Competencies of quality professionals in the era of industry 4.0: a case study of electronics manufacturer from Malaysia

Industry 4.0 is a buzzword across all industries globally. As the finding from the ‘The Future of Jobs Report 2018’ (WEF, 2018), there is a narrow window of opportunity between 2018 and 2022 for organisations to leverage the new technology needed to re-skill people. This study investigates the competencies required for quality management professionals to meet the needs of industry 4.0. The authors use a case study strategy at an electronics manufacturer in southern Malaysia to adapt their role to be relevant in the industry 4.0 environment. In doing so, this study answers the following four questions; 1) How are the changing technological trends expected to impact the future role of quality in Industry 4.0? 2) What is the competence gap between current and future roles of quality professionals? 3) What are the views and practices related to quality roles? 4) How can the gaps identified be closed to meet the quality challenges of Industry 4.0? There does not appear to be a specific study conducted using any models to determine the competencies required of Quality professionals. This paper suggests the use of Hecklau et al. (2016) competency model framework to identify the competence gap in a structured manner.