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Volumen 2 (4): 159-165. Octubre-Diciembre 2019 https://doi.org/10.37636/recit.v24159165.

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Conditions for the Development of Industry 4.0 from the

Human Capital Technological Competences Perspective

Condiciones para el desarrollo de la industria 4.0 desde la perspectiva de

competencias tecnológicas del capital humano

Avitia Carlos Patricia , Morales García Carlos Gerardo, Rodríguez Verduzco José Luis , Rodríguez

Tapia Bernabe , Candolfi Arballo Norma

Facultad de Ciencias de la Ingeniería y Tecnología, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Blvd.

Universitario 1000. Unidad Valle de las Palmas, Tijuana, Baja California. C.P. 21500

Autor de correspondencia: Patricia Avitia Carlos, Facultad de Ciencias de la Ingeniería y Tecnología, Universidad

Autónoma de Baja California, Blvd. Universitario 1000. Unidad Valle de las Palmas, Tijuana, Baja California. C.P. 21500.

Correo electrónico: patricia_avitia@uabc.edu.mx. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9448-7558.

Recibido: 20 de Mayo del 2019 Aceptado: 13 Octubre del 2019 Publicado: 30 de Octubre del 2019

Resumen. - La denominada Industria 4.0 sustenta su aparición y crecimiento en el empleo de técnicas de inteligencia

artificial para el desarrollo de sistemas de producción cuya capacidad, eficiencia y adaptabilidad rebasen el desempeño de

los sistemas actuales basados en computadora. La manufactura inteligente corresponde entonces a la digitalización e

interconexión de dispositivos para la construcción de líneas de producción y proveeduría que compartan un flujo continuo

de información. Esta revolución involucra el desarrollo de tecnologías tales como el Internet de las cosas, la analítica de

datos y los cibersistemas con aprendizaje de máquina, entre otros. El desarrollo y sostenimiento de estos sistemas de

manufactura avanzada representan un área de oportunidad para el crecimiento de la competitividad tecnológica de las

economías regionales. Existen, sin embargo, necesidades formativas entre los profesionales de Ingeniería para el desarrollo

de competencias tecnológicas específicas; así como de condiciones generales para el establecimiento de redes de innovación

entre academia y sector productivo. El presente trabajo realiza, mediante el empleo de técnicas bibliográficas, una revisión

de la literatura desarrollada en torno a la industria 4.0. Como resultado, presenta una revisión de las tendencias

tecnológicas involucradas y discute el papel de las instituciones de educación superior en el desarrollo de capital humano

competitivo. Se observan además múltiples áreas de oportunidad en el mediano y largo plazo para reforzar los programas

de colaboración entre la universidad y la industria relacionados con esta adopción.

Palabras clave: Industria 4.0; Capital humano; Competencias tecnológicas; Educación superior; Redes de innovación.

Abstract. - The so-called Industry 4.0 supports its emergence and growth in the use of artificial intelligence techniques

for the development of production systems whose capacity, efficiency and adaptability exceed the performance of current

computer-based systems. Intelligent manufacturing corresponds to the digitization and interconnection of devices for the

construction of production and supply chains that share a continuous flow of information. This revolution involves the

development of technologies such as the Internet of Things, data analytics and cyber-systems aligned with machine learning,

among others. The development and sustainability of these advanced manufacturing systems represent an area of opportunity

for the growth of the technological competitiveness of regional economies. There are, however, training needs among

engineering professionals for the development of specific updated technological competences; as well as a need of general

conditions for the establishment of innovation networks between academia and the productive sector. This paper uses

bibliographic techniques to examine existing literature and conducts a review on Industry 4.0. As a result, it presents an

overview of the related technological trends and discuss the role of higher education institutions in the development of

competitive human capital. There are also multiple areas of opportunity in the medium and long term to strength university-

industry collaboration programs related to this adoption.

Keywords: Industry 4.0; Human capital; Technological competences; Higher education; Innovation networks.

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1. Introduction

The economic and social relevance of industrial

revolutions lies in the fact that they not only

technically modify the means of production, but

also produce a social impact; which is located

primarily in the labor market and the education

system. As a result of the changes generated by

these revolutions, some jobs and professions

disappear as they become obsolete, while new

jobs are emerging [1-2]. At the labor level, there

is a need to strengthen specific technological

competences in human capital, as well as to

develop other emerging ones.

Industrial revolutions are identified as those

disruptive changes that modify the goods

production systems, market dynamics and

organization labor. These changes have

happened during the last two centuries as a result

of a technological evolution. Thus, the first

industrial revolution was the result of the

introduction of steam engines in the

manufacturing factories; the second arose from

the use of electricity to develop technologies of

mass production with the consequent division of

labor; the third revolution used electronics and

information technologies to develop greater

automation of manufacturing [1,3-5]. On the

other hand, the use of the Internet and various

techniques of artificial intelligence places us

now before a fourth industrial revolution, which

has been called Industry 4.0 (I4.0).

