Industry 4.0 in Mexico refers to the significant transformation that the country will experience as it enters what is being termed as the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

According to the Acrecent Financial Foundation, Industry 4.0 in Mexico “refers to the current trend toward the implementation of automation and data exchange within the country’s manufacturing sector.  This is increasingly the result of the growing use of technologies such as:

  • Automation and Digitalization;
  • Robotics;
  • Internet of Things (IoT);
  • Machine to Machine Communication (M2M);
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI);
  • Cyber-Physical Systems;
  • 3D Printing or Additive Manufacturing;
  • Fifth-Generation Wireless Technologies;
  • Autonomous Vehicles;
  • Cloud Computing and Big Data;
  • Quantum Computing;
  • Nanotechnology;
  • Other emerging information and communications technologies.

How will manufacturing change over the next five years as technologies that will define Industry 4.0 in Mexico become more prevalent?

The coming of Industry 4.0 in Mexico will represent a paradigm shift over the next several years that will provide great opportunities for the country’s manufacturing sector.  Mexican industries and companies that join this movement will improve their chances of integrating themselves more fully and profitably into global value chains, which will increasingly demand greater innovation as well as a greater use of cutting-edge technologies in manufacturing production processes.

How will Industry 4.0 in Mexico affect employment? 

One of the perspectives that is being addressed in discussions related to the rise of Industry 4.0 in Mexico is how the role of the human being in a smart factory that progressively utilizes greater industrial automation will evolve.  Increasingly, there will be a need for a skilled workforce whose training and knowledge prepare it to succeed in a new industrial-economic environment.  The implementation of Industry 4.0 in Mexico will not bring about the substitution of human beings by machines.  It will, however, require workers to be trained in a wide variety of new technical competencies. 

How will Industry 4.0 in Mexico affect the country’s educational system?

In order to fully enter the realm of Industry 4.0, for the good of national economic development, closer links between industry and academia must be forged.  The development of a strong dual educational model in Mexico must be pursued.  A dual education system is one that combines apprenticeships in a company with education at a vocational or technical school in one course of studies.  The country’s educational system must be geared to develop curricula that corresponds to the nation’s evolving technological requirements, as well as to the needs of industrial and international markets.  Such a model must be driven by innovation that can be transferred to industry. 

Will the advent of Industry 4.0 in Mexico translate not only into opportunities in production, but also for advancements in innovation?

Although the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Mexico is in its beginning stages, the benefit of the new technologies that it will bring with it will be felt throughout the entirety of the country.  In order to jumpstart Industry 4.0 in Mexico the national government has established research and development programs through institutions such as the National Council of Science and Technology (Conacyt) and the Secretariat of the Economy.  Additionally, other bodies such as SAGARPA (the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development), the Secretariat of Communication and Transportation (SCT), and SENER (the Secretariat of Energy) are also working on Industry 4.0 projects that promote innovation that will benefit the nation’s economy.

There are four advances in Industrial 4.0 in Mexico that are behind the country’s nascent digital transformation.  They are:

  • Digital Information: Data collected in the physical world, is processed, analyzed and stored in a digital registry. This improves forecasting and decision-making;
  • Process Automation: Manual and repetitive work is replaced by systems that can work autonomously, eliminating errors and making processes less expensive;
  • Intelligent Manufacturing: A fully integrated flow that synchronizes the pre-production, production and post-production phases, achieving greater productivity, sustainability, and economic performance;
  • Connected Customer: The customer is informed and increasingly demands a more active role in the product, presenting challenges to the supplier and generating new global business opportunities.