Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA) Celebrates 500 Member Organizations and 100,000 Certifications Awarded
January 5, 2026 — The Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA), a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to preparing the workforce for Industry 4.0, proudly announces a major milestone: the organization has officially welcomed 500 member organizations and awarded more than 100,000 certifications worldwide.
This achievement underscores SACA’s growing impact in bridging the gap between education and industry by equipping learners with the skills needed to thrive in advanced manufacturing and automation. Member organizations include employers, educators, and workforce leaders who are committed to building a future-ready workforce.
“SACA has officially welcomed 500 member organizations as well as awarded 100,000 certifications,” said Jim Wall, Executive Director of SACA. “This milestone isn’t just about numbers, it’s about impact. Every certification represents someone gaining confidence, advancing their career, and helping their organization stay competitive in today’s rapidly evolving economy. We couldn’t have reached this milestone without the dedication of our partners and the passion of learners everywhere.”
SACA’s certifications are uniquely designed to align with real-world industry needs. Developed in collaboration with leading manufacturers, educators, and workforce development experts, the certifications validate skills in areas such as smart automation, robotics, industrial controls, and data analytics. These competencies are critical for success in Industry 4.0, where connected systems, intelligent machines, and data-driven decision-making are transforming the way businesses operate.
By offering stackable, modular certifications, SACA provides learners with flexible pathways to build skills progressively, ensuring they can adapt to new technologies as they emerge. Employers benefit by gaining confidence that certified individuals are job-ready and capable of contributing immediately to productivity, innovation, and competitiveness.
SACA’s reach now extends across multiple sectors, including advanced manufacturing, energy, logistics, and cyber security. The organization’s member base includes community colleges, universities, high schools, and training centers, as well as Fortune 500 companies and regional manufacturers. This diverse coalition demonstrates the broad relevance of SACA’s mission: preparing a workforce that can thrive in both local and global economies.
Looking ahead, SACA is committed to expanding its reach and continuing to empower organizations and individuals. “We are looking forward to welcoming the next wave of organizations and learners into the alliance,” Wall added. “Together, we’ll continue building skills, advancing careers, and shaping the future of smart automation.”
About SACA
The Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to develop and deploy modular Industry 4.0 certifications for a wide range of industries.
Our vision is to provide highly affordable, accessible certifications that significantly increase the number of individuals who possess the skills represented by these credentials, thereby ensuring that companies have the highly skilled workers they need, and individuals are prepared to be successful in an Industry 4.0 world.
With the help industry partners, SACA has created certifications that are industry-driven, developed for industry by industry. They are developed through a rigorous process that begins with the creation of truly international skill standards, endorsed by leading experts in Industry 4.0 technologies throughout the world.
- Published in News, Posts, Technology
3 Reasons World-Class Manufacturers Hire Candidates with SACA Certifications
SACA certifications are the gold standard for Industry 4.0 talent, so if you’re not hiring from SACA-aligned programs, you’re already behind. Learn why world-class industrial employers are making SACA certifications a hiring priority.
Finding skilled talent in manufacturing and industrial sectors is harder than ever. As an employer, you need to see more than a resume. You need candidates who can demonstrate real-world skills, industry alignment, and a commitment to continuous learning. But how can you be sure a candidate has the skills you value?
The Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA) is the new standard across technical certifications. Built with industry at the table, SACA certifications are designed to meet the needs of modern employers who demand both knowledge and hands-on ability from their workforce. Whether you’re hiring for advanced manufacturing, industrial automation, or smart systems integration, SACA credentials offer a reliable signal of a candidate’s workforce readiness.
That’s why leading manufacturers like Amazon, Rockwell Automation, Ashley Furniture, Hershey, FANUC, Boeing, and hundreds of others have gotten involved with SACA. If you’re in HR, workforce development, or technical hiring and not asking for SACA credentials on your job postings, you’re missing out on the most job-ready candidates in advanced manufacturing.
1. Built by Industry, for Industry
SACA certifications are industry-driven, developed by industry, for industry. Every credential begins with the creation of international skill standards, endorsed by experts in Industry 4.0 technologies from around the world. Topics range from robotics and IoT to process control, electrical systems, semiconductor operations, and many more. This ensures every credential reflects the real-world competencies demanded by today’s advanced manufacturing environments.
SACA certifications are developed in accordance with ISO 17024 standards, the global benchmark for personnel certification. This means they’re not just well-designed, but they’re also credible, consistent, and globally-recognized.
All certifications, after initial topic selection, go through a technical work group. These groups are responsible for defining the competencies, tasks, and performance standards that each certification will assess. These work groups are made up of industry professionals who lead manufacturing and technical teams and are experts in the topic area. This ensures that every certification reflects current technologies, tools, and workflows used in industry.
The input from these work groups guarantees that SACA credentials are not only technically rigorous but also immediately relevant to employers. And because SACA updates its certifications annually, they stay aligned with the latest technologies and tools.
2. Based on Knowledge AND Hands-On Skills
One of the most powerful aspects of SACA certifications is their dual-level structure: Silver and Gold. This tiered approach is designed to build employer confidence by validating both what a person knows and what they can do.
- Silver SACA certifications validate a candidate’s understanding of key concepts, terminology, and systems. A Silver certification signals that an individual has a solid grasp of the technical landscape and has a strong foundation and understanding of the technology.
- Gold SACA certifications go a step further by requiring candidates to demonstrate their skills in a hands-on environment. Proctored only by other gold-certified SACA earners, these certifications give credibility and proof of a professional’s experience.
