The traditional manufacturing industry is in the throes of a digital transformation that is being accelerated by the exponential growth of smart technologies. Companies and industrial processes need to adapt to this rapid change if they are not to be left behind by developments in their sector and by their competitors. The widespread adoption of information and communications technology by the manufacturing industry around the world is now paving the way for completely new disruptive approaches to development, production and the entire value chain.

The Durban Chemicals Cluster’s (DCC) Investment and Growth Programme seeks to ensure that firms are prepared for such industrial shifts in order to drive long-term sustainability and expansion in the sector. As a result, the DCC welcomed members to a workshop on the Fourth Industrial Revolution and invited them to share on how the cluster could drive Industry 4.0 readiness for increased competitiveness and growth.