We find that under the term I4.0 several

intelligent technologies are included, which

together affect the product manufacturing value

chain; through the automation of production

systems, the interconnectivity of digital devices,

the flexibilization of manufacturing processes

and, in general, the existing information

communication and treatment among the

different company levels and even outside it.

This fourth industrial revolution has also been

constituted as a strategy for technological and

economic competitiveness, sponsored by

government agencies in various countries and

devoted to the development of advanced

manufacturing industry; among which are

Germany (Industry 4.0), the United States

(Nationwide Network for Manufacturing

Innovation), China (Made in China 2025),

France (La Nouvelle France Industrielle) and

India (Make in India), among others [3,6-8].

The competition that countries such as China

and India represent to manufacturing industries

has forced developed countries to focus more on

innovation, added value and services. Their

companies are more willing to introduce new

technologies that improve quality, make

resources more efficient, reduce risks and allow

them to remain competitive in the market. On

the contrary, those companies that do not face

technological challenges will also experience

challenges to introduce new products and

services, innovation and business models [9].

The present work realizes a revision of the

technological competitions required in the

human capital, from the emergent technologies

that integrate the Industry 4.0; to explore the

companies’ competitive path for its

establishment. An exploratory review of

technologies, the suggested competencies and

the role of higher education institutions is made.

The experiences collected point to the need to

establish collaborations between the

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government-industry-university and the

construction of specialized ecosystems that

endow the value chain with human talent.

2. Methodology

A qualitative exploratory study is carried out.

The Narrative Literature Review method is

used, which consists in the completion of a

narrative synthesis of previously published

information that allows conclusions about the

topic of interest to be drawn [10].

The main objective was to review existing

literature and case studies, to extract and

compare theories about the works’ future as well

as the required personnel competencies within

the framework of Industry 4.0. Provided that in

a Narrative Literature Review one of the

possible purposes consists of the identification

of problems or weaknesses within a research

topic, and it is additionally considered useful to

connect or relate different topics for

reinterpretation [11]. Therefore, the selected

methodology is considered adequate given the

proposed objective.

Journal articles and conference proceedings

about Industry 4.0 published in Scientific

Databases were reviewed (Ebsco & IEEE) from

year 2015 to date. Search terms included

Industry 4.0 and Education or Competencies, for

English or Spanish publications. Works

describing experiences and / or implementation

proposals were favored.

3. Discussion

3.1 Industry 4.0 context

The Industry 4.0 designation appears for the first

time in Germany during the Hannover Fair

2011, as a term used to encompass the different

disciplines and technologies associated with the

development of intelligently interconnected,

autonomous and flexible manufacturing

processes [3-5].

I4.0 is frequently related to other terms such as

Internet of Things (IoT), Cyberphysical Systems

(CPS), Intelligent Systems and Digital Factories

[9]; nevertheless, each of them constitutes a

branch of its own technological development.

Actually, I4.0 integrates nine different

technological fields in industrial production

processes: Autonomous Robots, Simulation,

Horizontal and Vertical Systems Integration,

Internet of Things, Cybersecurity, Cloud,

Additive Manufacturing, Augmented Reality

and Data Analytics [12].

Since its appearance, various definitions have

been proposed around the I4.0, among which are

those cited by [4]: “the integration of com-plex

physical machinery and devices with networked

sensors and software, used to predict, control

and plan for better business and societal

outcomes”; or well, “a new level of value chain

organization and management across the

lifecycle of products”. On the other hand, [9]

define it as “a revolution enabled by application

of advanced technologies (like IT) at production

level to bring new values and services for

customers and organization itself”. As can be

seen, the definitions vary from the perspective in

which the I4.0 phenomenon is analyzed,

whether it is technology, manufacturing or

business. In summary, authors agree in the fact

that there is no unanimous definition to date,

given the broad field of technologies,

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manufacturing processes and business that it

integrates [4,13].

Despite not having a universally accepted

definition, it can be concluded that I4.0

generates disruptive changes in supply chains

and business models. For it operates under the

principles of interoperability, virtualization,

decentralization, real-time capability, as well as

an orientation to services and modularity [4].

The attributes commonly referred to as essential

components of I4.0 are shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Industry 4.0 Attributes.

Although I4.0 has attracted increasing attention,

there is still no detailed critical route for its

realization [3]. For Hofmann & Rüsch [13],

companies must be accompanied and supported

in a practical way in this adoption path; since

there is still a vague idea about the concept, the

integrating technologies and its potential in

financial terms. It has also been noted that the

success in the implementation of these

technologies will depend on the network

integration capabilities and the engineering

throughout the value chain [6]. The priority

action areas to achieve I4.0 are listed in Table 1.

Table 1. Priority Action Areas according to Kagermann

[3]

Priority Action Areas for I4.0

Standardization and Reference Architecture

Managing Complex Systems

Delivering a Comprehensive Broadband Infrastructure

Safety and Security

Work Organization and Design

Training and Continuing Professional Development

Regulatory Framework

Resource Productivity and Efficiency

3.2 Industry 4.0 human capital

There are several challenges associated with the

4.0 industry projects. One of these challenges is

related to people, specifically the lack of

qualified personnel [6, 12]. The qualifications

and skills of employees will be greater than in

the present, due to the use of new technologies

and smart media in companies. Consequently,

the work force will be key to the success of

innovative factories [1].