Most credentials fall short because they don’t require candidates to physically demonstrate their abilities. SACA fills that gap. Its dual-level structure and performance-based assessments make it one of the most robust certification models in the industry. And because SACA is a third-party, nationally recognized credentialing body, employers can trust that its standards are impartial, consistent, and aligned with the needs of modern manufacturing.
3. Stackable, Modular, and Occupationally-Aligned
SACA certifications are built to scale. Whether you’re hiring entry-level technicians or developing advanced engineers, the stackable structure allows professionals to build their credentials over time.
Learners can begin with a single certification and build upon it, adding new credentials that reflect their growing expertise and evolving career goals. This modular design allows individuals to customize their learning path and document a wide range of skills, all while staying aligned with the demands of modern Industry 4.0 workplaces.
Unlike generic training programs, SACA certifications are occupationally-focused. That means each Specialist and Professional certification is tied to a specific job role or function within the smart manufacturing ecosystem. Whether someone is preparing for a role in industrial maintenance, systems design, or data-driven optimization, SACA certifications ensure that the skills being assessed are directly applicable to real-world tasks. This occupational alignment helps workforce leaders identify talent that’s not only technically capable but also strategically positioned to contribute to high-tech production environments.
SACA’s microcredentials are divided into core and elective categories and offered at silver and gold levels. Core micro-credentials certify skills that are applicable to all companies, while elective micro-credentials can be added to match with regional or specific company needs.
These micro-credentials can stack into full specialist or professional certifications. Specialist certifications are keyed to a skilled occupation and certify technical skills in operations, troubleshooting, programming, maintenance, and systems integration. Professional certifications are engineering certifications that focus on analysis, design, and optimization of Industry 4.0 systems.
This modular format makes SACA ideal for scalable workforce development. You can upskill employees incrementally, tailor training to your equipment, and build career pathways that align with your operational goals.
Tap Into the Talent Pipeline
Employers shouldn’t wait for certified professionals to show up at their door. Across the country, high schools, technical colleges, and workforce training centers are building SACA-aligned labs and integrating SACA certifications into their programs. These institutions are producing graduates who are ready to contribute from day one. By partnering with these schools, employers can build direct hiring pipelines, offer internships, and even shape training to match their equipment and processes.
By engaging with SACA-certified programs, employers can shape the future of their workforce. Many schools with SACA labs welcome industry partnerships, offering opportunities to host facility tours or provide guest speaking sessions. These collaborations help students gain familiarity with your company that can be top of mind when having conversations about their futures. Employers who invest early in these relationships gain first access to top talent and build long-term pipelines of skilled professionals who are already aligned with their company’s standards and technologies.
Hire with Confidence and Lead with Capability
Developed by industry professionals, validated through hands-on performance, and organized into stackable microcredentials, SACA certifications align directly with the needs of modern production environments.
SACA certified candidates are showing up with validated skills, hands-on experience, and a clear understanding of the technologies shaping modern manufacturing.
Looking for a place to start? Here are easy ways to take advantage of SACA-certified talent:
- Start adding SACA certifications on your job postings.
- Find a SACA school near you: https://www.saca.org/member-institutions/
- Have your company become a SACA member: https://www.saca.org/industry-membership-benefits/. This way, you can certify your own employees.
- Stay up to date on current and new certifications: https://www.saca.org/smart-automation-certifications/
- Get involved in a technical work group to have your voice heard in the creation of new credentials.
In a world where technology evolves fast and talent is a competitive edge, SACA makes workforce development both practical and powerful. The companies already hiring for SACA know this, and if you’re not, you’re leaving talent on the table.
- Published in News
Industry Credentials Turned a Career’s Worth of Experience Into College Credit
SACA certifications give learners a way to turn real-world expertise into college credit, saving time, reducing costs, and accelerating career growth.
For any parent, their child’s graduation is a moment of pride. For Jason Solberg, it’s also a personal milestone. This spring, he’ll don his cap and gown alongside his son, Tyler, as both become some of the first graduates of the University of Wisconsin-Stout’s new Bachelor of Automation Leadership program.
The degree is the first of its kind, offering students an opportunity to blend technical skills with industrial business leadership expertise. The program prepares learners to lead in areas such as Industry 4.0, digital transformation, and operations management.
What makes this program so unique is that 61 credits can be transferred through associated credentials from the Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA), a national certification body that delivers industry-recognized certifications and microcredentials in advanced manufacturing and Industry 4.0. SACA silver certifications are written exams that test knowledge, and gold certifications are hands-on assessments that measure technical skill.
Add general education credits, and students can transfer up to 88 total credits to UW-Stout from any technical or community college in the country that has a transfer agreement with UW-Stout.
In other words, students can complete 75% of a 120-credit bachelor’s degree without paying university tuition.
To finish their degree, students will build on their technical foundation with courses in IoT, lean manufacturing, project management, and digital strategy. Then, they’ll complete an automation leadership internship and final capstone project. These capstones showcase a student’s understanding of both the technical and business sides of a project, including scheduling, budgeting, team management, and communication.
Jason Solberg describes himself as a man who’s done a little bit of everything, with a career that has spanned roles, technologies, and learning environments. That versatility is exactly what accelerated his journey through the Automation Leadership degree.
Jason’s has had roles in operations, maintenance, automation, and instruction, with roles at Tecumseh Products, Waukesha Engines, and GE. Early on, he pursued technical education at Moraine Park Technical College and completed a journeyman apprenticeship at Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC).
