can get involved
in the nine pillars within INDUSTRY 4.0

• BIG DATA
• AUGMENTED REALITY
• SIMULATION
• INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT)
• SYSTEM INTEGRATION
• ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING (3D PRINTING)
• AUTONOMOUS SYSTEM
• CLOUD COMPUTING
• CYBERSECURITY
• “The train has extended to many sophisticated industries such as
healthcare and even aerospace,” professor guo said. “With a new
generation of 3D printing, for example, people are now able to
manufacture a turbine blade or a complex structure like a single turbine
engine. With big data, optimisation, and decentralised facilities,
manufacturing can be open, on demand, low-cost, short-cycle, high
yield, among others. Technology will definitely make a great impact on
the manufacturing industry.”

• Thanks to intelligent systems and robotics, much of the work that is

essentially 3d (dirty, dangerous, and difficult) can be taken over from
humans, leaving them to pursue other creative activities to expand the
industry.
 So what does it mean, then, to be an engineer today, and
tomorrow?
• “Fundamentally, the role of the engineer remains the same, which is to
provide technological solutions to issues and problems faced in society.
On top of mastering essential knowledge and skills in their chosen
disciplines, they should be creative and critical thinkers. They must also
be able to evolve and change to fit with the needs and demands of
industry trends,” professor guo asserted.
• In the future, it would no longer just be about solving problems for
components; instead, the focus will be on intersectionality, by way of
overviewing and connecting systems. “Engineering will be about
connecting machines and assembly lines together through cloud
technology. Our students will thus need to master the [essential]
knowledge, ensuring that their skills remain current,” he added.
• Monash malaysia’s school of engineering currently offers five different
disciplines: civil, chemical, electrical computer system, mechanical, and
mechatronics, in addition to software engineering. While monash
engineering prepare graduates with work-ready skills and professional
practices, it is working to update and revamp the curriculum. This will
enable students to be equipped with the necessary skills for key
enabling technologies related to industry 4.0
• Being literate in computing and coding, in particular, improves future
career prospects drastically. Professor guo says, “we feel that mastering
the key enabling technologies is becoming an essential skill today for
future engineers, who will be able to apply them and create solutions for
complex problems in their disciplines. It is becoming as important as
mathematics, design and communication skills.”
BEYOND TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE

• Having knowledge of important theories and practical cues by heart is not

enough for a graduate to excel at the workplace. It is also important for
students to get involved in activities, to develop and sharpen their soft skills.
• At the school of engineering, students can volunteer in student-led groups
such as engineers without borders. The active student chapter has been
contributing their knowledge to improve systems for communities living in
rural areas, among others. Working collaboratively with external
organisations, students are able to think outside-the-box, and develop
solutions to solve real-time development problems. The engineering and IT
leadership program is another initiative where interested students are trained
with 12 months experiential learning, not only on intrapersonal and
interpersonal, but also on team-building and leadership skills, culminating
with a project.
• ULTIMATELY, IT’S ABOUT CULTIVATING THEIR ABILITY TO
WORK NOT ONLY IN INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS BUT
ALSO IN A MULTIRACIAL, MULTICULTURAL SETTINGS
SOCIETY. “THEY NEED TO MANAGE PROJECTS, PEOPLE AND
RELATIONS, AS WELL AS NAVIGATE CRISES AND BE
SENSITIVE TO THE NEEDS OF OTHER PEOPLE. HOW DO YOU
DEAL WITH PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT CULTURES WHO
HAVE DIFFERENT NEEDS AND HABITS? THESE ARE SOME
QUESTIONS WHICH NEED TO BE ADDRESSED IN AN
INCLUSIVE AND ENGAGING WAY” THE PROFESSOR ADDED.
• The school is also highly committed to providing outstanding student
experience outside of their curriculum. “Our students are encouraged
and given the support to participate in various external design
competitions. Some competitions they have excelled at include the
annual shell eco-marathon and the icheme competition,” he shared.

• In layman’s term, the school of engineering hopes to produce graduates

who are, not only useful to society and of good character, but also with
aspiration.” What does the term entails? “It means that our students
must have aspirations to contribute to society, and not be afraid to take
up leadership roles to drive the change for a better world,” professor
guo contended.
 PILLARS OF IR 4.0

Standard Organizations Lists For Industry-4.0

Below Are The Lists of Organizations Who Are Providing Support and Control
The Industry 4.0 All Over The World In Present Days..They Are..

