Analysis of knowledge and skills essential for industrial engineers in context of Industry 4.0 within Thai automobile sector
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Abstract
Industry 4.0 has rapidly transformed traditional industries and manufacturing processes by seamlessly integrating digital technologies, automation, data analytics, and the Internet of Things. It represents a profound shift in business operations, emphasizing efficiency, flexibility, and responsiveness to customers. As a result, the required knowledge and skills are evolving for all relevant personnel including industrial engineers (IEs), to achieve success in the Industry 4.0 era. Preparing a capable IE workforce to meet these changing demands is a persistent challenge, particularly in a rapidly evolving environment. This study aims to identify the needs of Thai automobile companies regarding the knowledge and skills of IEs for Industry 4.0. Furthermore, it aims to rank these IE knowledge and skills in terms of importance. In this study, a questionnaire was developed and used as a tool for the research. Respondents representing 31 companies in the Thai automobile industry were asked to rate the importance of each knowledge area and skill. Questions in the knowledge section were divided into 15 knowledge areas across four categories: core subjects, global subjects, engineering subjects, and technological fundamentals. The questions in the skill section were divided into 18 skills spanning five categories: communication, system thinking, creative thinking/ adaptation/ decision-making, learning, and technical proficiency. There are also 12 questions asking respondents to evaluate their level of Industry 4.0 adoption. The findings indicate that the importance rankings for essential IE knowledge and skills vary across a distinct group of Industry 4.0 adoption levels. The rankings of vital IE knowledge and skills across these diverse adoption levels are comparatively analyzed and discussed. While this study primarily centers on the automotive industry, it has the potential to illuminate broader trends that extend to other sectors as well.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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