Having spent over two decades in industry, Jason moved to the world of education after discovering a job listing for an adjunct instructor position at WCTC. “I took the plunge and I went to the other side and became a teacher. It was terrifying because I never taught a day in my life.”
After nine years of teaching, Jason has now taught over 28 different courses and set up five apprenticeship programs. “I don’t teach for the money. I do it because I want to make a difference in people’s life.”
Always looking to grow, Jason had recently enrolled at Lakeland College for data analytics when WCTC Associate Vice Provost of Academic Affairs, Mike Shiels, mentioned a new program that might be of interest. The University of Wisconsin-Stout’s new bachelor of Automation Leadership was being rolled out and looking for students. With the SACA credential portion of the degree, Shiels explained how Jason could gain credit for his years of experience.
“I just took whatever [SACA assessments] just to see, test myself. I got 15 or 16 silvers from that,” Jason explains how he received his SACA credentials. He then spent 4 days at Lakeshore College in Cleveland, Wisconsin testing for his gold certifications. “I didn’t even study. I went in there and I walked away with 10 golds.” These credentials will translate into 28 credits towards Jason’s degree.
Unlike the traditional credit for prior learning model, which maps to courses, Stout’s model uses the earned SACA credentials to award credit. According to Program Director Dr. Xuedong (David) Ding, “SACA makes this program possible. Because if there is no national or internationally-recognized skill set competencies certificate, this program would not be available.”
Dr. Ding also explains how SACA’s industry-validated and standardized benchmarks, along with flexible delivery, enabled the University to format the program to support reshoring American manufacturing.
Jason is the perfect example of what makes the Automation Leadership degree so unique. By earning his 25 SACA certifications, he validated decades of hands-on experience and turned those credentials directly into college credit. This allowed him to reduce the time it will take to obtain the degree as well as reduce tuition costs, since converting certifications into credits meant fewer classes to pay for. Jason’s journey shows that when education aligns with experience, learners can move forward faster, with greater purpose and impact.
“I like to lead by example, and I want to pave the path for our apprentices because I’m an apprentice,” Jason shares.
Now that Jason has taken his own certifications and knows the variety of credentials SACA provides, he uses them as a planning tool to shape his courses at WCTC. SACA helps him align labs, lectures, and assessments with the exact skills students will need in the field. This approach gives students a clear path toward earning certifications while they learn, and it ensures that every lesson connects directly to real-world outcomes.
And because WCTC has a transfer agreement with UW-Stout, Jason’s students also have a clear pathway to an Automation Leadership degree if they want to continue their education.
Tyler Solberg, Jason’s son, had also started the Automation Leadership program at the same time as Jason and was able to transfer 19 credits into the program from his dual enrollment at Oconomowoc High School.
For his capstone project, Jason worked with Tyler and another classmate, Wesley Lidwin, to complete a multi-year project to develop a coil winding training station for Eaton. Jason often conducts training bootcamps for Eaton employees, and Eaton offered $350,000 to fund Jason’s leadership of the new training program.
[A look at the coil training line at Eaton coordinated by Jason and his team.]
Dr. Ding oversees Jason’s capstone project and predicts the training Jason coordinated will have a continued impact on Eaton beyond this first project. “[The coil training line] impacted the whole culture of that facility. It transferred from a semi-automated or manual operation to a fully automated production. So, they have a more competitive edge compared to competitors nationally and internationally.”
Jason and Tyler’s journeys show how SACA certifications create real opportunities for learners at every stage, from high school students just starting out to seasoned professionals with years of experience. While Tyler used dual-enrollment credits to begin his degree early, Jason converted decades of hands-on expertise into college credit through performance-based certifications. Each took a different path, but both will end up in the same destination as they walk the graduation stage together this spring.
Whether students are just starting out or bringing years of experience to the table, SACA helps them build meaningful skills that connect directly to the workplace. It turns learning into progress, and progress into possibility.
Learn more about Jason’s capstone project here.
Find the current offerings of SACA certifications here.
Learn more about the Automation Leadership degree here.
- Published in News
Laying a Solid Foundation for Digital Transformation
Have you ever taken a small child shopping? If you have, then you understand the lengths retailers will go to in order to entice shoppers to make impulse purchases. The end caps filled with “must-have” toys…the sodas, candy bars, and chips that line the sides of the checkout aisles…these items are no accident. They rarely appear on a shopping list, yet they find their way into our carts more than we’d care to admit.
What about at work? Believe it or not, businesses are not immune to impulse purchases. Although we’d like to think that business purchases are well-thought-out and only made after a careful cost-benefit analysis, there are many industrial facilities around the country filled with unused equipment that was purchased without a clear plan of how it would be implemented.
Business impulse purchases aren’t limited to things like office supplies. To the contrary, even advanced automation technologies, such as robots, can be purchased on a whim because companies know they need to implement more technological solutions. However, if those purchases are made without a clear plan regarding how they’re going to be used, they can do more harm than good when it comes to the bottom line.
In a recent IndustryWeek article, author Rick Wheeler argues that “technology itself isn’t the fix; it’s the accelerator. What is the most important part of getting to your digital transformation goals? It is putting the right foundations in place first.”
For Wheeler, this means “understanding the root cause of your asset failures. You’ll only get there through a balance of people, processes, tools and technology. It’s what we call smart operations, and it starts by understanding what your organization needs to change and why you’re trying to change it.”
The author acknowledges that there are businesses out there purchasing technology on what amounts to nothing more than impulse: “We see customers spending millions getting IT systems and instrumentation in place without first having clarity on how and why they need it or are using it. Technology initiatives will likely fail if you are lacking basic job plans and workflows.”
