The Asian Productivity Organization (APO) has joined the Index Partners Network promoted by the Singapore Economic Development Board to help manufacturers accelerate the execution of their Industry 4.0 initiatives. The network complements the Smart Industry Readiness Index developed by the Singapore government to enable the transformation of industrial sectors at both the enterprise and national levels.

The initiative will enable the APO to assist its member countries in self-diagnosis and developing national productivity and innovation roadmaps using the index. It will also help them evaluate their readiness for Industry 4.0 and select customized approaches necessary for the transformation.

Sharing details of the Index Partners Network, APO Secretary-General Dr. Santhi Kanoktanaporn said that the initiative was in sync with the organization’s efforts to help member countries transform their manufacturing sectors by harnessing the potential of Industry 4.0.

“The Smart Industry Readiness Index will effectively enable APO member economies to diagnose gaps, identify their priorities, and kickstart their Industry 4.0 transformation journey,” he commented.

Pointing out that APO member countries were at different level of industrialization, with some countries ahead of the digital adoption and Industry 4.0 curve, the Secretary-General stressed that by leveraging the index as a common language and framework, the APO would be able to help them all, regardless of their manufacturing-sector maturity.

Created in partnership with global testing, inspection, certification, and training company TÜV SÜD and validated by an advisory panel of industry and academic experts, the index was designed as a comprehensive tool to help enterprises of any size in all industries to harness the benefits of Industry 4.0 systematically and comprehensively.

At the enterprise level, the index offers a four-step approach to help manufacturing firms learn about Industry 4.0 concepts, evaluate the current state of their facilities, devise a transformation roadmap, and deliver sustained value for their businesses. At the national level, the index has the potential to serve as a metric for Industry 4.0 benchmarking within and across industries, enabling government agencies to design sector-specific policy interventions to accelerate the industrial transformation.

The index comprises three layers. At the top are the three fundamental building blocks of Industry 4.0: process; technology; and organization. Underpinning these building blocks are eight focal pillars, which are divided into 16 dimensions of assessment. For each of the 16 dimensions, the index provides an assessment matrix for companies to use in evaluating their current processes, systems, and structures. The assessment matrix also doubles as a step-by-step improvement guide, as each dimension provides intermediate steps needed for progress.