In accordance with the review carried out, the

formative features required to promote the

establishment of I4.0 are presented in Table 2. It

is believed that jobs that have to do with

artificial intelligence’ control and

implementation will become more relevant, so

there will be more job opportunities through

specialized knowledge related to the technology

to be implemented.

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Table 2. Proposed formative traits for the human capital development on I4.0

Authors

Proposal

Khan & Turowski, 2016 [9]

- Confidence and motivation.

- Counteract change resistance.

- Increase employee safety and awareness.

Ministry Economy, 2016

[7]

- Specialized professions in IoT and BigData will be required.

Demartini & Benussi, 2017

[14]

- Ability to self-organize central content of particular fields and master a large amount and

variety of information.

- Skills and competences for improvement and continuous and progressive self-regulation.

- Transferable skills and competences that are directly applicable throughout various social,

business and professional scenarios.

- Skills and competences for lifelong learning, including knowledge construction, adaptability,

ability to find, organize and obtain information, critical thinking and teamwork.

Benešová & Tupa, 2017 [1]

- One of the main problems will be the age and skills of the employees (for advanced

information systems management).

- The main required professions: Software Engineer, Programmers (Robot and / or PLC),

Process and Manufacturing Engineers, Data Analysts, Cybersecurity, Technicians and

Maintenance Engineers.

Moldovan, 2018 [15]

According to educational providers:

- Creativity, cognitive flexibility, basic and social skills;

According to SMEs:

- Ability to solve complex problems, cognitive flexibility, critical thinking, technology and

design of user experiences.

Martínez Ruiz [2]

- Future adaptation capacity.

- Development of critical, creative and ethical skills for resilience.

Stankovski, 2019 [16]

- Multidisciplinary knowledge and experience.

From the human capital point of view, the

different positions of the mentioned authors

agree in the relevance of technological

competencies for the development of I4.0,

emphasizing the ability to learn and develop

along with the appearance of new technical

elements. In this sense, we take the definition of

technological competence [17] in the companies

context, as a “set of cognitive, attitudinal and

value dispositions that allows developing human

capital inside of an organization, to interact and

master the conscious or unconscious use of

Information, Communication and Collaboration

Technologies, as referred to the technological

appropriation and incubation for innovation in

services, processes or products that provide

benefits and business growth, strictly based on

the collaborative work of the personnel”. Thus,

the development of transferable technological

competences from the individual to the different

levels of the company, from production to

business management, would be part of the

critical route towards I4.0.

3.3 Higher Education and I4.0

The participation of educational institutions is

key in the development of national strategies to

impulse I4.0 [1,3,6,7,8,16]. The educational

framework that emerges must consider the

complex relationship between all the ecosystem

stakeholders (students, teachers, universities,

companies, government). In this context, the

main objective is to improve the efficiency of

educational processes to make learning

sustainable for any apprentice regardless of age

or culture [14].

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The engineering education curriculum should

then be rethought considering the design

principles of Industry 4.0; merging theory with

laboratory practices and the concepts of

information technologies [12]. Incorporate

virtual resources, virtual learning environments

to transfer and develop knowledge and skills [1].

As well as enable appropriation of digital

pedagogies, linked to unschooled training,

through flexible, adaptive, multi-agent and

resilient learning environments [2]. The

indicated changes to the curriculum point to the

need to provide flexibility (in time, space and

contents), besides preparing the participant to

face rapid technology changes, providing it with

competences for self-learning and information

technologies management.

In this human capital formation scheme, the

companies preferred continuing education

programs and / or workers retraining in

collaboration with the academy; because the

knowledge or know-how and the experience in

the company’ field is valued above the hiring of

new employees [12,15]. To make possible the

university-business collaboration for the I4.0

requires a revision of the collaboration

mechanisms, including linking programs,

science and technology communication and even

education management [2]. It is necessary to

clarify in this review the roles of the university

and the company, as well as draw a detailed map

of the collaborative projects [8]. The training of

specialized consultants [6], international

certifications and the construction of I4.0 clusters

according to regional industrial vocations [7] are

also suggested.

4. Conclusions

The empirical works that link higher education

with the development of I4.0 are scarce, although

it is pointed out as critical for its establishment.

Likewise, the programs and strategies of

different governments involve the development

of technological vocations capable of joining the

intelligent manufacturing industry and its value

chain. The review carried out gathers reflections,

experiences and strategies on I4.0. From these,

we can observe the need for government support

with a strategic project in the medium and long

term for industries to develop the potential of

I4.0. Despite not having a definitive route, it is

clear that educational institutions have a

determining role in the construction of

competitiveness of human capital, from the

technological educational programs offer, the

curriculum update and the connection with the

industry to offer continuous education programs

and technical and professional certifications. The

research future work on the subject should

deepen in the collaboration schemes that involve

the development of technological competitions,

using flexible models and virtual learning

environments, as well as virtual reality tools that

could materialize in practical programs.

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