457 A Gap Analysis between the Expectation of Industry 4.0 and the Ability of the Current Industrial Engineering Graduates in Khon Kaen University Sirorat Pattanapairoj 1 , Thitipong Jamrus 1 , Rujapa Nanthapodej 2 , Kanchana Sethanan 1 1 Department of Industrial Engineering, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand. 2 Department of Industrial Engineering, Nakhon Phanom University, Nakhon Phanom, Thailand. Email: siropa@kku.ac.th, thitja@kku.ac.th, nanruja@npu.ac.th, skanch@kku.ac.th Abstract Thailand has entered Industry 4.0 era, which is the recent trend in automation and data exchange in organization. The digital transformation of manufacturing processes based on intelligent machines and devices is crucial in manufacturing industries. To be an effective industry 4.0, it requires cooperation between various sectors and higher education sector is one of those. For engineering department, especially Industrial Engineering, the curriculum must be improved to conform the industrial sector requirements. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to find a gap between the qualifications of graduate students that the industry needs and the abilities of the current graduate students from Industrial engineering, Khon Kaen University. Gap analysis was used to determine the skills that the graduate students need to improve. The result shows that the current graduate students still need to improve in the skills of systematic thinking and understanding of processes related to Industry 4.0, automation technology and the big data analysis. Keywords: Industrial Engineering Curriculum; Gap Analysis; Industry 4.0. 1 Introduction Industry 4.0 refers to a new phase in the industrial revolution that focuses on big data, automation, machine learning, and real-time data. It also referred as internet of things (IoT) or smart manufacturing, marries physical production and operations with smart digital technology, machine learning, and big data to create a more holistic and better connected ecosystem for companies that focus on manufacturing and supply chain management. Thailand 4.0 economic model was launched by the government in May 2016. This policy is expected to complement the 12 th National Economic and Social Development Plan, for 2017-2021, and support the government’s new 20-year National Strategy. Thai government had set out three objectives for the Thailand 4.0 strategy: to elevate Thailand to the high-income nation status; to reduce inequality; and to promote environmentally sustainable growth and development (Wittayasin, 2017). Thailand 4.0 has the potential to leads many Thai businesses into the digital age. While several Thai organizations are already on their way to digital transformation, the challenge will be shifting the entire economic focus of the nation together with its people towards the full potential of the digital world. To be an effective industry 4.0, it requires cooperation between various sectors, and higher industrial engineering education sector is one of those. Industrial engineers use principles of engineering, mass production and technology to help companies find the ways to offer service or create a product efficiently. This requires knowledge of economics, workplace safety standards and industrial practices (Kádárová, Kováč, Durkáčová, & Kádár, 2014) and the industrial engineer, who obtained higher-level degree, plays a decisive role as transmitter or introducer of progress. The balanced combination of a solid scientific and technical education, different applied technologies and disciplines within the economic-business and social-humanistic areas, the understanding that comes from the reality of the industrial sector and the ability to interrelate various disciplines involved in complex systems, makes these studies a current and innovative model. Industry 4.0 took up a pioneering role in industrial IT, which is currently revolutionizing the manufacturing engineering (Coşkun, Kayıkcı, and Gençay, 2019). Many industrialized countries had already adapted their industrial infrastructure to meet the requirements of the Industry 4.0 vision. An important task in the preparation for Industry 4.0 is the adaption of the higher education, in particular the industrial engineering education, to fulfil the requirements