One Day Hybrid International Conference on 'Sustainability in Industry 4.0'

Mangaluru, May 11, 2023: A one-day hybrid international conference on ‘Sustainability in Industry 4.0’ was organised by Manel Srinivas Nayak Institute of Management (MSNIM) in association with Limkokwing University, Malaysia, on Thursday, March 11th, 2023, at the institute campus at Bondel.

Industry 4.0 refers to the Fourth Industrial Revolution presently taking place globally. It is characterised by rapid change in technology, industries, societal patterns and processes due to increasing interconnectivity and smart automation. 123 delegates, comprising faculty members, research scholars and students of various educational institutions, participated in the conference. 48 papers were received from nine states and seven countries, namely, the UAE, Malaysia, UK, Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Nigeria. A CD of the conference proceedings was also released.

Inauguration Ceremony

The conference was inaugurated at 9:30 a.m. with the lighting of the lamp. Dr. P. S. Yadapadithaya, Vice Chancellor, Mangalore University, Prof. Abdul Jamal Abd Hamid, Officiating Vice Chancellor, Limkokwing University, Malaysia and Durgadas Shetty, Director and CTO, PrimeSophic Technologies were the dignitaries. Manel Annappa Nayak, President of the Women’s National Education Society, presided.

In his inaugural address, Dr. P.S. Yadapadithaya, said that the people in an organisation should have a ‘clock-building phenomenon’, which is the ability to generate many great ideas over a long period of time. Prof. Abdul Jamal Abd Hamid observed that digital transformation has changed the core functioning of business and is a call to human progress. Durgadas Shetty said that predictive analytics, cloud computing and dynamic scheduling bring solutions for sustainability.

Institute Director Dr. Molly S. Chaudhuri welcomed the gathering. Dr. Shilpi Saha, assistant professor, gave a vote of thanks. Trupthi was the master of ceremonies. Dr. Sharan Kumar Shetty, Dr. Reema Agnes Frank, Nanditha Sunil and Ashalatha were the conveners.

Conference Proceedings

Dr. Krishna Singh Arya, International Speaker, SDG Champion-Global Goals and Sustainability Ambassador and Krishnan Lakshmanan, Faculty in Creative Technology, Limkokwing University, were the keynote speakers. Dr. Madanmohan Rao, Research Director, Yourstory.com and Co-Founder, MXRworld was the moderator for the Panel Discussion. Abhijit Chaudhary, Founder & CEO, Niral Networks, Arvind Tiwary, Chairperson of TiEloT and Founder, SangEnnovate and Dr. Omar AmerAbouabdalla, Deputy Vice Chancellor - Industry, Research and Innovation, Limkokwing University, were the panellists.

Valedictory Programme

The conference concluded with a valedictory programme at 4:30 p.m. Dr. A.M. Khan,  Professor and Chairman, Dept. of Electronics, Mangalore University, and Dr. Omar Amer Abouabdalla, Deputy Vice Chancellor – Industry, Research & Innovation, Limkokwing University, were the dignitaries. Raghav Kamath, member of the governing body of the institute, presided.

In his address, Dr. A.M. Khan observed that, humans are running after technology and not sustainability. "In the olden days, sustainability meant environment and labour laws, but now, after digitalization, sustainability is all about innovation and how effectively we utilise resources," he said.

Dr. Omar Amer Abouabdalla said that technology cannot solve all challenges and replace humans in the work environment. In his presidential address, Raghav Kamath said that digitalization has led to improvements in productivity and efficiency. "The work that used to happen in four days now happens in four seconds.   Hence, when progress takes place, we should yield to it and utilise fewer resources," he said.

Best Paper awards were given to Subhashish Dey, Dr. Meera Jacob, Dr. Jomon Lonappan, Dr. Maria Fatima De Souza alias Fatima Sousa1, Muktali Milinda Sinai Cuncoliencar, Deepraj Birje, Saurabh Bhatade and Dr. M. S. Yadav.

Suresh Shenoy, assistant professor, welcomed the gathering. Ashalatha, assistant professor, was the rapporteur. Pooja gave a vote of thanks. Anushka Hegde was the master of ceremonies.