What is Industry 4.0?

Industry 4.0 is the stage industry is in right now, where production becomes more and more digital, connected and driven by data.

It is the fourth in a line of industrial revolutions:

• the first was driven by steam
• the second by electricity and assembly lines
• the third by computers
• the fourth by connected, digital production systems

The four principles of Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0 rests on four principles:

1. Interconnection Machines, devices, sensors and people can talk to each other through connected systems such as IoT.

2. Transparent information Data makes changes in production visible that nobody could see before, so it gets easier to act on them.

3. Technical assistance Systems can help you make decisions and help people with tasks that are hard or dangerous.

4. Decentralized decisions Machines and software can solve some tasks on their own, based on data and rules.

The technology behind the shift

A broad set of technologies makes it possible, for example:

• mobile devices
• IoT platforms
• smart sensors
• 3D printing
• big data and analytics
• machine learning and artificial intelligence
• advanced data visualization

Together, they blur the line between what people do and the decision support machines give.

Industry 4.0 in practice

Industry 4.0 can sound like just another buzzword. But the shift behind the word is real.

More and more, production systems can:

• communicate without a person having to do anything
• analyze large amounts of data
• respond automatically in selected situations

The question for manufacturers is not whether the change is happening. It is how fast they keep up.

So think about what the next step is on your own digital journey.