1.MESA
2.ISA
• While the first industrial revolution was ushered in by steam, the fourth
industrial revolution is being fueled by digital transformation. With the
increased adoption of technologies such as cloud computing,
augmented reality (ar), and the internet of things (iot), the world of
manufacturing is rapidly changing.
• As more smart technologies are implemented into manufacturing
systems and processes, there is room for enormous potential. Connected
machines will interact, visualize the production chain, and make
decisions automatically and autonomously.
• There are nine main pillars of the fourth industrial revolution, also
referred to as industry 4.0. These pillars outline the new technology
manufacturers are using to improve all areas of production processes.
Whether you work in the manufacturing industry or not, it is imperative
to familiarize yourself with these pillars, as they are expected to have a
widespread impact across all industries and society as a whole.
1. THE INTERNET OF THINGS
*****************************
• THE INTERNET OF THINGS refers to the networking and connectivity
of smart devices. when you think of iot, devices such as smartphones,
tablets, and laptops are usually top of mind. however, also think of
wearables, cars, and any machine or device that allows the transmission
of data, even our refrigerators.
• In the world of manufacturing, this technology is often referred to as the
industrial internet of things (iiot). manufacturers are attaching sensors to
machines and other physical assets on the plant floor to collect data
which influences decisions real time and leads to increased efficiency
and productivity.
2. AUGMENTED REALITY
************************
• Augmented Reality (ar) displays digital content in the real word through a device, such
as a mobile phone or special eyeglasses. there are a number of different uses for this
technology in the manufacturing industry, such as:
• SAFETY TRAINING: new hires are often unfamiliar with the protocols, equipment,
and procedures on the plant floor. in order to prevent safety instances, it’s vital to
provide inexperienced personnel with training as soon, and as often, as possible. with the
use of ar, they can receive text overlays and other digital information to help them
understand what is happening on the floor without requiring additional resources or
production stops.
• STREAMLINED LOGISTICS: in fulfillment centers and warehouses, manual checks
are required for most orders and shipments. with ar, this process becomes automated
reducing errors, saving time, money and resources.
• MAINTENANCE: maintenance crews save time and eliminate guesswork by using ar
devices to provide information about equipment, such as, preventative maintenance
schedules, potential issues, and the service history of the machine.
3. SIMULATION
******************
• simulations leverage real-time data to reflect the physical world of
product development and production processes in a virtual
environment. these models can be used to run more efficient tests so
settings and processes are optimized before production even starts,
reducing downtime and improving quality.
4. ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
*******************************
• While manufacturers are looking to expand the use of additive manufacturing in
their processes, technologies like 3D PRINTING are already playing an
important role in three key areas:
• DESIGN: design teams can experiment with creating more complex geometric
shapes and structures due to the flexibility of 3d printing technology.
• PROTOTYPING: 3d printing is often used for prototyping, accelerating design
cycles and reducing costs. companies are free to fail fast in a controlled
environment and explore multiple models before deciding on final designs.
• LOW-VOLUME PRODUCTION: when only a small amount of a product is
needed, 3d printing is the fastest and most economical production method.
5. SYSTEM INTEGRATION
***************************
• INDUSTRY 4.0 is all about improving connectivity – and not just
between machines. many manufacturing information systems are
currently not fully integrated. with improved system integration,
companies can become more interconnected both externally and
internally. this will result in an agile manufacturing environment
allowing real time production corrections and quick pivots.
6. CLOUD COMPUTING
***********************
• As the use of technology and data sharing at manufacturing
companies grows, cloud computing provides scaleable storage
and increased computing power. the cloud also improves data
accessibility and integrity, helping to eliminate data silos.
7. AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS
*****************************
• While the manufacturing industry has made
great strides when it comes to automation over
the last few years, there is still a lot of
untapped opportunity. Collaborative robots are
designed to fill the gaps between traditional
robots and human workers and open up new
areas for automation. These robots are
designed to work in ways similar to humans,
with the added ability to monitor and transmit
data.
8. CYBERSECURITY
*******************
• As connectivity increases, the risk of a
potential cyberattack grows alongside it.
Any security breach could damage
multiple areas of the business, from
supply chain to operations. It’s absolutely
critical that companies prepare and
protect their information systems and
production lines from cyberthreats.
9. BIG DATA ANALYTICS
**************************
• The common theme among all of these pillars and new
technologies is data collection and analysis. There are massive
amounts of untapped data in the manufacturing industry, and we
are just beginning to scratch the surface.
• Industry 4.0 experts have encouraged manufacturing companies
to invest not only in the technical infrastructure but also talent.
Every company is now a digital company and in order to not
only survive but thrive, the need for people with advanced data
analysis skills is critical. Analysis needs to scale across all parts
of the business from HR, sales, marketing to the manufacturing
floor. Data is disruptive, no one can accurately forecast where
the next “big idea” will emerge and how it will change our lives.
What will push us into the 5th industrial revolution?
• It’s important for manufacturers to have tools, such
as dashboards, to help them clean, organize, and visualize the
massive amount of data available. In the end, this will free up
time to analyze data, communicate insights, and optimize
inefficient processes.
ENGINEERING CHALLENGE IN
GLOBALIZATION