HKPC sets up “Smart Industry One” - The first Industry 4.0 Demonstration Centre in Hong Kong

Dubbed the fourth industrial revolution, the “Industry 4.0” (i4.0) concept which advocates smart manufacturing and smart city development is in the global spotlight. To help Hong Kong industry upgrade and transform into smart enterprises, the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) today (24 August 2017) opened “Smart Industry One”, the first-of-its-kind in Hong Kong, to demonstrate the smart operation in i4.0.

Mr Nicholas W Yang, Secretary for Innovation and Technology of the HKSAR Government, was the guest-of-honour at the opening ceremony. He was accompanied by Mr Willy Lin, Chairman of HKPC; Ms Annie Choi, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology; and Mrs Agnes Mak, Executive Director of HKPC.

At the opening ceremony, Mr Yang said, “The advancement in innovative technology and Internet drives the global economy in new direction. We put forward the initiative of re-industralisation to capitalise on the solid foundation, resourceful talents and experience of our manufacturing industry to promote smart production. Many advanced economies have embraced re-industralisation as a major policy in driving new economy development. We hope that through re-industrialisation, Hong Kong's manufacturing industry will thrive again, create more quality job opportunities and expand its GDP share to a critical mass of 3-5% or higher."

Mr Lin said, “Utilizing data and network, i4.0 connects all the business processes, from market intelligence, product design, procurement, production, quality assurance, logistics to sales, enabling enterprises to provide personalized products and services quickly and efficiently. Hong Kong enterprises should formulate i4.0 strategy as soon as possible to lay the foundation for future migration. At ‘Smart Industry One’, the industry can see for themselves the core elements and operation model of i4.0. HKPC will also set up the ‘Smart Industry Consortium’ shortly to facilitate information exchange on smart industry, assisting enterprises to become smart and innovative.”

“Smart Industry One” features different demonstration zones, including display on the “Consumer-Manufacturer-Customer Cycle”; the “Control Room” which simulates the digitalized operation of a smart factory, where real-time monitoring of various intelligent systems and data analysis can be done via an integrated cyber solutions; and the intelligent and agile production cell which demonstrates the “Cyber Physical Production System” for producing personalized luggage tags as an example to address the market trend of mass customization or down to “Lot-Size-One” production.

Another highlight is the “Cyber Security Zone” which illustrates the impacts of cyber attacks to industry control system and the best practices to mitigate these threats. In addition, the “Robotics Zone” showcases various specific applications of industrial robots.

Over the years, HKPC has been assisting the industry to make the leap into i4.0 through its all-round consultancy services. In addition to helping enterprises assess their i4.0 maturity level and formulate a holistic strategic roadmap towards i4.0, HKPC has built up a pool of Fraunhofer IPT-certified trainers & experts to equip enterprises with essential knowledge and technological requirements for adopting i4.0.

Furthermore, HKPC has developed the “Smart Connect” technology to enable enterprises to realize “Internet of Things” for their existing devices with minimum hardware capital investments.

“Smart Industry One” is located at the HKPC Building. For enquiries and appointment for visit, please contact Mr Raymond Shan at tel. (852) 2788 5330 or email: raymonds@hkpc.org. For media enquiries, please contact Chloe Chau at tel. (852) 2788 6158 or email: chloechau@hkpc.org.

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Ms Justina Shum
Acting General Manager
Corporate Communication Division
Tel: (852) 2788 5895
Fax: (852) 2788 5056
Email: justina@hkpc.org
Website: www.hkpc.org

24 August 2017

Mr Nicholas W Yang, Secretary for Innovation and Technology of the HKSAR Government (2nd from right), officiates the opening of “Smart Industry One”, accompanied by Mr Willy Lin, Chairman of HKPC (2nd from left); Ms Annie Choi, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology (1st from left); and Mrs Agnes Mak, Executive Director of HKPC.

Mr Nicholas W Yang, Secretary for Innovation and Technology of the HKSAR Government (left), accompanied by Mr Willy Lin, Chairman of HKPC, learns the application of “Industry 4.0” key enabling technologies at “Smart Industry One”.

“Smart Industry One”, the first demonstration centre in Hong Kong on the operation of a smart factory in “Industry 4.0”, showcases the core elements and operation model of “Industry 4.0”. Picture shows a miniature of the centre.

The “Smart Connect” technology developed by HKPC enables enterprises to realize “Internet of Things” connectivity for their existing devices, a prerequisite for “Industry 4.0”, with minimum hardware capital investments.