What is Industry 4.0?

The first industrialization was mechanization, which was powered by the steam engine.

In the second generation, it was assembly lines and mass production – powered by electricity.

The third industrial revolution was driven by computers. The great advances in industrialization were slowing, but a new large-scale industry was emerging, driven by computers and digital services.

Generation 4 is about digitising production. When industrial production is to be data-driven, it’s as big a transition as it has been for retailers that have switched from physical stores to online commerce.

The four principles

The guiding principles of Industry 4.0 are:

1. Interconnection. Machines, devices, sensors and humans can communicate with each other through the Internet of Things (IoT) or the Internet of People (IoP).
2. Transparent information. All the data that is suddenly available provides operators with useful information to make better decisions. It is now possible to see changes in production that were previously invisible.
3. Technical assistance for decisions. Systems can now help people make better decisions based on data, and systems can help people with tasks that were previously impossible – or dangerous.
4. Decentralisation of decisions. Robots and other systems can now act on their own based on data and rules. This allows them to automatically solve many tasks. When an exception or conflict occurs between tasks, the situation can escalate to a higher level.

You can choose to see Industry 4.0 as another buzzword from the IT industry. One can also choose to see that digitisation is now really affecting the industry, and the new thing is that machines can communicate without human involvement and can solve problems themselves.

There is a long list of examples of technologies that are usable in Industry 4.0 projects.

– Mobile devices

– Internet of Things platforms

– Location-based services and technologies

– Identification systems

– Fraud detection systems

– 3D printers

– Smart sensors

– Big data and data analysis

– Machine learning and artificial intelligence

– Complex data visualizations

All in all, it boils down to the fact that systems are no longer human or machine, but a wonderful mix — (you can also see it as a toxic cocktail).

It is operated by the Internet of Things, the data volumes are without limitations (cloud-based IT systems), and so we’ve got some analytics tools that can think for themselves (artificial intelligence).

Everything is not changed

It sounds like a big upheaval, and so is it. Everyone faces the same challenge, and as always the “survival of the fittest” is not about being strongest. You just have to be adaptable, and that is something else.

In our office, we work to collect data in smarter ways. It’s a small part of the big journey.

In traditional industrial production, the major stations on the journey are smart factory, predictive maintenance, smart sensors and of course 3D printers.

Everyone will be challenged, and in order not to fall behind you, one can appropriately start by challenging oneself. What is the next goal of the journey for your production?