Countries globally have achieved high economic growth by positioning the manufacturing sector as a key growth engine. The sector has been identified as a major economic driver for sustainable economic growth, job creation, and poverty alleviation. According to the Kenya Association of Manufacturers’ guide; Kenya Business Guide, a sector deep-dive report, the manufacturing sector’s contribution to the Kenyan economy has stagnated at a rate of 10 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, the focus of the sector in the Big 4 agenda has repositioned it and is expected to increase the country’s GDP by 15 percent by the year 2022.
The integration of manufacturing automation and data exchange to nurture innovations and the smart factory is emerging as a key driver for enhancing the sector. In the near future, factories will be controlled by virtual production lines that run systems and monitors to complete physical processes. In the last century, we have seen factories advance their operations, in the process leaving indelible marks in our manufacturing ecosystem. Going by the trends we are currently witnessing, we are also likely to see increased innovations in automation, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
