Manufacturing 4.0 - Strategies for Technological, Economical, Educational and Social Policy Adoption (MFG 4.0)
Public description of the results at the end of the project
We developed 3D printing technologies that will enable fabricating also motion-generating parts, and novel methods for improving usability in remote operation of machines. New methods for modelling the value of the potential and real options found within strategic investments that face great uncertainty were created. When structural uncertainty is faced, the usable information comes from experts and are normative. The project also provided insights into learning ecosystems enabled by new technologies. These findings underscore the importance of design-based education. Through international comparison, we analyzed and developed social security models that can ensure the livelihood and functional capacity of the population during labor market changes caused by technology. The project has evaluated previously proposed social security models in Finland and created a knowledge base for the guidelines of social security reform.
Public description of the goals at the beginning of the project
Manufacturing is becoming automated and service-driven by digital platforms. Industry is changing into low-cost onsite manufacturing. This will cause drastic changes to the structure of industry and society. In this research project, we try to answer the question “how can we make sure that Finland can thrive in this change?” We not only envision a roadmap of how high-tech manufacturing will change, but also show concretely what are the key technological and societal drivers that drive this change, and explain what kind of business, educational, and societal models are needed in order to ensure that Finland and Finnish companies are able to survive and reap the most benefit from this revolutionary change. We study how automatic manufacturing of properly selected products could increase jobs and how the increased income due to automation could be used for supporting those people who will be out of jobs due to automation, thus preventing the division of society.