As an initial step, Wheeler recommends you “ask yourself what your organization is trying to accomplish.” With a clear purpose in mind, you can make an informed decision about technology and its proper place.
As Wheeler points out, “[i]t’s safe to say technology is an important consideration in moving from a reactive to a proactive operation – but the balance between your people, processes and technology is critical to your success.”
Finding the proper balance takes time and planning, but the payoff can be huge for both the company and its workers. The author emphasizes that implementing new technologies “means your workers have the opportunity to learn new skills and hone their old ones, possibly leading to reskilling or upskilling your workforce. So while technology might replace some of your missing employees, it may also help you hang on to the ones you want to keep.”
Once you have new technologies in place, creating greater productivity and efficiency, you’re on your way to a better future. But it’s important to remember that you’ve started a process that’s ongoing. As Wheeler summarizes, “[t]here is no finish line when it comes to digital transformation. It’s an ongoing process that requires continuous innovation, improvements and adaptation.”
It also requires ongoing investment in your employees. It’s important to ensure skilled personnel are available to operate, maintain, troubleshoot, and repair these new technologies as implemented. In many cases, that will mean either upskilling current workers or hiring new workers with the advanced automation technology skills you require.
If hiring new workers ends up being part of your automation implementation plan, look for candidates with industry-standard credentials that prove they already possess the advanced automation skills needed to thrive. For example, if workers possess a certification from the Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA), employers can feel confident they’ve already proven they have the knowledge and hands-on skills needed for working with advanced smart automation technologies. SACA has been hard at work collaborating with industry leaders to develop a wide variety of industry-standard certifications that will help employers find workers who possess the advanced connected-systems skills they need to take their businesses to the next level. Be sure to check out SACA and all it has to offer!
- Published in News
Condition Monitoring Offers Cost-Effective Entry into World of Industry 4.0
According to a recent IoT For All article by Brian Harrison, “[t]he factory of the future, in which all conceivable devices are connected with their intelligence and autonomy and each plant process is constantly optimized through sophisticated real-time analytics, has long been the utopia of industrial automation.”
After all, what manufacturer doesn’t want to be as efficient and productive as possible? Harrison notes that these new advanced automation technologies “promise to unlock unseen levels of productivity and efficiency while removing the need for humans to carry out many of the more repetitive or labor-intensive tasks required, potentially saving organizations vast amounts of money and time.”
However, all you have to do is look at the current state of modern manufacturing to know that “the idea of the smart factory is not yet a reality for all.” While many manufacturers have embraced new automation technologies, others have yet to do so, citing both the cost of technology and inability to hire skilled workers that know how to use these technologies as reasons.
Harrison acknowledges that “[i]t takes time, planning, and often significant investment to radically modernize an entire plant from the ground up.” But maybe “a radical rebuild is not necessary to start embracing the benefits of Industry 4.0.”
What if, instead, manufacturers started small and built up their capabilities over time? According to Harrison, “[i]ncremental improvements, such as adding condition monitoring capabilities to existing equipment can unlock a vast potential for savings across the areas of efficiency, productivity, and reliability throughout the plant.”
The author argues that manufacturers “can implement condition monitoring without substantially rethinking existing processes, and you can roll it out on a much smaller scale to embrace the efficiency, reliability, and productivity savings promised by Industry 4.0, at a fraction of the cost.”
Doing so “offers greater visibility over running processes. Digital connectivity provides real-time or near-real-time insight into asset health, allowing maintenance teams to focus their efforts where needed and avoid expending resources unnecessarily. It can also prevent large amounts of downtime by flagging and fixing potential issues before they turn into failures.”
Harrison urges manufacturers to “[a]ttach sensors to legacy equipment to measure health, tracking metrics like vibration, temperature, and power signatures for a comprehensive view, avoiding manual component inspection. Measuring and analyzing assets remotely improves plant safety in hazardous areas without endangering personnel.”
Incorporating condition monitoring into manufacturing processes allows manufacturers to transition from reactive maintenance to predictive maintenance. Over time, manufacturers can add more technologies, such as manufacturing execution systems and enterprise asset management systems to more thoroughly take advantage of data being collected.
Harrison concludes that “condition monitoring enables companies to start small, and grow digital capabilities gradually in a more manageable and cost-effective way. This also allows you to prioritize assets in a way that provides the best return on investment. From there, you can expand condition monitoring programs to other operations, and before you know it, much of the plant will be connected.”
Of course, part of the transition to Industry 4.0 has to be upskilling current workers and/or hiring new workers with the skills necessary to operate, maintain, troubleshoot, and repair a wide variety of advanced automation systems. How can manufacturers accomplish this?
Today, more and more employers are looking for workers with industry-standard certifications that prove they have the skills needed. For example, if workers possess a certification from the Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA), employers can feel confident they’ve already proven they have the knowledge and hands-on skills needed for working with advanced smart automation technologies. SACA has been hard at work collaborating with industry leaders to develop a wide variety of industry-standard certifications that will help employers find workers who possess the advanced connected-systems skills they need to take their businesses to the next level. Be sure to check out SACA and all it has to offer!
- Published in News
Every Worker is a Tech Worker
Do you remember your days as a student? If you were like most kids, you couldn’t wait to be done with school. No more teachers. No more books. No more exams. No more learning stuff you didn’t care about. Just launch out into the real world and get on with life. That’s what many students can’t wait for.
