Bringing the Swiss Made concept into the Industry 4.0 era

The concepts of Industry 4.0 and its practical applications were debated during an action-packed conference held at the Technical Division of CEJEF in Porrentruy, Switzerland on 17 September 2024. The speakers at the debate were Raphaël Montavon, Professor at Haute Ecole Arc and Cyrille Monnin, CEO at Productec, with the discussion moderated by Christophe Walch, i4Challenge Coach and Business Development Manager at Morphotonix.

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December 18, 202529 min read

What is the link between Swiss Made and Industry 4.0?

Industry 4.0 is bringing in a new era where digital technologies are central to optimizing production processes. In particular, the ongoing roll-out of artificial intelligence (AI) opens up many exciting possibilities for manufacturing in Switzerland.

In this transformation, some companies – particularly in industrial regions like the Jura – have already embraced change. They are integrating technologies such as connected sensors and intelligent control systems to predict and prevent issues before they arise. This approach enhances product quality and reduces downtime in factories.

At the same time, many people are concerned that it could adversely affect the perceived characteristics of “Swiss Made” products compared to the competition, since everyone can make use of the same techniques.

When everyone already uses the same machines, does Industry 4.0 change the game again?

How we can capitalize on our strengths

There are three main ways we can and should build on our strengths to address this challenge:

We need to benefit from the heritage of Swiss Made products that guarantees quality and maximizes consumer confidence.
We need to identify our know-how and capture it in digital form to be able to develop it in the long term.
Finally, we need to capitalize on our innovation processes and make them more efficient with today’s tools, e.g. with a Knowledge Management approach.

How to implement Industry 4.0 processes effectively

Small manufacturing runs are characteristic of the Canton of Jura and demonstrate the region’s flexibility. They also lead, however, to the downtime, issues with scheduling and additional costs that are incurred between the production of the last good part from the previous run and the first good part from the next one. Industry 4.0 tools, for example, make it possible to minimize the impact of these issues.

There are several common issues that are encountered today in the industry, and which we are already addressing, or at least know how to approach:

Compatibility

compatibility between machines depends on their age, the brands of the equipment involved, and the nature of the specific equipment. It is necessary to find direct or indirect ways to obtain relevant information about the machines and optimize how they communicate with each other and with the control software.

Organization

we have the production know-how that came from improving processes before digitalization. One example of this is Lean Methodology, with its notions of flexibility and modularity.

Human communication

while the objective is to optimize processes to allow the company to stand out, we must consider the emotional factor: the goal is not to ‘surveil’ and micromanage employees. Digital transformation requires a change of mentality to ensure understanding and collaboration between mechanics and IT specialists so that they understand the requirements of a machine and vice versa.

Skills

the advent of new processes and tools means that new skills and professions have to be developed. It is therefore important that industry shares its needs with schools and colleges and develops close cooperation with them, e.g. around their curricula. Also important here is boosting communication skills.

Training

transforming and restructuring the companies in which new trainees will arrive to implement these new technologies will guarantee the success of the change. It is not a question of level of education or experience, but rather the topic in question; these must be addressed both at the levels of basic learning and higher education.

Mindset and expectations

we are working in a new environment in which we must think differently: specifically, in a (modular) production flow supported by algorithms. This requires rethinking company processes and re-educating employees.

In summary, people and the organization as a whole will have to change. It is necessary to develop solutions at a viable economic cost, while implementing change gradually, in stages and in cooperation with schools, the broader ecosystem, etc. We should only improve what is necessary, in a profitable manner, and avoid getting cluttered with useless gadgets.

We encourage people to go out and exchange, share and discover what others are doing. Get inspired and make your own way.

Personalizing the implementation of AI into our processes is key

We should keep to the Swiss Made principles to maintain buyers’ confidence in our products. But how then do we best integrate AI or Industry 4.0 technologies into an existing industrial process?

AI, like all new tools, must remain under our full control. The approach we should take is the same for any other new tool:

Use AI only within a defined scope
Make sure to properly select and filter all the data input
Always keep a critical eye on the quality of the output.

We have the know-how, and now we have AI. To be successful in implementing Industry 4.0, humans must pilot the AI and assist it to optimize itself to our needs faster and, on this basis, make impactful corrections to our processes.

Each of the parameters of a particular process are specific to the company, its know-how and its organization. Even though the tool (AI) may be the same for everyone, it is the user’s knowledge and judgment that defines the quality of the output. We feed the AI with our unique know-how and experience. As a result, everyone will end up their own “personal AI” despite starting off with the same algorithm.

In conclusion…

AI, like automation and other tools, is not a taboo subject. We will bring this tool into our companies, understand it, tame it, and personalize it. We can take Industry 4.0 tools and still make Swiss Made-quality products, and not be concerned by the thought that the same machines in different companies will produce the same things.

The collaborations created by the Technical Division of CEJEF and Newtec between higher education institutions and industry is how we can, on the one hand, introduce Industry 4.0 and AI into companies and, on the other hand, preserve and advance the know-how and the specificity of Swiss Made manufacturing in the region.