Redesign Human-Centric Manufacturing & Supply Networks: Industry 5.0.

Let’s start with the obvious:

“Industry 5.0? Most industries are still in the throes of integrating the last big innovation around big data analytics and smart green logistics, slow down please.”

What might sound like a menacing new force encroaching on how we manage our manufacturing and global supply chains, threatening the only recently established order in the wake of Industry 4.0, is actually less of a disruptor and more of a portal to a wealth of opportunities. But let’s add some context first.

Industry 1.0 – 5.0.

Industry 1.0. meant steam engines. 2.0. meant mass production. 3.0. meant information systems and robotics. 4.0. meant cyber-physical systems, the internet of things, big data and sharing information, a world in which products know where they are, where they came from and where they are going. Industry 5.0, rather than being brought about by technological advances, ushers in the era of social and environmental responsibility. It allows for sustainable and responsible growth to be achieved though advancements along its three dimensions: people, sustainability and resilience. Assuming responsibility is a must.

Our increased productivity, due to both physical and IT automation, as well as global market access, has come at a cost. We are depleting the resources our businesses depend on at record speed and must mind their sustainable management. Innovation tends to inspire businesses to overhaul their workforce where instead we should leverage experience and upskill where needed. Which is where we come in.

Who we are

The College of Management of Technology at EPFL has supported EPFL Executive Education in revamping the International Institute for the Management of Logistics and Supply Chain (IML) towards becoming a hub of excellence for Sustainable Resilient Value Chain Management, fully integrated at EPFL. We believe that the power to unlock the opportunities of Industry 5.0. resides with the global operations and supply chain community. It is our ambition to give them the knowledge, skills and language required to leverage their seats at the decision-making table of their organizations and aid them in plotting a course towards sustainability, human-centricity, resilience and agility.

We started our journey in April 2022, with the launch of our new CAS in Resilient Value Chain Management. Participants are learning with and from industry experts, academic powerhouses and, critically, from each other. They are learning to map and financially measure end-to-end value streams, manage stakeholder interests and scenario plan for sustainable and resilient operations strategies in today’s VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity) world.

This CAS is only a first in a series of four, the starting block, building up towards a connected program around Sustainable Resilient Value Chain Management. This program will be composed of four CAS:

• Resilient Value Chain Management (currently running)
• Circular Value Networks
• Technology Enablers for Resilience, Agility & Sustainability
• Leading Sustainable Integration

While our first cohort is still in the thick of things, we here at Executive Education at the College of Management of Technology are not slowing down.

Thanks to the astute foresight of the College of Management of Technology, and CDM’s Executive Education Direction, we have been able to combine the experience of teaching Global Supply Chain Management for 30 years with EPFL’s foremost transversal and enabling technologies, especially in the realm of Smart Manufacturing. The innovation powerhouse of EPFL, with the support of the IML’s Industry community, has enabled an EPFL Executive Education program suite that is second to none. I am grateful for the support of Prof. Dominique Foray, Prof. Marc Gruber, Eugene de Groot and Prof. Dimitrios Kiritsis, without whom this exciting new program direction would not have been possible.

Our new CAS in Circular Value Networks, starting on August 25, 2022

Circularity is a term that has been thrown around the operations profession for nearly 4 decades. And yet, it remains a largely untapped potential and term often misunderstood as a state, rather than a mindset that must continuously adjust to changing industry practice and innovation. This program will impart the knowledge and tools needed for professionals to become circular value network leaders in their organizations.

What does the certificate prepare professionals for?

• Integrating value chain perspective with corporate strategy, sustainability, systems thinking and product circularity design.
• Initiating and guiding environmental/social impact assessments in organizations.
• Managing institutional conditions to reduce environmental footprint of products from conception to waste management.
• Blending profit generation with circularity principles.
• Rethinking the global supply chain model with traceability and responsibility at the core.

Who is the certificate for?

• Value chain professionals with international experience of at least 5 years.
• Operations and supply chain professionals with managerial responsibilities.
• Managers in any value chain related function (procurement, sales, manufacturing, HR, finance, QA).
• Practitioners who seek access to a niche network of esteemed value chain experts.
• Professionals who want to certify their value chain experience with a top-level university.

If you would like to find out more about this upcoming CAS and how to secure a seat, get in touch via [email protected] and be sure to visit our webpage.

We look forward to accompanying both individuals and industry on their journey to redesigning Human-Centric Manufacturing & Supply Networks for the economic benefit of industry today and the wellbeing of our future generations .