Well, as it turns out, the real world has some bad news for today’s students. Once they graduate and think they’re done with school, teachers, books, exams, and learning forever, they enter a workplace filled with modern technology that creates a seemingly-never-ending learning curve.
According to a recent Forbes article by Brian Greenberg, “[i]n the ever-evolving landscape of the modern workplace, a new reality [has] emerged: Every worker, regardless of their field, is now a tech worker to some extent. This shift is not limited to the tech industry and IT; it encompasses every sector, ranging from healthcare, education and carpentry to food service, manufacturing and retail. As technology permeates every aspect of our lives, adapting and continually retraining has become paramount.”
The author speaks from experience, noting that “[t]hroughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of working in several industries and many roles. The one constant was that I needed to keep learning along the way. There was always a new process to understand or technology to become familiar with. There was always something new, and as time went on, there was more and more technology to learn.
Could this phenomenon simply be a short-lived trend? Greenberg doesn’t believe so. Instead, he believes “it’s a mirror reflecting how deeply technology has rooted itself in the fabric of our work life. Integrating technology into every conceivable profession signals a departure from the past, where a clear delineation existed between a ‘tech job’ and a ‘traditional job.’”
For example, the author points out that “[e]lectricians, once primarily concerned with wires and circuits, are now at the forefront of installing smart home systems. This requires an understanding of electrical fundamentals, networking and digital connectivity. They are expected to be adept at navigating complex control systems and staying up to date with the latest smart technology.”
How do students prepare themselves for today’s workplace? Greenberg believes “a continuous learning and adaptability attitude is essential. The demand is no longer for workers who can perform a set task. Instead, the emphasis is on those who can learn, unlearn and relearn as technology evolves.”
Moreover, he notes that “[t]his dynamic is not restricted to mastering new software or tools; it also includes understanding the implications of technology on your industry, keeping up with cybersecurity concerns, staying ahead of digital trends, understanding how your data is managed and developing a mindset for innovation.”
Does this sound intimidating? If so, you’re not alone. However, Greenberg believes “seeing it as an opportunity is more productive. Technology can be a potent tool to enhance efficiency, accuracy, creativity and productivity in any job when used effectively. For instance, automation and AI can take over mundane tasks, freeing workers to focus on more strategic, creative aspects of their roles.”
But what if you just want to be a “traditional worker” and not a “tech worker”? In today’s workplace that just might not be possible any longer. The author notes that “[w]herever you look, technology is enhancing jobs…tech literacy has become a fundamental skill, just like reading and writing. People must be familiar with essential tech tools and concepts relevant to their fields and be ready and able to explore new digital avenues as they emerge.”
Fortunately, workers don’t have to meet this challenge alone. According to Greenberg, “[o]ngoing reskilling is a responsibility shared by everyone, employees and employers alike. Companies must provide learning opportunities, time and resources to help their staff keep pace with technological advancements. These could include training programs, workshops, online resources or partnerships with educational institutions.”
As opportunities are made available to them, “workers must embrace their identity as tech workers, regardless of their job titles. This means being proactive in learning new skills, adapting to new tools and being open to how technology can improve their work and lives.”
Greenberg issues “a call to embrace the new realities of the workplace, where technology is not just an enabler but a necessary partner in every career path. We can successfully navigate this new landscape by adopting a continuous learning mindset, seeking opportunities to upskill and leveraging technology to our advantage. The future of work is here, and it’s undeniably tech-centric.”
Is your employer adequately equipping its workers with opportunities to build the tech skills they need to survive and thrive in today’s technology-driven workplace? In addition to upskilling current workers, employers need to ensure that new workers have the hands-on skills they need to succeed.
Today, more and more employers are looking for workers with industry-standard certifications that prove they have the skills needed. For example, if workers possess a certification from the Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA), employers can feel confident they’ve already proven they have the knowledge and hands-on skills needed for working with advanced smart automation technologies. SACA has been hard at work collaborating with industry leaders to develop a wide variety of industry-standard certifications that will help employers find workers who possess the advanced connected-systems skills they need to take their businesses to the next level. Be sure to check out SACA and all it has to offer!
- Published in News
Instructor Profile: Maroun Nehme
Maroun Nehme, director of Buena Park High School’s Advanced Robotics and Mechatronics program, started folding SACA into his program shortly after he became the head of it. He said it started off as a way to get something in the hands of students along with their diplomas, but it’s turned into a lot more.
He got his Gold SACA instructor certification and began testing his students for the Gold credentials. After seven students passed the Silver exam, six attempted and passed the Gold exam.
“We became the very first college or high school in California to have Gold Certified students and a Gold Certified instructor,” Nehme said.
He said he wanted to make sure his students got a little recognition, so he began posting their projects and accomplishments on social media.
That’s when his community began taking notice. A councilman for the Buena Park City Council saw the hands-on training in action, and asked Nehme to bring his students to a public meeting to honor them and their work. He also said industry began taking notice and wanted to see how they could benefit from Nehme and his lab.
“Their parents were super stoked and I think it just gives more recognition to the program,” Nehme said. “And now we’re beginning to partner up with some companies that may use my classroom as a training facility for their employees, which is pretty big for a high school.”
He said it was a big deal, especially since he wasn’t sure how to deliver SACA curriculum at first. Nehme said a presentation from Joe Russo at Klein Educational Systems helped him see how to keep things moving. Working with students in pods helped him make sure he could keep 30 students going at once and still give them time to test on the necessary skills.
Watching them gain interest in the first year is huge, he said, and part of that is how the initial curriculum is built.
