Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Holds Symposium on Sharing Smart Factory Standardization Achievements and Promotion Strategies

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (Minister Joo Hyung-hwan) held a symposium on “Smart Factory Standardization,” a key foundation for the voluntary expansion of smart factories.

At the symposium held on this day, the achievements of smart factory standardization efforts to date were shared, and in-depth discussions were conducted regarding future policy directions for smart factory standardization.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy has been promoting smart factory standardization in cooperation with the industry and announced the resulting standard framework, standard library, standardization roadmap, and national standard development plan.

The smart factory standard promotes voluntary diffusion in the private sector by enabling small and medium-sized enterprises to easily transition to smart factories and by providing a direction for continuous upgrades.

The paradigm shift in the manufacturing industry has already established itself as an unstoppable trend. However, there are still numerous challenges remaining to realize it. [Source: GE Report Korea]

Key achievements of smart factory standardization include the smart factory standard framework, smart factory standard library, standardization roadmap, and national standard development plan for smart factories.

First, the Smart Factory Standard Framework (Smart Factory Comprehensive Blueprint) is a comprehensive blueprint that views smart factory components, such as operating systems, from a standard perspective, defining the standard functions, roles, and interrelationships among the smart factory components. It presents a scalable standardization direction that considers the development of the smart manufacturing sector, the enhancement of understanding of smart factories, and the strengthening of connectivity between systems and functions.

The Smart Factory Standard Library and Standardization Roadmap refer to the support system for utilizing smart factory standards. The Library is a smart factory standard encyclopedia that compiles existing standards for smart factory technologies, systems, and devices in an easy-to-understand manner, while the Roadmap presents future response strategies and directions based on the current status of key existing standards related to smart factories.

The proposed national standard development plan for smart factories lays the foundation for KS standards for smart factories. It promotes the voluntary diffusion of smart factories by fostering a common perception and enhancing understanding of smart factories, checking the level of smartification, and suggesting directions for development.

We are also actively responding to international standardization movements, such as the International Electrotechnical Commission and the International Organization for Standardization (IEC and ISO). International standardization, centered on Germany and the United States, is developing an architecture (RAMI 4.0) for smart factory components and standards to ensure interoperability of elemental technologies related to smart factories.

In the future, the government plans to establish a representative factory based on smart factory standards and utilize it as a benchmark for demand companies and a testing ground for products and technologies of supply companies.