What’s happening: The fifth and final in a series of Industry 4.0 workshops for area manufacturers was recently announced for Thursday, Oct. 19. The series is presented in partnership between the Velocity Center, a Sterling Heights business incubator, accelerator, and co-working space, and the Macomb County Department of Planning and Economic Development’s Macomb Next initiative.

What it is: Industry 4.0 is another term for the “fourth industrial revolution,” the theory of how 21st century technology is drastically changing the way we make things. Industry 4.0 describes how manufacturing is utilizing technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing and analytics, and AI and machine learning to better manufacture and distribute products.

What’s planned: The series finale will explore matters of cybersecurity with keynote speaker Michelle Matte, an information systems security engineer at the U.S. Army CCDC Ground Vehicle Systems Center. A panel features Jeff Smith from Dynics, Raj Patel from SensCy, Karen Kiewski from Systems X, and Veronica Baginski, a cybersecurity specialist. A light breakfast and networking opportunities will also be made available.

Catching up: Previous presentations of the Industry 4.0 Workshop Series featured discussions on Cloud Computing and the Internet of Things; What's the Big Deal About Big Data?; Virtual and Augmented Reality; and 3D Printing, Advanced Robotics and Automation. Past workshop presentations are available on the Macomb Next website.

When and where: The fifth and final Industry 4.0 Workshop is scheduled from 8 to 10 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 19, at the Velocity Center in Sterling Heights. The event is free and open to the public, though pre-registration is required and available online.

Why it’s important: “Industry 4.0 is more than an industry buzzword. It’s transforming our businesses and the way we live, work and play,” MCPED Director Vicky Rowinski said at the time of the series launch in February 2023. “In my role, I am able to see this transformation happening in real time as I tour through some of the most innovative and state-of-the-art facilities in Macomb County. These workshops will help manufacturers in the County keep pace.”

Velocity Center is located at 6633 18 Mile Rd. in Sterling Heights.

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