CRIQ Teams Up with Industry 4.0 Global Giant

July 22, 2016

Quebec’s Ministry of Economy, Science, and Innovation, Centre de recherche industrielle du Quebec (CRIQ) and Festo have signed an agreement to speed up introduction of the principles of Industry 4.0 and smart factories in Quebec’s manufacturing sector.

Smart factories, a core element of Industry 4.0, are characterized by continuous communication between the various tools and workstations of supply and production lines. Under this agreement, CRIQ now enjoys access to new specialized resources and to some 30,000 avant-garde automation technologies tried and tested in over 175 countries.

The Festo team will collaborate with a research team from CRIQ that specializes in robotization, artificial intelligence, telematics, numerical control, production systems organization, and Big Data management. Ultimately, this collaboration will give rise to factory technology showcases that other companies can look to for inspiration, and will breathe new life into Quebec’s industrial sector.

“This partnership is a clear commitment by CRIQ to the digital shift our Quebec companies are undertaking, and it speaks to the importance we place on the modernization of industry in our research activities,” notes Denis Hardy, President and CEO of Centre de recherche industrielle du Québec.

Roger Hallett, President and CEO of Festo Canada, states that “in our ever-changing environment, our partnership will ensure the competitiveness of Quebec’s manufacturing sector thanks to the adoption of the principles of Industry 4.0.”

With over 200 employees, and labs in Quebec City and Montreal, CRIQ carries out close to 2,000 projects each year. Find out more: www.criq.qc.ca.