Segun Atanda/
The stage was set for a new Industrial revolution in the country last weekend when the Apapa Branch of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) installed its 8th Chairman.
Engr. Sunny Ighotegwono Ejeje, who received the baton from the immediate past Chairman, Engr. (Dr) Ombugadu Maikasuwa Garba, at the Dover Hotel on Aromire Street, Ikeja, vowed to run a good race with the about 500 members at the Apapa wing of the NSE known as Golden Branch.
Engr. Ejeje is the Principal Partner, Ecra Construction and Engineering Company Limited and Head of Engineering, Akas Engineering Construction Company Limited.
An agenda was set at the well-attended event, as the Guest Speaker, Engr. Oladimeji Talabi Koyejo, presented a paper entitled: ‘Preparing Nigerian Industries for the Fourth Industrial Revolution’.
Koyejo, the Director, Innovations and Value Added Services at Inlaks Limited, declared as he began his lecture: “The fourth industrial revolution, otherwise referred to as Industry 40, is already here. Most Nigerian firms are, however, locked in the past as their business operation is largely driven by Industry 2.0, mass production using an electrically powered assembly line, or at best Industry 3.0, electronics and IT-driven automation, frameworks. This explains why the throughput from such organizations is extremely low.”
He added that platform-based products and services, “tremendous capacity to scale internationally, customer accessibility, vendor and partner interaction, trade ecosystem alignments and data analytics are the vital characteristics expected of companies operating in this age and time”.
He explained that organizations are classified into four, according to their industry 4.0 global digital operating index – that is, readiness to operate the industry 4.0 way.
‘the fourth industrial revolution, riding on digital technology platforms, is creating entirely new ways of consuming goods and services …All businesses must be making a move to becoming a smart, connected organization or they will soon fall behind the competition, get isolated and eventually extinct’
The lecturer mentioned: “DigitalNovices: Isolated digital solution and application existing at department level; Digital Followers: Internal vertical digital integration and collaboration within the organization. No digital connection to external stakeholders; Digital Innovators: Enterprise is digitally connected to external partners and customers using integrated platforms, but horizontal digitization is limited to immediate supply chain, and Digital Champions: Enterprise is digitally connected to external partners and customers using wider ecosystems to gain competitive advantage and geometrically grow revenue.”
Koyejo’s paper encouraged the development or enhancement of the five digital technology platforms through which organizations are expected to operate in the Industry 4.0 era.
On what organizations should do, Koyejo said, “Conduct an internal platform ecosystem assessment; set up an ecosystem governance, investment and decision board; determine which of the five digital technology platforms needs development or renovation and when; build platforms/ecosystem capabilities with iterative design and implementation; as well as begin prototyping pilots and Proof of Concepts (PoCs).”
He concluded that the fourth industrial revolution, riding on digital technology platforms, is creating entirely new ways of consuming goods and services.
He said, “As professional engineers, we need to recognize this shift in our business environment and invest in tools and skillsets for positioning the Nigerian organization to maximize the potentials of the fourth industrial revolution.
“All businesses must be making a move to becoming a smart, connected organization or they will soon fall behind the competition, get isolated and eventually extinct.
“We need to develop business leaders with skills to manage organizations through these dramatic shifts
“Our educational and training system needs to adapt to prepare young engineers for industry 4.0 relevance and businesses must recruit from such schools.”
He added that to be Industry 4.0 ready, organizations needed to complete what he called the 3-staged P-D-P loop.
The Stage-One being Physical Digital to capture information from the physical world and create a digital record from physical data (loT Platform); Stage-Two, identified as Digital Digital, that means sharing information and uncovering meaningful insight using advanced analytics, scenario analysis, simulations and artificial intelligence (Data and Analytics Platform/ Ecosystem Platform), and the Stage-Three called Digital Physical which applies algorithms to translate digital world decisions to effective data used to spur action or change in the physical world – Customer experience platform / Information system platform.
Speaking at the event, Engr. Garba testified to the ability and capabilities of Ejeje, who was described as an astute professional with great determination for and a strong sense for details and accuracy in all processes.
Born on April 3, 1966, Engr. Ejeje, a dynamic civil engineer with more than 27 years’ experience in building construction, roads and highways, earth and concrete dams, facility management and maintenance, had passed through the University of Lagos (UNILAG), University of Calabar (UNICAL), the Federal Polytechnic llaro, Ikeja Grammar School, Oshodi, and the Local Authority Primary School, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.
The event was chaired by the National President, Nigerian Society of Engineers, Engr. Adekunle Mokuolu with the Group Managing Director of Alphaden Energy & Oilfield Limited, Mr Paschal Anyanwu as Special Guest of Honour.
The event was not just engineers’ affairs, as Engr. Ejeje’s associates and well-wishers from all walks of life were there in numbers, including his old mates from Ikeja Grammar School, namely Engr. Amajor Chidi, the Head of Mechanical Department at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA); Surveyor Adewebi Olumide, an Executive Director at Geosys Nigeria Limited, and Dipo Kehinde, a professional artist and the Chief Executive Officer at Chief Detective Communications Limited, publishers of NewsmakersNG.
