Digital revolution, Industry 4.0 - we have been discussing these slogans for years, and practical effects seem to be hardly visible. This revolution does not impress with visible buildings, huge infrastructure or blast furnaces. Fundamental changes are increasingly taking place in technologies, machines or inside microprocessors. The effects for industry are, however, already felt today, as seen at ITM Industry Europe.

 

- As part of the current edition of ITM Industry Europe, we will focus on disseminating the SMART Industry concept - the focus will be on digitization, integration and automation of technological processes, and exhibitors will present machines, devices, technological solutions and software operating in accordance with the subject of Industry 4.0 and Smart Factory - emphasizes Joanna Kucharska, director of the ITM Industry Europe trade fair organized by the MTP Group. The event taking place periodically at the Poznań International Fair this year has gained a new name. Earlier it operated under the name Innovations-Technologies-Machines ITM Poland.

 

Artificial intelligence enters the industry

 

Accenture Technology Vision 2019 report shows that 41 percent managers in the world (31 percent in Poland) indicate artificial intelligence (AI) as the technology that will have the greatest impact on their companies in the next three years. The greatest amount of money is currently being spent on AI research when it comes to new technologies.

 

The leaders in this field are the United States (due to technology) and China (due to the amount of data available to Chinese companies needed to improve self-learning algorithms). Artificial intelligence is no longer the melody of the future. The latest solutions and technologies of the Internet of Things are becoming bolder in the industry. The best proof is new products and products awarded with the Gold Medal of the Poznań International Fair during ITM Industry Europe.

 

Digital means necessary

 

The Accenture report also indicates that we are entering the post-digital era. This does not mean, however, that digital technologies will become useless - on the contrary, they will become so widespread in the near future that they will cease to be a source of competitive advantage. They will simply become a necessary condition for the development of the company.

 

In 2016, the digital economy in Poland accounted for 6.2 percent. GDP, i.e. slightly below the average for Central and Eastern Europe (6.7 percent) and already clearly less than in the case of digital leaders - in Sweden it is 9 percent Maintaining the current pace of development will allow the digital economy to increase its share of GDP from the current 6.2 percent. up to 9% The goals should be more ambitious - 15% participation by 2025 would give an additional percentage point of GDP growth each year, and GDP alone would increase by PLN 275 billion. There is something to fight for.

 

- Thanks to events such as ITM Industry Europe, our industry is becoming more and more modern. Not only because we import more and more machines for production. We are also able to produce and export them more and more. The increase in machine imports shows that the economic situation in the Polish industry is still very good, despite the cooling in Germany and Western Europe - says Jerzy Wonka, president of the analytical company InfoCredit Service, partner of the trade fair service Exhibitor's Zone.

 

According to the data of InfoCredit, Poland imports more production machines than exports, but our foreign sales in the years 2015-2018 increased steadily. When it comes to metalworking machinery, exports have grown 25 percent last year. Germany is still the most important Polish recipient of machines, but Polish companies are increasingly exporting outside the European Union to countries such as Turkey, Russia, the USA, China and Ukraine. This can be seen at the ITM trade fair, which brings visitors from East and outside of the EU from year to year.

 

The IT industry is also benefiting greatly from the digital revolution in industry. - Our data shows that the revenues of software developers and their sales profitability have increased significantly over the past five years. Digital control in industry is becoming a standard, so software development companies are also benefiting from it - adds Jerzy Wonka.

 

Technologies in the service of security

 

New technologies are also new ways of looking after security, but also threats. When it comes to digital security, the matter is clear - it's a race between hackers and administrators. In addition to all kinds of digital security, firewalls, anti-viruses, physical protection is increasingly needed during the production of robots and increasingly automated warehouses.