Siemens launches Digitalize 2018 with theme 'Unlock the Potential'

Siemens today announced the return of its annual digitalisation conference, Digitalize 2018, which will be held on Wednesday, 8 August 2018 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Themed ‘Unlock the Potential’, the full-day conference will feature a line-up of global and local industry experts engaging in keynote sessions and panel discussions around how Australian businesses across various sectors can unlock their potential with the use of digitalisation. The discussions will centre around four sub-themes of Workforce of the Future, Industry 4.0, Intelligent Infrastructure and Australia’s Energy Transition.

The theme of the conference comes at a critical time when digital transformation is a reality for industries and organisations that are looking to stay competitive in a more globalised economy. What makes this event unique is that in a digitalised world, companies are looking beyond their traditional boundaries to understand digitalisation. For instance, an industrial company today is looking across their entire value chain for efficiencies — from their energy needs to their infrastructure needs. Digitalize 2018 provides the holistic view from real industry experts in all of these areas — from the big picture to specific case studies and discussions on the latest technologies and future technologies through to preparing the workforce for the change.

Speaking about the event, Jeff Connolly, Chairman and CEO of Siemens Australia, said, “There is a real business appetite for information, best practice sharing and knowledge about digitalisation in Australia. And this is important because through digitalisation, Australia can be a major player in global value chains and also in innovation.

“Like any event that brings together a like-minded but diverse range of people and industries, often the real value is in the conversations. As with last year’s event, I’m looking forward to optimistic and future-oriented conversations at Digitalize 2018.”

The event will give industry leaders a platform to discuss concrete business cases, their outlook for the future of Australia and what needs to be done individually and collectively to progress the nation to the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0). The conference will also feature a best practice case study of Australia’s first Industry 4.0 apprenticeship as an example of how industry, academia and SMEs can collaborate to create the workforce of the future.

In its third year, Digitalize 2018 will feature keynote addresses from:

• Audrey Zibelman – CEO of AEMO and a member of numerous boards including the CSIRO, Energy Advisory Committee and the Melbourne Energy Institute’s Advisory Board.
• Innes Willox – CEO of the Australian Industry Group, which represents over 60,000 Australian businesses. Innes also leads the Industry 4.0 Forum, formerly known as the Prime Minister’s Industry 4.0 Taskforce.
• Cedrik Neike – Member of the Managing Board at Siemens AG and responsible for the regions of Asia and Australia and Siemens’ energy portfolio. Siemens is the largest industrial software and automation company in the world, operating across 200 countries.
• Ian MacLeod – Fleet Delivery Manager for Thameslink at Siemens. The Thameslink project is one of the largest rail infrastructure projects the United Kingdom has undertaken and is set to improve rail connections across London, making passenger journeys more reliable.
• Michelle Price – CEO of AustCyber, Australia’s Cyber Security Growth Network. Michelle has extensive cybersecurity expertise including from her time leading Australia’s policy positions in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
   

There are a number of other high-profile speakers and panellists presenting on topics such as digital airports, micro-\breweries, blockchain for energy, the MCG’s own intelligent infrastructure upgrades and Dulux Australia, whose new paint facility in Victoria is a global showcase for automation and digitalisation in the chemical process industries.

Event sponsors include Dell EMC and Spectrum Automation.

For registration and more details, see https://www.siemensdigitalize2018.com/.