“I like the 101 curriculum because it gives students a taste of everything,” Nehme said. “It doesn’t go super deep into anything, but it gives them a taste of all these different things, whether it’s electrical, pneumatics or robotics. They go into year two, they’re doing the same thing and they can decide what they want to learn, what they want to pursue.”
He said that gives them opportunity once they graduate outside of just going to a four-year institution. He said it helps motivate students while they’re in high school, and find paths to high-paying careers once they graduate.
“I think one of the roles that SACA fills is provide for not just the students, but their parents, a purpose for them to go to school,” Nehme said. “They would like them to get into some kind of career where they can learn a trade and earn a decent living, especially in Southern California. If a student wants to go into a field, they can stack those certifications and use them to get a job.”
- Published in News, Technology
Believe the Hype: The Current State of Smart Manufacturing
It’s no secret that technology has changed our personal lives in ways few could have foreseen decades ago. But to what extent has technology changed the way we work?
People unfamiliar with the manufacturing sector might assume that factories where people work with their hands to make things might not be on the frontier of technological progress. However, they might be surprised to learn that the nation’s manufacturing facilities are driving forces when it comes to advanced technology.
There’s even a name for the technological revolution taking place throughout manufacturing: Industry 4.0. This term refers to the fact that we’re in the midst of a fourth Industrial Revolution, in which advanced automation technologies powered by Internet-connected systems are transforming the way modern manufacturing facilities operate.
This phenomenon goes by a variety of different monikers, including Smart Factory, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and Smart Manufacturing. It’s gotten a lot of attention over the past several years, leading some to question whether all the hype is justified.
After all, there are plenty of people who work in facilities that remain largely unchanged from the way they’ve always been. Is technology really transforming manufacturing the way the media portrays?
In a nutshell, the answer is yes. If you haven’t jumped aboard the Industry 4.0 train yet, it’s time to make your way to the station. Believe the hype. The current state of manufacturing is smarter and more automated than ever before, and it’s only growing and accelerating. As Blake Moret, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Rockwell Automation, recently noted, “We’ve experienced 20 years of evolution in 2 years.”
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at a few of the conclusions reached by experts at Rockwell Automation and Plex, in association with Sapio Research, in their Eighth Annual State of Smart Manufacturing Report (the “report”).
Challenges Spurring Technology Investments
Why are so many manufacturers choosing to invest in advanced smart automation technologies? That’s one of the questions the authors of the report looked at when developing questions for their survey of 1,353 global manufacturers across 13 of the top manufacturing countries.
What they learned is that many manufacturers see technology as a means to address one or more of the many challenges they face in today’s manufacturing environment. For example, “[s]killed labor – and labor of any kind – continues to be elusive across the globe. As manufacturers continue to seek opportunities for profitable growth, they’re finding that uncertainty in workforce availability is impacting quality, along with their ability to meet their customers’ needs and transform at pace. They are addressing this impact by using technology to extract data from their operations and assemble actionable insights.”
As manufacturers compete for skilled labor, they’re also competing with other manufacturers globally for customers and market share. The authors of the report “are also seeing how technology is helping the industry accelerate their agility and competitive differentiation.”
In fact, “manufacturers view technology as an advantage for improving quality, agility, innovation, and to attract the next generation of talent. Manufacturers expect to mitigate risk through technology tied to processes and people to build resiliency and drive future success.”
The Current State of Smart Manufacturing
Knowing that manufacturers are increasingly turning to advanced automation technologies to address the many challenges they’re facing, the authors of the report sought to gauge both the current levels of technology adoption and manufacturers’ plans for the future.
Before jumping into those findings, though, it’s important to understand what we’re talking about when we refer to “smart manufacturing.” According to the Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association (“MESA International”), “Smart Manufacturing is the intelligent, real-time orchestration and optimization of business, physical, and digital processes within factories and across the entire value chain. Resources and processes are automated, integrated, monitored, and continuously evaluated based on all available information as close to real time as possible.”
Manufacturers embracing smart manufacturing technologies are doing so “to mitigate risks, open up new opportunities, and remain competitive.” In terms of risk management, manufacturers face both internal and external risks.
According to the report, “[t]he top two ways respondents are addressing internal risk are to adopt new technology aimed at minimizing disruption from workforce or supply issues (53%) and to shift their operations to the cloud for purposes including increased cybersecurity protection and business continuity (50%). When it comes to external risks like inflation, supply chain, and workforce shortages, the top-ranking mitigation tactic is adopting new technology (44%).”
So exactly how many respondents are we talking about? The report concludes that “[e]ighty-four percent of respondents have adopted smart manufacturing or are actively evaluating solutions with the intention to invest in the coming year.” That’s an astounding adoption rate, which shows clearly the role these technologies play today and will continue to play in the future.
The report did note a difference in adoption rate based upon available revenue: “Companies with higher revenues are more likely to have adopted smart manufacturing technology, with a 58% adoption rate among respondents in the top third for revenue, compared to 40% among the lower revenue bracket.”
This finding is unsurprising, but the report indicates it “may indicate an opportunity for small and mid-size organizations to leverage an incremental, lower initial cost and resource approach to smart manufacturing with modular solutions that provide strong value and quick time to payback and ROI.”
With manufacturing becoming a more global phenomenon every year, it’s worth noting that investment in advanced automation technologies isn’t limited to the United States. Indeed, the top three countries with the greatest adoption rates of smart manufacturing technologies are “China (70%), the US (60%) and India (57%).”
