Orgalime views on the upcoming EIT KIC on value added manufacturing

Our industry needs people who can combine engineering skills with ICT skills.

The digitalisation of manufacturing and the convergence of production and communication technologies makes this point a must. In our opinion the convergence of the three academic disciplines of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and computer science is one of the most important trends for education and qualification.

Future engineers will need to understand other disciplines and be able to work with colleagues from different disciplinary backgrounds. For example, to fully exploit data analysis (big data) and make sense and value of it, engineers need to understand how this works for the machine, the system and business.

Orgalime recommends that the KIC fosters this combination of skills. This is crucial for our industry.