Manufacturing software specialists, Seabrook Technology Group, hosted the first Preparing for Industry 4.0 conference for life sciences industries in Dublin this month. It followed successful conferences held by Seabrook in the US and Europe. Ireland is one of the biggest exporters of medical products in Europe, with annual exports worth €8.5 billion.

Speakers at the event included Seabrook’s Global Chief Operating Officer John Dzelme. Mr Dzelme is an internationally recognised expert in Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), and spoke about the advanced technologies necessary for life science companies to remain competitive in Industry 4.0. Ian Walls and Dave McDermaid, Business Development Consultants with Siemens Product Lifecycle Manufacturing (PLM) Software, also spoke at the conference.

Seabrook has been Siemens PLM Software channel partner in Ireland and the UK since October 2015. Seabrook has also recently expanded into the UK, opening a new office in Sheffield.

Speaking at the conference, John Dzelme said “Ireland is a world-class centre of excellence for medical devices and technology. Eighteen of the 25 biggest medical tech companies in the world are based in Ireland. If we want to continue as a world leader in this sector, organisations need to be ready for the unprecedented transformations that will come with Industry 4.0. We want to inform and educate the life-sciences sector on the need to adopt technologies that are seen as ‘advanced’ now, but that will be standard in a few short years.”

Seabrook Managing Director, Sean O’Sullivan also commented “There was significant interest in our event with leading life sciences organisations in attendance. At Seabrook, we are seeing a steady increase in the numbers of medical device companies seeking information and expertise on PLM and MES technologies.”

The term Industry 4.0 was coined in Germany and is used to describe the fourth industrial revolution or the era of ‘smart factories.’ This will see a merging of the digital and physical worlds to create a new type of enterprise. It will lead to unprecedented levels of manufacturing efficiency. For consumers, it will mean enhanced product quality, improved compliance with regulations and ultimately better products at a better price.

Mr O’Sullivan added ‘The advanced technologies of the ‘smart factory’ enable products to be virtually created and extensively tested, before a single screw is ever turned in real life. It means that products reach the market as much as 50% faster. These technologies will be the difference between success and failure for life science organisations in the not so distant future.”

Seabrook has been operating in Cork for 27 years. The group expanded into the US in 2012 with two offices in California and Indiana.