Smart Manufacturing Solutions Abound
So what exactly are these advanced automation technologies we’re talking about when we discuss smart manufacturing? The report summarizes a set of ten smart manufacturing solutions manufacturers are adopting:
- Smart Devices
“Smart devices are self and system-aware assets that acquire and process operating data – and monitor and report on asset conditions such as self-diagnostics and energy usage.”
- Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)
“Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) track and document the transformation of raw materials into finished goods, providing real-time production management to drive enterprise-wide compliance, quality, and efficiency.”
- Quality Management Systems (QMS)
“Quality Management Systems (QMS) standardize and automate quality documentation, processes, and measurements.”
- Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS)
“Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) help organizations track and manage maintenance and repair activities for their facilities, equipment, and other assets in one place.”
- Asset Performance Management (APM)
“Asset Performance Management (APM) combines process, operational, and machine-level data through dashboards to monitor machine and plant health, ensuring optimal uptime, throughput, and maintenance needs.”
- Production Monitoring
“Production Monitoring provides seamless connectivity to machines on the plant floor, delivering transparent, real-time operational KPIs like OEE and dashboards to drive continuous improvements.”
- Distributed Control Systems (DCS)
“Distributed Control Systems (DCS) use decentralized elements to control dispersed systems, such as automated industrial processes or large-scale infrastructure systems.”
- Supply Chain Planning (SCP)
“Supply Chain Planning (SCP) combines data from multiple departments across the business or from outside market resources to sync demand and supply forecasting to improve inventory accuracy and production management.”
- Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
“Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) automates front- and back-office processes, including financial management, revenue management, human capital, order management, billing, and inventory.”
- Analytics
“Analytics use data to solve manufacturing bottlenecks, optimize output and quality, and provide new insights.”
Contact SACA to Learn More about Smart Automation Certifications
As manufacturers incorporate these new advanced automation technologies, they’re finding they need workers with more advanced technical and technological skills than ever before. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough workers with these skills to fill the many roles available today, creating what is known throughout industry as the “skills gap.”
How can manufacturers find the highly-skilled workers they need so desperately? One promising solution is the development of industry-standard certifications that focus on connected-systems skills. The Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA) sits at the forefront of the effort to certify students and workers who demonstrate the required knowledge and hands-on smart automation skills employers so desperately need.
To learn more about Industry 4.0 certifications and how SACA can help both educational institutions and industry employers begin the task of bridging the Industry 4.0 skills gap, contact SACA for more information.
About Duane Bolin
Duane Bolin is a former curriculum developer and education specialist. He is currently a Marketing Content Developer for Amatrol, Inc. Learn more about Amatrol and its technical training solutions, including eLearning, here and connect with Duane on Amatrol’s Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube pages.
- Published in News, Technology
SACA Certifications Approved as Industry Based Certifications for Texas High Schools
The Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA) is proud to announce the inclusion of SACA certifications on the latest Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) list of approved Industry Based Certifications (IBC). This will allow access for students at Texas’ 3,000+ high schools to become certified in cutting-edge Industry 4.0 competencies and prepare them for jobs in rapidly changing industrial environments. This will aid both the Texas workforce and industry in closing the skills gap that currently exists worldwide as Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technology continues to be adopted.
The adoption of new IBCs by the TEA is a bi-annual process and certifications must pass a rigid vetting process based around six criteria to make certain that certifications prepare students for in-demand jobs within the current workforce. The TEA ensures the relevance of these certifications by soliciting feedback from industry councils and employers. The inclusion of SACA certification will allow students to enroll in SACA-aligned programs, which will aid school districts by receiving additional funding for students who attain SACA certifications.
The TEA-approved SACA certifications include:
- Certified Industry 4.0 Associate – Basic Operations (C-101)
- Certified Industry 4.0 Associate – Robot System Operations (C-103)
- Certified Industry 4.0 Automation Systems Specialist I – Electrical Systems 1 (C-201)
- Certified Industry 4.0 Automation Systems Specialist I – Electric Motor Control Systems 1 (C-202)
- Certified Industry 4.0 Automation Systems Specialist I – Motor Control Troubleshooting 1 (C-204)
- Certified Industry 4.0 Automation Systems Specialist I – Programmable Controller Troubleshooting 1 (C-208)
- Certified Industry 4.0 Automation Systems Specialist I – Robotic Operations 1 (C-215)
- Certified Industry 4.0 Automation Systems Specialist I – Robotic System Integration 1 (C-216)
About SACA
The Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to develop and deploy modular Industry 4.0 certifications for a wide range of industries. With the help our partners, SACA has created certifications that are industry-driven, developed for industry by industry. They are developed through a rigorous process that begins with the creation of truly international skill standards, endorsed by leading experts in Industry 4.0 technologies throughout the world.
- Published in News, Technology
Industry 4.0 Creates Need for IT & Cybersecurity Experts
The challenges facing industries across the country and around the world continue in the ongoing wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. When you add staggering inflation to supply chain disruptions, it’s no wonder companies everywhere are searching for ways to increase productivity and efficiency.
One of the primary solutions many companies are embracing is a range of advanced automation technologies collectively known as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) or Industry 4.0. The shift to connected-systems technologies began well before the pandemic, but the effects of the pandemic have greatly increased the adoption rate of Industry 4.0 technologies.
Whether it’s adding robots, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), or sensors to machines, Industry 4.0 technologies are gaining ground and making a difference. However, adoption of these new solutions can also create an entirely new set of needs that companies must address.
