Director of Industry of the Future 4.0 for Bosch France and Director of the Bosch Rexroth Industrial Division, Pascal Laurin has been observing the major technological developments in the industrial world as well as their commercial opportunities and impacts for nearly 14 years. He has agreed to sponsor the ceremony on February 8, which will award degrees to the ICM 2016 class and the 2019 doctoral graduates of Mines Saint-Étienne.
With his dual background in business-marketing and technology, Pascal Laurin now leverages this experience by leading the Industry 4.0 programme for all Bosch entities in France. A pioneer in mechatronics within the Bosch Group and the profession (he is President of Mechatronics ARTEMA / FIM, one of the major unions of the French Federation of Mechanical Industries), he passionately combines innovative technologies with the commercial opportunities of digitalization for the success and excellence of Industry of the Future 4.0 in France.
How do you view the role of sponsor?
I am very honored to sponsor the ICM 2016 class, even though I am not an engineer: I define myself as a business developer—this is not a paradox and the word business is not pejorative!
Education and the school-business connection are essential and inseparable, just as the engineer-business balance should be.
I have always been drawn to technology, economic and commercial challenges. This naturally aligns with the issues of Industry 4.0: industrial leadership, mass customization, production and tool flexibility, re-industrialization in the innovative sense of the term, all while respecting the environment.
What are your special connections with our school?
Bosch is one of the partners of Mines Saint-Étienne and the it’m Factory technology platform: one of the major demonstrators in France! The platform contains components from our group, particularly the collaborative robot developed by the Bosch Rexroth teams.
I have followed your school’s strong positioning on Industry 4.0 for several years and our collaborations have continued since then, particularly through the projects of the digital campus of the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Region.
What initial message would you like to convey to the new graduates?
It is up to them to make the future a reality—we (our generation) are preparing it!
They are generalists and must have a clear vision to interpret the world, be able to adapt, because everything moves very quickly. Engineers represent an increased contribution of skills, in large groups certainly, but also in SMEs, mid-sized companies, startups, where taking risks is often necessary to develop internationally.
They must also and above all enjoy themselves and not hesitate to change course.