In this article, we’ll take a brief look at how Industry 4.0 technologies create a need for specialized IT and cybersecurity experts to oversee and manage these new solutions. We’ll also explain how the Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA) can help companies find the right experts with the advanced Industry 4.0 skills they need to take their businesses to the next level.
Looking to Industry 4.0 for Solutions
Regardless of your industry or the size of your company, no one has been immune from the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent supply chain issues and rising costs associated with inflation. For many companies, it seems like it’s simply one thing after another with a new challenge arising every day.
To combat these problems, companies everywhere are searching for solutions that allow them to increase productivity and efficiency even in the midst of an extremely tight labor market. As a recent Automation.com article by Henry Martel points out, “an increasing number of [manufacturers] are embracing Industry 4.0 to bolster enterprise efficiency by making their manufacturing more aware, predictive, and autonomous.”
But what does embracing Industry 4.0 really mean, in a practical sense? Martel breaks it down for us in his article:
“The shift from Industry 3.0 to Industry 4.0 involves the convergence between information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT). Connecting OT systems to an IT network allows a more detailed view of individual equipment and creates a comprehensive view of the entire ecosystem, simplifying management and operation. Besides allowing machines to be largely operated autonomously without human supervision, Industry 4.0 creates higher value when data collected from intelligent sensors and actuators connected to equipment leads to better decision making, as well as to the ‘learning’ that’s now possible with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).”
For example, Martel explains that “analyzing big data collected from sensors on the factory floor provides real-time visibility of manufacturing assets to facilitate predictive maintenance in order to minimize costly downtime. In this instance, machine learning algorithms detect and target faulty parts before they wear out, rather than wait until repair work is more expensive.”
In addition to machine learning, Industry 4.0 takes advantage of artificial intelligence “to analyze sensor data to track equipment usage, improve workflows, streamline logistics, increase safety, and achieve higher overall efficiency across OT and IT operations.” In this way, “Industry 4.0 unlocks actionable data throughout the plant and beyond, improving operational awareness in manufacturing and maintenance processes.”
The benefits of these new advanced automation technologies are clear, and early adopters are seeing huge gains in both efficiency and productivity. However, these Industry 4.0 technologies do create a new need for companies: IT and cybersecurity experts that can operate, program, maintain, troubleshoot, and repair these intricate and complex systems that generate enormous amounts of data.
The Need for IT & Cybersecurity Experts
A recent Embedded article by Johan Kraft paints a clear picture of the IT and security needs created by these new “immensely complex” IIoT systems. As Kraft notes, “[o]ne of the defining features of Industry 4.0 is distributed sensing. This latest iteration of industrial automation sees a dramatic increase in the sensor nodes used to monitor equipment and processes, all linked up to gateway devices in a complex industrial internet of things (IIoT)…But this also requires more focus on the security of the network to ensure safe operation.”
Why is security such a critical issue with Industry 4.0 systems? Kraft explains: “Most industrial systems have been isolated in closed loop systems. Industry 4.0 opens these systems up to the wider Internet and higher risks of compromise.” Martel agrees:
“But just as these new technologies have created the opportunities for optimization, they have also introduced new risks and security threats, creating a completely different threat vector than PC-based networks. Industry 4.0, for all its benefits, makes ‘Industry’ an appealing target for cyber-attacks. The expanded attack surface gives bad actors the opportunity to move laterally across a network, jumping across IT and OT systems for industrial espionage, intellectual property theft, IP leakage, or even production sabotage. For this reason, cybersecurity best practices must be acknowledged as one of the pillars to a successful Industry 4.0 strategy.”
Kraft points out that security risks to industry are all too real: “The latest Pipedream malware is deliberately targeting industrial automation and SCADA systems. This does not exploit a vulnerability but uses the inherent functions of the programmable logic controller (PLCs).”
Martel sums up the need as follows:
“Before Industry 4.0, OT devices and systems were ‘air-gapped’ to isolate them from risk. That is not possible today. Industrial switches, media converters, and wireless routers must feature robust, DoD-compliant layer 2 and layer 3 security that helps manage network traffic at scale.”
How SACA Certifications Can Help Companies Find the Talent They Need
The need for advanced Industry 4.0 technologies is clear, and their benefits are many. But how can companies unfamiliar with the types of IT issues and cybersecurity concerns involved with Industry 4.0 technologies navigate their way through these obstacles?
Fortunately, they don’t have to figure everything out by themselves. The Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA) sits at the forefront of the effort to certify students and workers who demonstrate the required knowledge and hands-on smart automation skills employers so desperately need, including advanced IT systems and cybersecurity.
SACA’s certifications were developed in conjunction with industry partners who could speak from experience about their needs when it comes to workers able to work alongside a variety of advanced automation technologies. For example, SACA offers a Certified Industry 4.0 IT Systems Specialist certification that prepares individuals to succeed in information technology technician and engineering positions in modern production environments that use Industry 4.0 technologies.
This certification features a variety of elective micro-credentials that are ideal for individuals seeking to become versed in Industry 4.0 automation, such as: robot system operations and integration; programmable controller systems; industrial Ethernet communications; smart sensors; SCADA systems; Industry 4.0 data analytics; and industrial network security systems.
For workers, SACA certifications can help market their smart automation skills to potential employers. For those employers, SACA certifications represent confirmation that a worker has the skills to hit the ground running in the workplace.
To learn more about Industry 4.0 certifications and how SACA can help both future workers and industrial employers begin the task of bridging the Industry 4.0 skills gap, contact SACA for more information.
- Published in News, Technology
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